Multiple workspace/reports - implementation

[mic_rys]

Hi! 🙂
I have this deployment scenario (for power bi embedded):
- about 150 customers, one tenant, PowerBI Premium licenses per user;
- each customer will have reports in their workspace, so 1 workspace = 1 customer;
- one same data set for all clients (but from different database) + several same reports;
- the data source for the data set will be different on-premises SQL servers with different databases.
- the data sets are to be refreshed once a day at night, using Power BI Gateway.

My questions are:
1. how to deploy the same dataset (with different SQL source) along with reports in all workspaces?
2. how to configure connections for each database?
3. how to easily manage the change in the data model/reports so that the implementation is in all workspaces at once?

Is this even possible and is PowerBI designed for such operations?

So far I have been implementing PowerBI under a specific customer/individual, and now there is a large scale.

[v-ssriganesh · Accepted solution]

Hello @mic_rys,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Forum Community.

Your multi-tenant Power BI Embedded scenario with 150 customers is achievable with Power BI’s capabilities. Please consider below points:

1. Develop a .pbix file in Power BI Desktop with parameterized SQL Server connections. Use Power BI REST APIs to:

• Create a workspace for each customer.
• Import the .pbix file into each workspace.
• Update dataset parameters for customer-specific connections.
• Automate the process with a PowerShell or Python script, driven by a configuration file listing each customer’s details.
  
  

2. Install an On-Premises Data Gateway in Standard Mode on a dedicated server. For each customer’s SQL Server database:

• Add it as a data source in the Power BI Service.
• Automate data source creation and dataset binding using Power BI REST APIs.
• Manage access with security groups for enhanced control.

3. Implement Power BI Deployment Pipelines to test changes in Development and Test stages before production. Automate the re-import of the updated .pbix file to all 150 workspaces using REST APIs. Store the .pbix file in a Git repository for version control and update dataset parameters and bindings after deployment to ensure connectivity.

4. Schedule daily dataset refreshes via dataset settings or Power BI REST APIs. Monitor refresh history to ensure reliability and verify that the gateway can handle 150 concurrent refreshes, scaling out if necessary.

For detailed API documentation, refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/power-bi/, For gateway setup, see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/service-gateway-onprem

If this information is helpful, please “Accept as solution” and give a "kudos" to assist other community members in resolving similar issues more efficiently.
Thank you.