Fabric cloud based Report Server replacement

[keith_smith1]

Hello, I am looking for ideas on how to replace Report Server and move to Fabric. Our organization is running an on-prem SQL Server/PBIRS/SSIS set-up. We have several hundred reports on that report server with dozens of subscriptions. Most are Paginated but some are PowerBI. We want to move entirely to the cloud. 

Our testing of MS Fabric has left us confident that the product can handle all of our needs with the exception of a Report Server replacement. 

I have seen others suggest that we should use the Fabric app to host all of our reports. We want to provide our line level staff with read-only access to reports. We see several problems with using Fabric to share reports: 1) A user viewing a report link is prompted to create a free Fabric license and is encouraged to start a premium capacity free trial even though we are already on a paid capacity (!!!), 2) They recieve several pop-up messages that are not appropriate for view-only staff (trial offer, release announcements), 3) They are then free to access their Fabric dashboard which has several buttons we don't want them having access to and I am unaware of any way to disable them (Real-Time, Monitoring, Learn, etc).

Even if the staff is directed to a workspace app, they can use the Microsoft menu to navigate to their Fabric Dashboard now that they have a free license. We just want our domain users to have read-only access to reports we grant them access to (AND THAT'S IT!), so please let me know if I am missing something here. 

I noted that Sharepoint allows you to embed PowerBI reports in a page. This could be a potential solution. Any planned support for Paginated or "PowerBI Report Builder" reports? 

Curious to know how others are dealing with this issue! Is there a Fabric cloud based Report Server coming soon?

Thank you!

[v-karpurapud · Accepted solution]

Hi @keith_smith1 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

Thank you @d_gosbell and @rohit1991 for sharing helpful insights on this topic.

We understand your requirement to transition from an on-premises SQL Server/Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) setup to Microsoft Fabric, hosting hundreds of reports in the cloud while ensuring line-level staff have strictly read-only access without license prompts, promotional pop-ups, or exposure to the Fabric dashboard.
 

To provide a controlled, read-only report viewing experience, we recommend using Microsoft Fabric Apps for centralized report management and SharePoint Online embedding for secure, UI-free delivery to your staff.
 

Organize paginated and Power BI reports in a Fabric workspace with F64 or higher capacity, create a Fabric app, and configure navigation for ease of use. Assign Viewer permissions via Azure AD security groups, publish the app, and share the URL for streamlined access and subscription.

 Embed Power BI and paginated reports in SharePoint Online by copying the embed URL from the Fabric app or workspace and adding it to a Power BI web part on a modern site page. Secure the SharePoint site with Read permissions via Azure AD groups, allowing users to access reports directly in SharePoint with a clean, report-only experience.

Regarding the License Prompts and Trial Offers as suggested by @d_gosbell , please ensure your workspace is on an F64 or higher capacity to enable free user access without Pro licenses. To disable trial prompts, navigate to Fabric Admin Portal > Tenant Settings > Users can try Microsoft Fabric paid features > Disabled.

If my response has resolved your query, please mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, a 'Kudos' would be appreciated if you found my response helpful.

Thank You
 

[d_gosbell]

---

@keith_smith1 wrote:

We just want our domain users to have read-only access to reports we grant them access to (AND THAT'S IT!), so please let me know if I am missing something here. 

---

You are definitely missing something. Granting readonly access to reports is definitely possible.

---

@keith_smith1 wrote:

1) A user viewing a report link is prompted to create a free Fabric license and is encouraged to start a premium capacity free trial even though we are already on a paid capacity (!!!),

---

Free users are only supported on F64 or above. You should only see this prompt if you are under that size. Also note that it can sometimes take a few hours for this free user entitlement to take effect.

This should also only happen if the user has workspace admin access. If you only want users to have read-only access they should only be given Viewer access to a workspace or have content shared via an app.

---

@keith_smith1 wrote:

2) They recieve several pop-up messages that are not appropriate for view-only staff (trial offer, release announcements),

---

You can turn off the ability to create trials in the tenant settings. There is a setting called "users can try Microsoft Fabric paid features"

---

@keith_smith1 wrote:

3) They are then free to access their Fabric dashboard which has several buttons we don't want them having access to and I am unaware of any way to disable them (Real-Time, Monitoring, Learn, etc).

---

This is only because they have access to a trial. Once you've turned off the ability to create new trials a Fabric admin can go into the Capacity Settings in the admin portal and they can move any workspaces off the trials onto the paid capacities and then cancel any existing trials. 

[rohit1991]

Hi @keith_smith1 ,
Microsoft Fabric is powerful, but its current model isn't a perfect drop-in replacement for the simplicity and control offered by traditional Report Server, especially when it comes to tightly controlled, read-only access for broad user bases. While using a Fabric workspace app can centralize report access, the fact that end-users are prompted to activate a free license, see promotional pop-ups, and can freely navigate the broader Fabric UI is understandably frustrating and not ideal for operational staff who just need straightforward access to reports. 

Embedding Power BI reports in SharePoint is a viable workaround, and Microsoft has stated ongoing investments in supporting paginated reports in Fabric, though full feature parity with PBIRS (especially around subscriptions and embedded scenarios) isn't quite there yet. For now, some organizations are using Power BI embedded with custom portals or intranets to strictly control user access and UI exposure. 

Others are using Azure services (e.g., Azure App Services with row-level security and embed tokens) to mimic the controlled delivery model. Unfortunately, there is no officially announced "Fabric Report Server" equivalent yet, but the community is actively providing feedback, and Microsoft seems aware of the need. In the meantime, a combination of SharePoint embedding, premium capacity, and perhaps a custom front-end might be the most effective workaround.

Passionate about leveraging data analytics to drive strategic decision-making and foster business growth.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: Rohit Kumar.