Availability of GetAppsAsAdmin API for Service Principals

[GwendolineMeta]

Hello,

I would like to ask whether the GetAppsAsAdmin Power BI REST API
(https://learn.microsoft.com/rest/api/power-bi/admin/apps-get-apps-as-admin)
is currently supported — or planned to be supported — when using Service Principal authentication.

At the moment, this admin API appears to require a user-based admin account, and it is unclear from the documentation whether Service Principals are intentionally not supported or if this is a limitation that may be addressed in the future.

Could you please confirm:

• Whether Service Principals are officially supported for this API today

• If not, whether there is a roadmap or estimated timeline for enabling Service Principal access

• Or if there is a recommended alternative approach for retrieving apps metadata in an automated, non-interactive scenario

This information would be very helpful for my and my custumer.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best regards,

Gwendoline

[Zanqueta · Accepted solution]

Hi @GwendolineMeta 

Current Situation

• The GetAppsAsAdmin API is not supported for Service Principals at present.
• It requires a user-based admin account with the appropriate permissions (Power BI Service Administrator or equivalent via Azure AD).

---

Why This Limitation Exists

Some Admin APIs were designed for auditing and governance scenarios that require user context. Microsoft has been expanding support for SPNs, but not all endpoints are currently covered.

---

Is There a Roadmap for SPN Support?

Based on the latest updates from Microsoft (documentation and community feedback):

• There is no official published date for SPN support for this specific API.
• The general trend is that Admin APIs will gradually support SPNs, but this depends on Microsoft’s internal roadmap.

I recommend monitoring:

• Fabric Ideas - Microsoft Fabric Community to vote for SPN support requests.

---

Recommended Alternative for Automated Scenarios

If you need to retrieve Apps metadata without human interaction:

• Power BI Scanner API (Admin) → already supports Service Principal.
  • It allows extraction of information about workspaces, datasets, reports, and apps.
  • Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/enterprise/service-admin-metadata-scanning

Another approach:

• Create a dedicated admin user account for automation (with MFA bypass via Conditional Access), if acceptable under your security policy.

If this response was helpful in any way, I’d gladly accept a 👍much like the joy of seeing a DAX measure work first time without needing another FILTER.

Please mark it as the correct solution. It helps other community members find their way faster (and saves them from another endless loop 🌀.