Use the Same TMDL Folder Structure as Tabular Editor in Power BI Desktop

[ProdwareSaM]

Status:
Power BI Desktop currently uses a Power BI–specific project structure inside PBIP files, which includes additional metadata files such as definition.pbidataset, diagramLayout.json, and other Power BI–specific annotations. While this structure is required for Desktop functionality, it differs significantly from the clean, TOM‑compatible TMDL folder structure produced by Tabular Editor (“Save to Folder”). 

This creates friction for teams who want to:

• Maintain semantic models in source control using the pure TMDL folder structure
• Use Tabular Editor as the primary modeling tool
• Keep Power BI Desktop as a consumer of the model rather than a co‑author
• Avoid unnecessary metadata churn in Git
• Track changes on individual artifacts (Columns, Measures,...)
• Align Power BI Desktop with Azure AS / SSAS / Fabric semantic model workflows

Request:
Change Power BI Desktop to load and save semantic models directly in the Tabular Editor TMDL folder structure, and add PBIP‑specific metadata files within this structure. 

Benefits:

• Full alignment between Power BI Desktop and Tabular Editor
• Cleaner Git diffs and better DevOps workflows
• Easier migration from SSAS/AAS to Power BI
• Reduced metadata noise
• More predictable modeling workflows for enterprise teams

Why this matters:
Tabular Editor’s TMDL folder structure is already the de facto standard for semantic model development. Allowing Power BI Desktop to work directly with this structure would unify the modeling experience across tools, simplify governance, and reduce friction for enterprise deployments.