PowerBI published reports are being created in Personal Mode

[ChrisDavis]

I have creatied several PowerBI reports using the desktop app. And then Published them to the PowerBI web. All have gone well except for a couple. When I published them they are created in Personal Mode, which means they have no Data source credentials and the Refresh cannot be scheduled. I do not see any difference between the reports that worked and those that didn't

[Ritaf1983 · Accepted solution]

Hi @ChrisDavis 

It sounds like the reports that ended up in "Personal Mode" may be connecting to data sources in a way that the Power BI Service interprets differently compared to those that worked correctly. Here are a few common reasons for this behavior and suggestions to help you resolve it:

1. **Data Source Type**: The type of data source you're connecting to can influence how the report is published. If your data source requires OAuth credentials or uses a local file path (such as a local Excel or CSV file), the Power BI Service may default to treating it as a personal data source that cannot be shared or scheduled for refresh. Make sure all data sources are accessible in the cloud and use consistent authentication methods.

2. **Privacy Level Settings**: Privacy level settings in Power BI can impact how data sources are combined and authenticated. In Power BI Desktop, navigate to *File > Options and settings > Data source settings* and ensure that all your data sources are configured properly. Mismatches in privacy level settings can cause issues when publishing and might lead to the report being flagged as a personal report.

3. **Gateway Requirement**: If the reports that are being published require an on-premises data gateway (e.g., they connect to on-premises SQL Server, Excel files on a network drive, etc.), and that gateway is not configured in Power BI Service, the report might be treated as being in Personal Mode. Make sure the on-premises data gateway is installed, configured, and online, and that your account has access to it.

4. **Data Credentials**: If the data source credentials are different in the reports that failed, you might need to re-enter them in the Power BI Service. Go to your report in the Power BI Service, click on the *Settings* gear icon, and navigate to *Datasets > Data source credentials*. Ensure the credentials are updated correctly.

5. **DirectQuery vs Import Mode**: Reports published with DirectQuery connections sometimes have different handling requirements compared to those in Import Mode. If your reports use DirectQuery, ensure that you have specified the appropriate credentials for connecting to the source.

6. **Workspace Differences**: Double-check which workspace you're publishing to. Sometimes reports get published to the "My Workspace" by default, which is considered a personal workspace and has different permissions and options compared to shared workspaces.

Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:
- **Republish Reports**: Try re-uploading the reports to a different workspace, ideally a non-personal one, and see if they maintain the required settings.
- **Verify Data Sources**: Ensure all data sources are configured in a manner that supports scheduled refresh, using cloud-based connections where possible.
- **Check Gateway Configuration**: If applicable, configure the on-premises data gateway and make sure it’s correctly mapped to your dataset.

If none of these suggestions resolve the issue, please provide more details about the data sources used.

If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly

[ChrisDavis]

Rita,

This information is excellent. With your leads, I found that the data source for that PowerBI report had incorrectly been saved to a users OneDrive account and not SharePoint. Once it was moved to SharePoint, it published perfectly.

[Ritaf1983]

Happy to help💕