Forum Discussion
need help with semantic model permissions
Hi info_algoritmia,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Forum Community.
1. Losing “Show data table” after editing auto-generated reports, This is expected behavior. Once you edit or duplicate an auto-generated report, Power BI treats it as a regular report. The special “Show data table” feature is only available in auto-generated reports and is not preserved after manual edits. There is currently no supported way to retain that feature after editing or customizing the report.
2. External users with Read access can still “View semantic model”: Yes, even without Build permission, if the user has read access to the report connected to a dataset in a different workspace, and that dataset is discoverable, Power BI may still allow "View semantic model", though they can’t change or use it. This is by design to allow traceability and transparency. Unfortunately, this view cannot be removed entirely via report or dataset settings alone.
3. To disable semantic model exploration for external users, go to the Power BI Admin Portal (requires admin rights), then navigate to Tenant settings. Under Export and sharing settings, turn off or restrict the following options, “Allow users to view and interact with semantic models in the Data hub”, “Allow semantic model export to Excel”, and “Allow build for external users”. These settings can be scoped to specific security groups to ensure external or guest users are excluded from accessing the semantic model.
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Thank you & regards,
Prasanna Kumar
Hi info_algoritmia ,
The key thing to know is that the “Show data table” option is a special feature only available in auto-generated reports (like “Quick Insights” or “Create report” from the Power BI Service).
When you customize or duplicate that report even a minor edit Power BI treats it as a regular report, and you lose that extra “Show data table” protection. Right now, there’s no supported way to keep it after editing.
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If you want to restrict external users from seeing the semantic model or exporting data: Share only auto-generated reports (don’t edit them!) through the app. Make sure external users only have Read permission never Build on the workspace or semantic model. Manage these permissions in the workspace settings and double-check user/group access.
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For more control (if you’re an admin): In the Power BI Admin Portal, go to Tenant Settings > Export and sharing. Turn OFF:
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“Allow users to view and interact with semantic models in the Data hub”
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“Allow semantic model export to Excel”
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“Allow build for external users”
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This approach makes sure external users can see the report visualizations but can’t dig into your underlying data model even if they’re a bit curious. If you need to customize the report, you’ll lose the “Show data table” lock, so you have to balance customization with security for now.
rohit1991 there are some things to clarify:
- after duplicating the auto generated report and edit it the report loses the "show data table" option and then again the "View semantic model" option appears
- I'm only giving access to external guest users via app, so they have Read permissions, no build permissions, they can see the semantic model but without making changes or use it at all BUT still can see it, and don't need that