Copy semantic model into a workspace subfolder

[akileshoo]

Hi,

I am trying to copy a semantic model of a Power BI report into a subfolder of the workspace. The report can be copied into the subfolder however the semantic model can be moved to and not copied to. I need to save historical snapshots of the semantic model into the subfolder. If I move the semantic model into the subfolder, our Power Automate task of refreshing the semantic model will fail as it won't find it in the workspace main area.

How can I copy a semantic model into a subfolder of the Power BI workspace? Is there a better of automating saving a report and a static copy of its semantic model?

Thanks

[v-shamiliv]

Hi @akileshoo 
I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you'd like to discuss this further. If this answers your question, please Accept it as a solution and give it a 'Kudos' so others can find it easily.
Thank you

[rohit1991 · Accepted solution]

Hi @akileshoo ,
Currently, Power BI does not support directly copying semantic models (datasets) into subfolders within a workspace—only reports can be copied, while semantic models can only be moved. This limitation affects scenarios like yours where maintaining historical snapshots is important, and automation tools like Power Automate depend on the model's original location. 

As a workaround, you can consider periodically exporting the semantic model as a PBIP (Power BI Project) file using the Power BI REST API or external tools like Tabular Editor, and saving those exports to a version-controlled location such as SharePoint or a data lake. Another approach is to script a deployment pipeline that creates static, timestamped copies of the model in a dedicated archival workspace. While not a direct copy to a subfolder, this method can preserve historical states and avoid disrupting automation processes tied to the original model.

[v-shamiliv]

Hi @akileshoo 
I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided by @Idrissshatila  and @Deku . Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If their response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.
Thank you.

[v-shamiliv]

Hi @akileshoo 
Thank you for reaching out microsoft fabric community forum.

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

Thank you.

[Idrissshatila]

Hello @akileshoo ,

then copy it into a different workspace as a seperate historical version.

[Deku]

If you want to keep snapshot of your model and have a premium capacity you could backup your model

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/enterprise/service-premium-backup-restore-dataset