How to use MSAL to create PowerBIClient in C# with AAD application credentials

[Anonymous]

I'm writing a C# program to perform administrative tasks in Power BI Embedded such as creating, updating, and deleting workspaces, datasets, and reports. I am using the Nuget library "Microsoft.PowerBI.Api Version=3.31.2". It appears I need to create an instance of the Microsoft.PowerBI.Api.PowerBIClient. I want it to authenticate using the credentials of an AAD registered application (not the credentials of a user). I've created an AAD app registration and given it permission to call the entire Power BI API. I have the application's clientid, client secret, and tenantid. But I can't figure out which PowerBIClient constructor to use so that it can utilize the credentials of my AAD application. Apparently I need to pass a ServiceClientCredentials object to the PowerBIClient constructor, but ServiceClientCredentials is an abstract class, and I can't figure out how to use the application's clientid, client secret, and tenantid to construct something that derives from ServiceClientCredentials. The only examples I found searching online use ADAL, but that's deprecated, so if an external library is needed I want to use MSAL. Can someone please show me a code sample showing how to create a PowerBIClient using the credentials of an AAD app, using MSAL if necessary. Thank you.

[kalluu91]

Actually, we don't need to use any library to get the access token for PowerBIClient.

We can just use the HttpClient and send normal HTTP Request, like this:

var clientHandler = new HttpClientHandler
{
    UseCookies = false,
};
var client = new HttpClient(clientHandler);
var request = new HttpRequestMessage
{
    Method = HttpMethod.Get,
    RequestUri = new Uri("https://login.microsoftonline.com/<your_tenant_id>/oauth2/v2.0/token"),
    Content = new FormUrlEncodedContent(new Dictionary<string, string>
    {
        { "client_id", "<your_client_id>" },
        { "scope", "https://analysis.windows.net/powerbi/api/.default" },
        { "client_secret", "<your_client_secret>" },
        { "grant_type", "client_credentials" },
    }),
};
using (var response = await client.SendAsync(request))
{
    response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
    var body = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
    Console.WriteLine(body);
}

More details: https://kalcancode.wordpress.com/2025/02/18/powerbiclient-how-to-get-access-token/

Cheers,

Kim Anh

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

I found the answers in this 30 minute video from SqlBi: Creating a service principal account for Power BI API - SQLBI

I feel flattered that Marco Russo was stumped on this for two days, while I only wasted one. 😀 Microsoft, it would sure be good if the documentation explained this.