Forum Discussion
Licensing Power BI on prem server in mixed Standard and Ent SQL environment
After creating another test PBIRS server with basic configuration and getting the same result, I gave up and contacted MS support.
While we were going over my configuration with MS support tech and making changes here and there, all of a sudden, I was able to upload the PBIX report.
I took my time and tried to recreate the steps on two of my other servers, prod that did not work and dev that did work. I was able to fix my prod PBIRS server and to break and fix my dev server. Here is what I found.
When I create an SSRS server, I usually remove HTTP or port 80 Web Portal URL (/Reports). I do not want anyone using non-secure access. When I configured PBIRS, I did the same. It turns out, publishing PBI reports requires HTTP access to exist, even though you upload or Save As to HTTPS URL. Not sure why, but that is it.
Now, here is the sequence if you need to recover from the same issue I had: add HTTP (port 80) to Web Portal URL reservation, save, remove HTTPS, save. Now test if you can upload a PBIX report, should work. Now add HTTPS back, should also work. Just adding HTTP when HTTPS already exists does not work.
Turns out, nothing to do with licensing.
Enjoy!
Super UserSo technically the database does not need to be on an Enterprise edition and it does not need to be on the same physical server. The error dialog is not giving us much to go so you should check the log files. These are typicallystored in "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Power BI Report Server\PBIRS\LogFiles" by default.
Each sub-component of PBIRS generates it's own logs. You will probably want to check both the RSPortal_* log files and maybe the RSPowerBI_* logs. I suggest you reproduce this issue, wait 5-10 seconds then open up the latest copy of both these log files and scoll to the end and then start browsing up looking for error messages.
So while technically your configuration should work, from a licensing perspective PBIRS itself should be running on cores that are covered by an Enterprise Edition of SQL Server (with SA). It's fine to have the ReportServer database hosted on another instance with different licensing, but PBIRS itself needs to be on the enterprise licensed cores.
Wow! This community is really active!
Hi d_gosbell !
Thanks for clarifying the licensing for PBIRS itself. I wish MS explain their licensing with examples, like here is what you need if all on the same hardware and here is what you need if you host PBIRS on different hardware/cores. We'll need to rethink our deployment now.
I checked the logs and couldnt find anything. The only entry I found was created when I tried Save As to prod server connecting via HTTPS, see below. Then I switched the connection to HTTP and there were no entries.
2020-06-10 11:25:31.0040|INFO|116|Received request POST /api/v2.0/powerbireports(Path='/XXXXXX/Power%20BI/Sales%20and%20Inventory%20Dashboard')/Model.Upload| RequestID = s_acd7f798-0eee-4ea6-a93d-f2c1559e9f02
2020-06-10 11:25:31.0320|ERROR|51|The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel.| RequestID = s_acd7f798-0eee-4ea6-a93d-f2c1559e9f02
I enabled HTTP log for PBIRS, will restart the service and will check later again if anything changes.
Thank you
I went thru all my logs and here is what I found in ReportingServicesService_###:
crypto!DefaultDomain!4408!06/11/2020-10:54:07:: i INFO: Initializing crypto as user: NT SERVICE\PowerBIReportServer
crypto!DefaultDomain!4408!06/11/2020-10:54:07:: i INFO: Exporting public key
crypto!DefaultDomain!4408!06/11/2020-10:54:07:: i INFO: Importing existing encryption key
library!DefaultDomain!4408!06/11/2020-10:54:07:: e ERROR: Throwing Microsoft.ReportingServices.Diagnostics.Utilities.ServerConfigurationErrorException: Invalid PBI Configuration, Microsoft.ReportingServices.Diagnostics.Utilities.ServerConfigurationErrorException: The report server has encountered a configuration error. ;I found some references to the same error and as a solution removing duplicate keys.
Is tehet anything i can check before I go and delete encrypted content?
After creating another test PBIRS server with basic configuration and getting the same result, I gave up and contacted MS support.
While we were going over my configuration with MS support tech and making changes here and there, all of a sudden, I was able to upload the PBIX report.
I took my time and tried to recreate the steps on two of my other servers, prod that did not work and dev that did work. I was able to fix my prod PBIRS server and to break and fix my dev server. Here is what I found.
When I create an SSRS server, I usually remove HTTP or port 80 Web Portal URL (/Reports). I do not want anyone using non-secure access. When I configured PBIRS, I did the same. It turns out, publishing PBI reports requires HTTP access to exist, even though you upload or Save As to HTTPS URL. Not sure why, but that is it.
Now, here is the sequence if you need to recover from the same issue I had: add HTTP (port 80) to Web Portal URL reservation, save, remove HTTPS, save. Now test if you can upload a PBIX report, should work. Now add HTTPS back, should also work. Just adding HTTP when HTTPS already exists does not work.
Turns out, nothing to do with licensing.
Enjoy!