Enable Read-Only Data Preview in Data View for Live Connected Power BI Semantic Models in Desktop

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Business Problem: My team frequently connects Power BI Desktop to established, centrally managed Power BI Semantic Models using a Live Connection. This is crucial for maintaining a single source of truth and leveraging curated data models. However, a significant challenge arises when report developers or analysts need to quickly inspect or understand the raw data structure and a sample of its content within specific tables of the remote model.

Currently, with a Live Connection, the "Data view" (formerly Table view) in Power BI Desktop does not display data from the remote model. While the "Model view" shows schema and relationships, and visuals show aggregated data, there's no straightforward way to directly view a snippet of the underlying table data without:

1. Switching to Import mode (which disconnects from the live model and creates a local copy, undesirable for our governance model).
2. Building temporary table visuals in the report canvas (cumbersome for quick inspection).
3. Using external tools like DAX Studio (requires additional skills and tools not always available or appropriate for all analysts).
4. Relying solely on DAX Query View (which is powerful but less intuitive than a simple browseable table for quick data understanding).

This limitation slows down report development, makes data validation more complex, and can hinder an analyst's ability to quickly grasp the nuances of the data they are working with, especially in a finance context where understanding specific transactions or records can be critical.

Proposed Solution/Feature Enhancement: Introduce a capability within Power BI Desktop to allow a read-only preview of table data in the "Data view" when live connected to a Power BI Semantic Model.

• Functionality:

  • When a user is in the "Data view" and selects a table from a live-connected remote semantic model, Power BI Desktop should query and display a limited number of rows (e.g., top 100 rows, or a configurable sample) from that table.
  • This view would be strictly read-only; no modifications to the data or model would be possible through this interface.
  • The feature should respect any existing security (e.g., RLS/OLS) applied in the remote semantic model.
  • Performance considerations are key; the preview should be efficient and not attempt to load entire large tables.

• Benefits for Finance Analytics:

  • Faster Report Development: Analysts can quickly understand table content and context.
  • Improved Data Validation: Easier to spot-check data during development.
  • Enhanced Data Familiarity: Lowers the barrier for analysts to explore and understand the data within governed semantic models.
  • Reduced Reliance on Workarounds: Less need for temporary visuals or switching to external tools for basic data inspection.

This feature would significantly improve the usability of Power BI Desktop for analysts working with live-connected enterprise semantic models. This would allow better team work.