Connected models in Desktop still create separate semantic models when published?

Hi Avih ,

Apologies for the inconvenience you're experiencing with the semantic models after publishing. can you try below steps :

• When you publish a PBIX connected to another semantic model via Desktop, it still creates its own dataset in the Power BI Service.
• This is expected behavior Power BI doesn't maintain the local semantic model connection during publishing.
• Each of your 3 PBIX files ends up creating its own dataset (semantic model), even if 2 of them were dependent in Desktop.
• To avoid this, publish only the main PBIX file that contains the full data model.
• For the other two PBIX files, open them in Desktop and remove their existing model.
• Then, go to Home > Get Data > Power BI Datasets and connect to the semantic model from the Power BI Service.
• These become “thin reports” that rely on the shared dataset in the Service no duplication of semantic models.
• When you publish the thin reports, only the report is published  not another dataset.
• If you edit or extend the model in the dependent PBIX (creating a composite model), it will still create a new dataset on publish.

Reference : Separate reports from models in Power BI Desktop - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Hope this helps !!

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