What is the best way to sync reports to PowerBI without creating new copies?

[yazdanb]

Hi everyone,

My team and I are testing a new setup for our PowerBI report development and check in process. Our workflow is as follows:

- One developer works on one report at a time (to prevent merge conflicts)

- A new report is created in the desktop app and published to our workspace

- The report is synced to our Azure DevOps repo

- All future changes are made in the developers clone of the repo and synced through the workspace

Our ultimate goal is to create more automated development processes where the biggest emphasis is on maintaining one copy/name for each report (since they are used later on in our development process)

We are testing one scenario where a developer hypothetically downloads a report from the workspace as a PBIX file, makes changes to it and saves it as a PBIP file, and then replaces the report folder in the repo with these newly generated files. We are seeing a couple of errors in the workspace when we try to sync this way. The workspace indicates that it deletes one file (since it was just replaced) and adds another with the same name but it cannot update fully because it keeps detecting two files with the same name and gets stuck.

Similarly, if we copy all the files from the newly created pbip folder and replace the files in the repo with it, there is an extra semanticModelDiagramLayout.json file that was not there before and the logicalID in the .platform file also changes which causes the issues. If I try to sync the report to the workspace without these two files, I get dependency errors, as expected.

Is there any way to reconcile these errors and test this scenario without new copies or reports being created? Or is it not possible in this situation? Are there any particular files (like .platform) that we are overlooking that could be the culprit?

Here is an example of errors we are getting:

Cluster URI https://wabi-us-east-a-primary-redirect.analysis.windows.net/

Activity ID 8aba923a-f243-0a65-176a-ad9a30fa61ae

Request ID f1065ff8-118c-dd52-5a6f-533db7c04f41

Artifacts [Display Name: 'REPDQ1STD7221-Free Delivery and Free Receipt' Type: 'report' ObjectId: '9f...

Time Tue Jul 08 2025 14:06:36 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Thank you!

[Akash_Varuna · Accepted solution]

Hi @yazdanb For this always work with .pbip files and preserve the original .platform and layout files. Avoid replacing folders manually—use Git for syncing changes. Changing logical IDs breaks report identity in the workspace. Use deployment pipelines or ALM Toolkit for safe syncing and versioning.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @yazdanb,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.  Also, thanks to @Akash_Varuna, @burakkaragoz,  for those valuable insights on this thread. Here I mentioned workaround that might be resolve the issue. Please have a look into it.

Thank you for providing a detailed explanation of your Power BI development workflow it’s clear that your team is working toward a well-structured and source-controlled reporting process.

Based on the scenario you described the issue you're facing likely stems from how Power BI tracks and identifies report artifacts using internal metadata especially the  .platform file in PBIP format. When you download a .PBIX from the workspace, convert it into a  .PBIP, and then overwrite an existing folder in your Azure DevOps repo, you are unintentionally introducing a new Logical ID. Power BI interprets this as a completely new report, even if the folder or file name hasn’t changed.

This leads to conflicts during sync, where the workspace detects duplicate artifacts and fails to update or overwrite the original report as intended.

Recommended Approach: To avoid these issues:

• Avoid overwriting an existing PBIP folder with a newly saved version from a .PBIX.
• Instead, consider merging only the changed files (like report.json or model.bim) into the existing repo structure.
• Ensure the original  .platform file remains unchanged to maintain the artifact’s identity during sync.

This preserves the report's linkage to the workspace and avoids duplicate creation or dependency errors.

Kindly refer to the below mentioned links for better understanding:

Resolve dependency errors with Git integration - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
Power BI Desktop projects (PBIP) - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Get started with Git integration - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

Let me know what you find after giving these steps a try happy to help you investigate this further.
Thank you for using the Microsoft Community Forum.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @yazdanb,

Just checking in to see if the issue has been resolved on your end. If the earlier suggestions helped, that’s great to hear! And if you’re still facing challenges, feel free to share more details happy to assist further.

Thank you!

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @yazdanb,

Hope you had a chance to try out the solution shared earlier. Let us know if anything needs further clarification or if there's an update from your side always here to help.

Thank you.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @yazdanb,

Just wanted to follow up one last time. If the shared guidance worked for you, that’s wonderful hopefully it also helps others looking for similar answers. If there’s anything else you'd like to explore or clarify, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you.

[burakkaragoz · Accepted solution]

Hi @yazdanb ,

Don’t replace PBIP folders manually — it breaks internal references.

Try this:

1. Use Git to sync changes instead of copy-pasting folders
2. Keep report.json and connections.json consistent
3. Make sure report name and object ID don’t change
4. Don’t mix PBIX and PBIP — pick one and stick with it
5. If possible, use deployment pipelines for cleaner version control

Let me know if you want help checking your folder structure.

If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I’d be grateful for a Kudos if you found it helpful.

Translation and formatting supported by AI assistance.

[Akash_Varuna · Accepted solution]

Hi @yazdanb For this always work with .pbip files and preserve the original .platform and layout files. Avoid replacing folders manually—use Git for syncing changes. Changing logical IDs breaks report identity in the workspace. Use deployment pipelines or ALM Toolkit for safe syncing and versioning.