Power bi Template update for visual

[binayjethwa]

Hi ,

I have a following requirement in power bi. 

I am creating customer cataloge standard dashboards. Here all the reports for different customers are have same structure and only data is specific to specific customer. I have achieved this using parameters where i have parameterized source tables and just my changing parameters I can have report for different customer.  And I have implemented this to 80 + customers so 80+ reports. 

• The problem I have here is. If there is change in a single visual which I need to add in all the reports. There is no mechanism if I update one template file and it affects all other files.  

Please let me know if there is any way we can update these changes in one file and it affects all other 80+ files instead of manually updating each file. 

Thanks ,

Binay. 

[v-sshirivolu · Accepted solution]

Hi @binayjethwa ,
Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

Power BI’s current architecture does not support automatic, centralized update propagation across multiple PBIX files.Features that enable this, like deployment pipelines and shared datasets, require Pro or Premium licenses.Without these licenses, manual updates or semi-automated solutions (like ALM Toolkit) are the practical options.You can also automate cloning and parameterization of reports with scripting tools such as PowerShell or Tabular Editor, but updating visuals/measures across many files still requires manual or semi-manual steps.

Refer following links for understanding :

• Power BI Desktop files are standalone:
  Each PBIX file contains its own visuals, data model, and queries. There is no native linkage to a master template, so changes must be applied in every file separately.
  (Get started with Power BI Desktop)

• Deployment Pipelines require Premium licenses:
  Deployment pipelines can help promote changes across development, test, and production environments, but this feature is only available with Power BI Premium or Premium Per User licenses.
  (Deployment pipelines overview)

• Shared datasets need Pro or Premium:
  Reusing datasets to centralize logic and measures is possible, but shared datasets are not supported in the "My Workspace" environment and require Pro or Premium licensing.
  (Use Power BI datasets across workspaces)

• Automation via Power BI REST API is limited without Pro/Premium:
  Some tasks like dataset refreshes or report publishing can be automated via REST API, but publishing reports still requires Pro or Premium licenses.
  (Power BI REST API)

Based on Microsoft’s official documentation, it is not possible to fully automate centralized updates for multiple parameterized PBIX reports without Pro or Premium licensing. I plan to:

• Maintain a master PBIX template

• Use tools like ALM Toolkit to push updates manually

• Automate file duplication with PowerShell for faster provisioning

If the response has addressed your query, please Accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it

Best Regards,
Sreeteja.
Community Support Team 

[Dhilipkumar_P]

We explored a potential solution that successfully addressed at least half of the issue:

1. Saving the Parent File as PBIP
   Converting the parent Power BI file to .pbip format generated the following structure:
   • A Report folder
   • A Semantic Model folder
   • A gitignore file
   • The Report saved as a .pbip file
2. Applying Fixes
   After making the necessary fixes to the report in the .pbip format, the changes were reflected in the Report.json file located in the Report folder.
3. Propagating the Fix
   Replacing the Report.json file in another similar Power BI report’s folder with this updated version resolved the issue. When the child .pbip file was opened, the fix was already applied.
4. Next Steps: Scaling and Automation
   To handle such scenarios more efficiently and at scale, we need to:
   • Formalize this process
   • Maintain the logic as code
   • Possibly automate the replacement and version control of Report.json files across reports
     
     Can someone from community vet this solution as scallable if performed? It worked in local when done for two similar dashboards.
     Thanks

[binayjethwa]

Agree! 

[v-sshirivolu · Accepted solution]

Hi @binayjethwa ,
Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

Power BI’s current architecture does not support automatic, centralized update propagation across multiple PBIX files.Features that enable this, like deployment pipelines and shared datasets, require Pro or Premium licenses.Without these licenses, manual updates or semi-automated solutions (like ALM Toolkit) are the practical options.You can also automate cloning and parameterization of reports with scripting tools such as PowerShell or Tabular Editor, but updating visuals/measures across many files still requires manual or semi-manual steps.

Refer following links for understanding :

• Power BI Desktop files are standalone:
  Each PBIX file contains its own visuals, data model, and queries. There is no native linkage to a master template, so changes must be applied in every file separately.
  (Get started with Power BI Desktop)

• Deployment Pipelines require Premium licenses:
  Deployment pipelines can help promote changes across development, test, and production environments, but this feature is only available with Power BI Premium or Premium Per User licenses.
  (Deployment pipelines overview)

• Shared datasets need Pro or Premium:
  Reusing datasets to centralize logic and measures is possible, but shared datasets are not supported in the "My Workspace" environment and require Pro or Premium licensing.
  (Use Power BI datasets across workspaces)

• Automation via Power BI REST API is limited without Pro/Premium:
  Some tasks like dataset refreshes or report publishing can be automated via REST API, but publishing reports still requires Pro or Premium licenses.
  (Power BI REST API)

Based on Microsoft’s official documentation, it is not possible to fully automate centralized updates for multiple parameterized PBIX reports without Pro or Premium licensing. I plan to:

• Maintain a master PBIX template

• Use tools like ALM Toolkit to push updates manually

• Automate file duplication with PowerShell for faster provisioning

If the response has addressed your query, please Accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it

Best Regards,
Sreeteja.
Community Support Team 

[v-sshirivolu · Accepted solution]

Hi @binayjethwa  ,
May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and Accept it as the solutionand give a 'Kudos'. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

[ajaybabuinturi]

Hi @binayjethwa,

You're dealing with a common scalability issue in Power BI when using multiple PBIX files for customer-specific reports. Unfortunately, Power BI doesn't natively support linked templates or inheritance across PBIX files

Thanks,
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