Did Power BI Premium Per-User (PPU) become free?

[molegris]

Hi,

I was wondering if anybody else noticed the ability to assign to workspaces a Premium per-user capacity for free!

I noticed that today. I can now assign Premium per-user capacity to old and newly created workspace. Despite the fact that we are not a Premium Tenant and nobody as a PPU licence (We're using individual Pro licences).

I can finally use features like computed and linked tables (see image below). Yay ! 
But before celebrating, I'm wondering if that's a voluntary move from MS or just a temporary "bug". I know MS has stopped developping Premium and are pushing Fabric very hard... so maybe they decided to offer this soon-to-be-dead product for free(??)

Let me know what you guys think ?

New (and old) workpace can now be assigned to Premium per-user even if we only have a Pro licence.

Linked and computed tables would generate an error message in Pro-enabled workspace.

Regards,

--mo

[rajendraongole1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @molegris  - It seems like you’ve stumbled upon an interesting and potentially temporary situation!

With the introduction of Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft could be loosening restrictions on older Premium features to encourage broader adoption, especially as Fabric offers enhanced capabilities.

• If this access is unintentional, Microsoft may remove it at any time, so avoid building critical workflows reliant on these features unless you're certain the access is permanent.
• Compliance: Ensure your organization stays compliant with licensing agreements. If you're unsure, consult your admin or Microsoft support.
• Fabric Adoption: Microsoft Fabric integrates many of the Premium features, and Microsoft is heavily promoting it. This move could be a nudge to transition users to Fabric.

Keep an eye on the official Power BI Blog and Microsoft Fabric Blog for announcements. Microsoft usually communicates such changes, especially if they're permanent or part of a promotion. enjoy exploring the Premium features and make the most of the opportunity. However, be prepared for these capabilities to potentially be removed if it’s not intentional.

[molegris]

Hi @rajendraongole1 ,

Thank you for your feedback. I feel the same way.

The project I’m working on is currently blocked. We’ve made a lot of optimizations in dataflow with the Pro license, but we’ve hit its limitations. To move forward, we need to use Premium dataflow features like:

• Enhanced compute engine
• DirectQuery
• Computed entities
• Linked entities

Eventually, sometime in 2025, I hope my organization will migrate to Fabric. I had a chance to test the product and I really like it! I recommended we go ahead with Fabric, but then I realized there are many business processes that need to be reviewed before that can happen. It will be the first time my organization uses an Azure Subscription, and we also have to adapt to a totally new billing mode. We’re used to the per-user license mode, and Azure Capacity-per-Tenant billing is daunting. It might not look complicated at first, but it’s a big change for an organization!

So, while waiting for Fabric, it would be nice to use these “free” Premium features to bridge the gap. As you suggested, I will try to reach out to Microsoft to make sure we are still compliant and be ready to purchase at least one PPU in case they suddenly remove the “free” Premium features.

Have a nice day!

--mo