Power BI Source Control (End-to-End Guide)

[Olayemi_Awofe]

 

Why Every Power BI User Must Learn This Skill in 2025 and Beyond?

One of the most important soft skills you can’t afford to ignore in 2025 is Team Collaboration. The reality is that DATA has moved beyond being a solo game. In real-world organizations, you are hardly the only one working on a report or dashboard.

We are in an era where collaboration, teamwork, and project version control are non-negotiable, especially in the data field. Data professionals no longer work in isolation. Projects are more complex, multiple teams collaborate on the same reports, and businesses demand data solutions that are scalable, traceable, and easy to maintain.

Power BI Source Control (using Git & GitHub) is not just a fancy skill; it’s becoming the industry standard for professional report development and version control in teams. Power BI Source Control is the bridge that takes you from being a regular Power BI user to becoming a Power BI Developer or Analytic Engineer ready for enterprise-level collaboration.

This guide is not for reading alone, it’s built for practice and execution. it’s a complete, practical, hands-on guide to help you implement Source Control for Power BI using GitHub, Visual Studio Code, and Power BI Project files (.pbip).

Why Should You Care About Power BI Source Control?

“If you want to work on big projects, collaborate in a team, and build scalable reporting solutions, you must learn how to version control your Power BI files.”

The benefits of learning this skill include:

• Collaborating effectively with other team members.

• Tracking every change made to a report.
• Rolling back to previous versions in case of errors.
• Working across multiple environments (Dev, Test, Production).
• Automating report deployment to Power BI Service.
• Clean Workflow: No more “Final_Report_v12_LastEdit_Final3.pbix” 😂😂

What You Will Learn in This Guide

Here’s what we’ll cover step-by-step:

1. Install Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

2. Install Git

3. Setup GitHub Account & Create Repository

4. Install Essential VS Code Extensions

5. Connect VS Code to GitHub

6. Clone Repository to Local Folder
7. Add Power BI Source Files
8. Create Power BI Project (.pbip) File
9. Understand .pbip File Structure
10. Stage Changes
11. Commit Changes

12. Sync Changes with GitHub

13. Review Changes & Version History

14. Configure Power BI Admin Settings for Git Integration
15. Setup Workspace Git Integration in Power BI Service

Step 1: Install Visual Studio Code

Download and install VS Code here: Link
This is where all your magic will happen. If you already have it installed, skip this step and move on like a boss to the next step.

Step 2: Install Git

Git is the engine that will drive your version control.
Download here: Link Installation is super easy; just Next > Next > Finish.

Step 3a: Create Your GitHub Account

Just as signing up on social media.
Go to GitHub and create your account.

Step 3b: Create a Repository

Think of a repository as your online folder where all your files will be stored and tracked.

Go to your GitHub profile > Repositories > New Repository.

Give it a good name and create it.
 

Step 4: Install Necessary VS Code Extensions
To make VS Code work well with GitHub, you need to install these extensions:

Go to the Extensions section in VS Code (left side icon), search for them, and install.
- GitHub Repositories

- GitHub Pull Requests & Issues

- Remote Repositories

 

Step 5: Connect VS Code to GitHub

When you try to clone a repository or push a change, VS Code will ask you to sign in to GitHub, follow the prompts, and connect your account.

Step 6: Clone Repository to Local Folder

In VS Code, go to the Explorer tab > Clone Repository
Choose the GitHub repository you created and save it in an empty folder on your system.

Step 7: Enable Power BI Project (.PBIP)

Open Power BI Desktop.
Go to: File > Options and Settings > Options > Preview Features
Enable: Save Power BI Project (.pbip)
Restart your Power BI Desktop.

 

Step 8: Save Your Power BI Report as .PBIP

Open any report or create a new one.
Save As > Navigate to your cloned repository folder
Save as: Power BI Project (.pbip)* not .pbix

 

Step 9  Review .PBIP File Structure

Your report will now be broken into:
- Data Model Folder
- Report Folder
- Dataset JSON
- Metadata

This makes collaboration easier because everyone can work on different parts without file conflicts. To read more about this file click here Microsoft document

Step 10: Stage Changes in VS Code

Every time you save your Power BI report, you will see the changes in VS Code under Source Control.

Stage individual changes or Stage All.

Step 11: Commit Changes

Add a comment (what you changed), then click Commit.

Step 12: Sync Changes

Click Sync Changes to push your changes to GitHub.

This is how your team sees your latest work.

 

Step 13: Review Changes

In VS Code, you can view previous changes, compare versions, and track who did what. Old codes appear in Red, New changes in Green.

Step 14: Configure Power BI Admin Settings for Git

If you check the Publish button on your Power BI Desktop after saving your report as a .pbip file, you will notice it’s greyed out - meaning you can’t publish directly to the Power BI Service like you normally do with a .pbix file.

This is because, with Source Control enabled, publishing now works through Git integration. on the Power BI Service Admin Portal:
Search for Git Integration Settings and enable everything. This will allow you to connect Power BI workspaces with GitHub.

Step 15: Connect Workspace to GitHub

To publish your report to the Power BI Service, you need to connect your Power BI Workspace to your GitHub repository. This is where the real magic of Source Control happens.

Here’s how to do it:

Go to your Power BI Workspace on Power BI Service >
Click on Settings > Navigate to GitHub Integration > Click Connect Repository

Follow the prompt to sign in to your GitHub account and select the repository and the branch you want to connect.

Once this is done, Power BI will automatically create a Workspace Branch for you. This branch will reflect in 3 places:

1. On your GitHub repository
2. In your VS Code
3. And on your local computer (inside your cloned repository folder)

Now, to move your report from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI Service:
Go to your Power BI Desktop > Save a copy of your .pbip file directly into the new Workspace Branch Folder that showed up on your computer.

Once you’ve done that — go back to VS Code > Stage > Commit > Sync your changes.

After syncing, check your Power BI Service - your report will be right there in the Workspace connected to your GitHub.

Any time you make changes in Power BI Desktop, just follow the same process (Stage > Commit > Sync) and your Power BI Service will always stay up to date with your latest changes.

 

Final Note

“If your report doesn’t drive action, at best, it’s just a collection of fancy visuals.”

Learning Power BI Source Control is about building scalable, maintainable, and collaborative solutions that deliver business value.

Master this skill today and step into the future of Enterprise Data Analytics.

[Rufyda]

Thank you so much for this detailed and helpful guide.Learning how to manage version control with Git and GitHub in Power BI is such an important skill for improving productivity and teamwork. The insights you shared are incredibly valuable, and I’m excited to implement this in my future projects. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge.

[Olayemi_Awofe]

You should give it a try @Rufyda