Fabric report documentation by Power BI helper

[VoltesDev]

Hi,

Can we still use Power BI Helper for PBIX downloaded from Fabric ?

I noticed the last version is 2021, and when I tried to documented my PBIX, it can display all my tables, measures and so on, but unable to Export for documentation (the tab Documentation and button Create Power BI file's dcoument)

It is processing, but after around 75%, it will stuck forever.

Hope there is easy way to just listing down my tables and columns and measures that we can see it in Excel.

Thanks,

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @VoltesDev, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum. Also, thanks to  @burakkaragoz, for his inputs on this thread. Here I provided workarounds below that might be helpful to you to resolve the issue. Please go through to them.

We understand you are using Power BI Helper (last updated in 2021) to document a PBIX file downloaded from Microsoft Fabric, and you have encountered an issue where the documentation export process gets stuck at around 75% and does not complete.

Power BI Helper has not been updated since 2021, and it does not fully support the newer model metadata structure and internal schema changes introduced in Power BI Desktop and Fabric post-2021. PBIX files downloaded from Fabric often include enhanced metadata (such as semantic models with hybrid tables, composite models, and field parameters), which are not recognized by the older documentation engine of Power BI Helper.

As a result, the export process can hang during parsing or documentation generation. To extract your tables, columns, and measures successfully, we recommend using supported external tools:

Option 1: Tabular Editor (Free or Pro): Connect to the open PBIX file. Use Export Model Metadata to get an Excel/CSV output of: Table names, Column names, Measures, Relationships.

Option 2: You can also use Power BI REST APIs to extract metadata of datasets/models, especially if they are deployed in a workspace. Power BI REST APIs for embedded analytics and automation - Power BI REST API | Microsoft Learn

Option 3: DAX Studio: Connect to your PBIX. Use DMV queries (like SELECT * FROM $SYSTEM.TMSCHEMA_MEASURES) to extract metadata.

Hope this helps clarify things and let me know what you find after giving these steps a try happy to help you investigate this further.

Thank you for using the Microsoft Community Forum.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @VoltesDev,

Just checking in to see if the issue has been resolved on your end. If the earlier suggestions helped, that’s great to hear! And if you’re still facing challenges, feel free to share more details happy to assist further.

Thank you.

[burakkaragoz · Accepted solution]

Hi @VoltesDev ,

Yeah, Power BI Helper is getting pretty long in the tooth - 2021 was ages ago in Power BI years! Fabric has changed so much since then that the tool just can't handle the newer file structures properly.

What's happening to you: Power BI Helper can read the basic stuff (your tables, measures) but chokes when trying to export documentation because it hits features or metadata it doesn't recognize. That 75% freeze is classic "I don't know what this is" behavior.

Here's what actually works nowadays:

DAX Studio is your friend (and it's free):

• Connect directly to your published Fabric dataset
• Go to Advanced → Export → Model Schema
• Boom - you get all your tables, columns, measures in a nice format
• Way more reliable than Power BI Helper

Tabular Editor 2 is another solid option:

• Also free, connects to your Fabric dataset
• Can script out your entire model structure
• Great for getting that documentation you need

Fabric's built-in stuff: The lineage view in Fabric workspaces actually shows a lot more than it used to. Not Excel-friendly, but decent for quick reference.

Quick hack if you're stubborn: Try opening your PBIX in an older Power BI Desktop version (if you still have one lying around), save it, then feed that to Power BI Helper. Sometimes stripping out the newer features helps.

But honestly? DAX Studio will get you that Excel list of tables/columns/measures you want without the headache.

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