Edit Access for Semantic Models - External Users

[PBIUSER_01]

Hi everyone,

We host our Power BI content in our company tenant, and external users currently access reports through an embedded portal. They can view and create reports based on a shared dataset, but they cannot access or edit the semantic model (e.g., measures, queries), which they’re now requesting.

Due to company policies, we cannot enable external user access to our tenant or provide company IDs to external users. The only alternative we’ve considered is setting up a separate tenant for this project with external user access, but that seems too complex and costly for just a few users.

Is there any other approach that would allow external users to edit the semantic model of reports?

Appreciate any suggestions or workarounds!

Thanks in Advance,

[v-venuppu]

Hi @PBIUSER_01 ,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community.

Thank you @Kedar_Pande for the prompt response.

You can create a generic Power BI account with a Pro/PPU license to edit datasets, but it’s not recommended.
Shared accounts break audit trails, violate licensing, and pose security risks.
Instead, invite external users as B2B guests and give them workspace access, or create a separate tenant where they’re treated as internal users.These are the only compliant, supported ways for external users to edit semantic models.

[PBIUSER_01]

Thanks for the response. Is it possible to create a generic account to log in to Power BI Service and edit datasets, or does it always have to be user-specific?

[v-venuppu]

Hi @PBIUSER_01 ,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community.

Thank you @Kedar_Pande for the prompt response.

I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided and resolve the issue..?Please let us know if you need any further assistance.We are happy to help.

Thank you.

[Kedar_Pande · Accepted solution]

No, there's no workaround.

Your only option is the separate tenant. It's not complex: create a new tenant, deploy your semantic model there, and grant them access. The cost is just the license fees for those users.

This isn't a technical limitation - it's proper security design. Don't circumvent it.

If this answer helped, please click Kudos or mark as Solution.
-Kedar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kedar-pande