Power BI & Version Control with git

[DanielGalili]

hey ! 
me and my team have an issue we hope someone hear can help with 
we have a semantic model stored as a .pbip file, which is connected to out DEV workspace with a git integration .
lately we have started to notice some conflicts when developing, even after pulling the latest update from our master branch . 
some of the issues we have faced : 
1. a conflict due to .tmdl table file order change ( lets say a measure was written in row 1 , and in my file it is written in row 10 ) 
2. conflicts of changes that are already applied in the master branch , and even after pulling the main branch its deleting the change on the branch that is currently being developed on . 


any best practices / suggestions on this matter ? 

[v-karpurapud]

Hi @DanielGalili 

We have not received a response from you regarding the query and were following up to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions.

Thank You.

[Nabha-Ahmed]

Hi @DanielGalili 

• Enable the TMDL format (via File → Options → Preview features → “Store semantic model using TMDL format”) so your model stores each table/measure/role as separate files. Microsoft Fabric Community+3Microsoft Learn+3Power BI+3

• Adopt a branching/merge strategy where each dev works on isolated objects (different measure tables) and pulls latest changes frequently.

[v-karpurapud]

Hi @DanielGalili 

I wanted to check if you’ve had a chance to review the information provided. If you have any further questions, please let us know. Has your issue been resolved? If not, please share more details so we can assist you further.

Thank You.

[v-karpurapud · Accepted solution]

Hi @DanielGalili 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.
 

This issue often arises when managing Power BI semantic models with Git, as Power BI serializes model metadata in a non-deterministic order. As a result, even without actual changes, differences in how .pbip files record table or measure order can lead to merge conflicts. If multiple developers work on the same model without coordination, updates from one branch may overwrite or remove changes from another after a pull or merge.

To address this, consider using Git Large File Storage (LFS) with file locking for .pbip or .pbix files to ensure only one person edits the model at a time. Also, keep both the original .pbip and a text-based extracted version of the model using available extraction tools. The text format makes it easier to perform diffs, merges, and automated checks in CI pipelines.

You can also add server-side checks or pre-receive hooks to confirm that model files are consistent before merging. Ask for a summary of model changes and validation with each pull request. Integrating semantic comparison tools like ALM Toolkit or XMLA-based checks can help identify structural conflicts early.

I hope you find this information useful. If you have more questions, feel free to ask and we will be glad to assist further.

Regards,

Microsoft Fabric Community Support Team