Development (Version Control, Solution, Source, Publish) Governance Framework

[icassiem]

Good day, Please Help

I previously posted this similar ques: Solved: Re: Publish & Solution Governance - Microsoft Fabric Community

but the business has returned and wants me proritise the framework with the result of controling the Publishing of changes to Prod

Development (Version Control, Solution, Source, Publish) Governance Framework, so i need to build control as the few data champs are storing sources and latest versions om their PC and not on the governed central location. They dont wont a workflow of me controlling or deploying but just ensuring, that the latest version is deployed from central business local with files sources also stored in the central location.

The previous post mentioned the use of power automate, but i have no clue how and i cant remove their access to deploy as the data champs developed tand owns the reports and workspaces, i just need to find a way to limit and block them

second part would result into, then end result we want the latest versions to have full audit dashboard of reports usage, shared url, who accessed the url, irl forwarded to, becuase now finance hasno governance on the development and usage, so i guess i need to use powershell to develop a proper audot dashboard

why i mention the second part is to ensure the goivernance allows us to collate all auditing data possible going forward

Please Help

Regards

[lbendlin]

i just need to find a way to limit and block them

red flag right there.  Your job is it to make it easier for your users to get to their insights, not harder.

Have a frank and open discussion with all participants and then decide if you are mature enough to use github as a version control system, and a two stage deployment pipeline  (DEV connected to the repository).

[icassiem]

@lbendlin thank you, you are correct, the maturity is low in a small organization there's users sharing reports forwarding url from personal workspaces of sources and solutions on their pc. The intention is not to limit them hence why i encouraged the d-champs owning their reports but from the leadership theres no governance of changes being deployed, sources are unknown location, Example theres 2 data champs in one workspace but when it came toquickly removing a tab from a report the champ could not as he had not visibilty of the prod sol, i know they could download the pbix and redeploy but they wanted a gov location of where source and prod solutions are stored and deployed from

so im guessing i should have a folder structure per workspace that concists of solution and file source folders, have the conversation but also i want to inform them theres an audit report stating which reports are used from, with personal workspaces included and others usage, deployed from details, source location of reports that the dept heads i escalate to if the issues persist

It sound tiring to manage unstructured way of working, its not to limit the users, we just want governace as we dont want fin reports sent accorss the org dev from personal workspaces etc

Im really not sure. becuase there aslo not an audit report one can just inherit or pluggin or addin software but then again i have no budget for this

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @icassiem ,

Thanks for the update. A practical way to introduce basic governance is to set up a central SharePoint or OneDrive location for each workspace where PBIX or project files are stored before publishing to production. As mentioned by @lbendlin , if the team eventually moves toward more structured version control, Fabric’s Git integration can support that approach:
Get started with Git integration - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

For auditing, you can rely on the existing Power BI and Fabric activity logs. These logs capture report views, shares, exports, and similar actions. You can extract them through the ActivityEvents API or the PowerShell cmdlets and build a usage dashboard:
Track user activities in Power BI - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
View audit logs - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

If deeper monitoring is needed, audit and usage data can also be sent to Azure Log Analytics:
Audit and usage admin settings - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

As highlighted by @lbendlin , a short alignment discussion on where source files are stored, naming standards, and how production updates should be handled usually helps establish a workable baseline for your team.

Hope this helps. Please reach out for further assistance.

Thank you.

[icassiem]

@v-veshwara-msft Thank You
i dont have finance for fabric and no azure access as im only allowed to use powerbi "admin" so i am limited, i do require an audit dashboard to drive dept conversations before taking on new projects but also to highlight where tough conversations are required, so this governance model is more me developing a report using powershell of accessing azure backend logs?

the dept head has spokne to his team but some issues persist and has asked me to provide a model to restrict the bad habots, not limiting but merely the way of working. so outside of the sharepoint folder structure and a a report i dont have much?

can anyone share commands for me to build an auddit report that shows usgaes, url forwared to , source destination, etc as much as possible, you can message me privately please i dont have the knowldge nor the time to build something imporessive that dept heads can also use and not me checking monthly etc???

[icassiem]

@v-veshwara-msft @lbendlin Thank You

before i close thread, is therer any other methods because we only have the fo;lder structure thats possible on my end?

[v-veshwara-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @icassiem ,

Thanks for the added context. Since you only have Power BI admin permissions and no access to Azure or Fabric workspaces, the approach you outlined is correct. The two practical controls available to you right now are:

1. Using a shared folder (SharePoint or OneDrive) as the expected location for PBIX source files before publishing.

2. Extracting the Power BI Activity Log using PowerShell to build your own audit report that shows report usage and operations.

You can use the following cmdlet to extract activity logs if your account has the necessary admin rights:

PowerShell reference:
Get-PowerBIActivityEvent (MicrosoftPowerBIMgmt.Admin) | Microsoft Learn

API reference (alternative):
Admin - Get Activity Events - REST API (Power BI Power BI REST APIs) | Microsoft Learn

These logs cover usage, view activity, and some sharing/export events. Forwarded URLs or “destination” behavior isn’t tracked, but you will get visibility into which reports are being accessed and how often.

At this stage, outside of the folder structure and audit reporting, there aren’t additional enforcement controls available at the Power BI admin level. If requirements change or your team gains access to Azure Log Analytics or the broader Fabric platform, more capabilities become available for governance and monitoring.

Hope this helps. Please reach out for further assistance.

Thank you.

[icassiem]

@v-veshwara-msft thank you so much

i have listed the audit report as my phase 2, as a proper audit dashboard is required and i need adequate time to do it correctly

Thank you so much for your patience