Can I bring in reports from different folders to the same workspace?

[yazdanb]

Hi all! Here is how our team uses PowerBI:

- We create a new report in PowerBI Desktop and publish to our workspace

- We used Git to push/commit the report from the workspace to an Azure DevOps repo where all our reports and semantic models are hosted

- From this point onward, we always use the definition.pbir file in the repo to make changes (and then push the code and update through the PowerBI service)

We want to try out a different approach in our repo where we have a folder of shared reports for all clients (our current folder more or less, call this Main) and then one separate folder for each client where we only want modified, client specific versions of some existing reports (call this Client A). Now, we want to set up a client specific workspace for Client A where we load A) the 10 reports in Main and then B) the 2 Client A specific reports. I have tried switching branches and disconnecting workspaces but PowerBI will always load and overwrite everything in the workspace. If I specify the Main folder, 10 reports get loaded in, but if I switch or disconnect/connect to Client A, it just removes the 10 original ones and replaces them with the 2 in Client A.

I have tried a few other bits and pieces here and there without any luck. Unfortunately, I do not have access to become Tenant Admin. Is there any approach, suggestion, or workaround where I would be able to create this Client A workspace and have it correctly load all 12 reports from two different folders in the repo? Would it be possible to set up two folders in the same main folder and not specifically point to one folder but let the workspace contain both subfolders? Would that work?

Thank you for the help! All leads will be appreciated.

[v-sshirivolu]

Hi @yazdanb ,

I would also take a moment to thank @KevinChant  , for actively participating in the community forum and for the solutions you’ve been sharing in the community forum. Your contributions make a real difference.
 

I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. 

[v-sshirivolu]

Hi @yazdanb ,

I hope the information provided above assists you in resolving the issue. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to support you and will be happy to help with any further assistance you may need.

[v-sshirivolu]

Hi @yazdanb ,
I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions

[KevinChant]

I'd avoid making this overly complicated for yourself. One way to do this is to keep the main version of the shared reports in a main development workspace/branch and then each time you have a new client branch out to a new client branch/workspace and modify the reports from there. 

From there, you can deploy from your client branches to the right client workspaces using a variety of techniques, including either a pull request or orchestrating in Azure Pipelines/GitHub workflows.

When you need to update your main copy of the reports you can then raise a pull request to merge the updates to whichever branches require them.

I hope this helps?

[DataNinja777]

Hi @yazdanb ,

You cannot directly combine reports from two different folders into a single Power BI workspace using the built-in Git integration feature. The fundamental reason for this is that the integration operates on a strict 1-to-1 mapping principle, treating the single Git folder you connect to as the absolute source of truth for the workspace's entire content. When you switch the connection from your Main folder to the Client A folder, Power BI interprets this as a command to make the workspace an exact mirror of the new location. Consequently, it removes all items not present in the Client A folder (the 10 main reports) before adding the new items it finds (the 2 client-specific reports). The system is designed for synchronization and replacement, not for merging or aggregation from multiple sources.

However, you can achieve your desired outcome by adopting a different process. The most robust and scalable solution is to implement a CI/CD pipeline within Azure DevOps. Instead of relying on the manual UI connection, you would configure an automated process that first creates a temporary staging directory. The pipeline would then copy the contents of your Main folder into this staging area, and subsequently copy the contents of the Client A folder, allowing the client-specific reports to overwrite the standard versions. Finally, the pipeline would deploy the complete and consolidated contents of this staging directory to the target client workspace using tools like the Power BI REST API or PowerShell cmdlets. This automates the entire assembly and deployment process, making it repeatable and efficient.

If setting up a full CI/CD pipeline is not immediately feasible, a simpler, though more manual, alternative exists. You could create a new, dedicated folder within your Git repository intended to represent the final state of the client's workspace, for instance, /_deploy/ClientA_Workspace. Into this folder, you would manually copy all the reports from the Main folder and then copy the specific reports from the Client A folder, overwriting any duplicates. After committing this new, unified folder to your repository, you would then connect your Power BI workspace to this single, consolidated directory. While this works, its main drawback is the manual effort required; you must remember to repeat the copy process every time a report in the Main folder is updated to ensure the client workspace remains current.

Regarding your idea of using subfolders, that approach would unfortunately not work either. The Power BI Git integration does not recursively scan the connected directory. It is only designed to identify and synchronize the .pbir and .pbip definition folders located in the root of the specified directory, and it will ignore any content nested within subfolders.

Best regards,

[wardy912 · Accepted solution]

Hi @yazdanb 

 It's not something i'm familiar with so this answer is AI generated and unverified, but I hope it helps:

Problem Summary

You're trying to:

• Reuse shared reports from a Main folder across multiple client workspaces.
• Add client-specific reports from a Client A folder to the Client A workspace.
• But when you connect the workspace to a folder, Power BI overwrites the workspace with only the contents of that folder.

Key Limitation

Power BI’s deployment pipeline or Git integration currently does not support merging content from multiple folders into a single workspace. When you connect a workspace to a folder, it treats that folder as the single source of truth, replacing all existing content.

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Workaround Options

✅ Option 1: Use a Combined Folder for Each Client

Create a folder per client that includes:

• Symlinks or copies of the shared reports from Main
• The client-specific reports

Pros:

• Keeps the workspace deployment clean and predictable
• Avoids overwriting issues

Cons:

• Duplication of shared reports across client folders (unless you automate it)

You could automate this with a script that:

• Pulls the latest from Main
• Copies or links the shared reports into each client folder before deployment

✅ Option 2: Use Separate Workspaces for Shared and Client Reports

• One workspace for shared reports (Main)
• One workspace per client for client-specific reports (Client A)
• Use Power BI apps to bundle and share both workspaces with the client

Pros:

• Clean separation of shared vs. custom content
• Clients see a unified experience via the app

Cons:

• Slightly more complex setup
• Requires managing multiple workspaces and apps

✅ Option 3: Use Deployment Pipelines with Staging Logic

If you have access to deployment pipelines, you could:

• Deploy shared reports to a staging workspace
• Then deploy client-specific reports to a production workspace
• Use PowerShell or REST API to automate merging content

Cons: Requires more permissions and setup, and may not be feasible without Tenant Admin access.

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Answer to Your Specific Question

Would it be possible to set up two folders in the same main folder and not specifically point to one folder but let the workspace contain both subfolders?

Unfortunately, no — Power BI currently does not support pointing a workspace to multiple folders or subfolders. It expects a single folder as the source, and will overwrite the workspace with only the contents of that folder.

---

Suggested Path Forward

Given your constraints (no Tenant Admin access), I recommend:

1. Automate folder merging: Create a script that builds a temporary folder per client with shared + client-specific reports.
2. Deploy from that merged folder to the client workspace.
3. Optionally, use Power BI apps to present a unified view if you split workspaces.