Author: Kay Unkroth - Principal Program Manager
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The semantic model settings experience has been refreshed. The redesigned settings pane, aligned with the modern Fabric look and feel is now available.
Figure: The new semantic model settings pane, opened in context next to the workspace.
Why it matters
The settings page has served its purpose well, but it requires navigating away from whatever you were doing. The new settings pane keeps you in context—your workspace, items, and scroll position stay right where you left them. It opens instantly, with no page load and no navigation away from your model. When you’re done, select anywhere outside the pane to close it.
Equally important, the settings pane is designed for long lists of settings that fit poorly with long scrollable pages. Related sections are now grouped into collapsible regions, making navigation easier. The search feature also saves time.
If you can't find the refresh history instantly, type ‘re’ in the search box and pick View Refresh History. Simply bypass sensitivity labels, endorsements, gateway and cloud connections, credentials, M parameters, query caching, OneDrive sync, and more, and go straight to the setting you want. With more than 30 semantic model settings sections accumulated over time, search is essential.
Figure: Type in the search box to quickly find a setting—for example, 'View refresh history'.
Incremental improvements
Changes to familiar configuration experiences require adjustment, so the settings pane is rolling out gradually. Now, the settings pane is off by default and can only be displayed from the settings page. In a few months, it becomes the default. At that point, you can still switch back to the settings page. Over time, the classic settings page will be retired.
In parallel, settings sections are being consolidated. This work is already underway, refer to the Manage semantic model settings in the settings pane (Preview) documentation for a quick reference. More changes are planned for the scheduled refresh and data connections experiences.
Open the settings pane
During the initial preview, the settings pane is an opt-in experience, so you can adopt it on your own terms.
To open it:
- Navigate to your semantic model's settings page.
- Example: From the Settings option in your model's context menu.
- At the top of the page, you can find an Open settings pane >> link, as in the following screenshot.
Figure: The Open settings pane >> link at the top of the classic settings page.
- The pane opens with all the familiar settings, organized into sections and tabs.
- If you want to go back, select << Open settings page at the bottom of the navigation area in the settings pane.
As a reminder: To change the settings of a semantic model, you need to be the model owner or have Write permission. A few settings—including scheduled refresh and data source credentials — can only be configured by the semantic model owner.
Next steps
- Refer to the Manage semantic model settings in the settings pane documentation.
- Try the pane on one of your semantic models.
- Submit ideas on Fabric Ideas.
- Provide feedback in the comments section.
- Learn more about related topics: Configure scheduled refresh and Data refresh in Power BI.
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