Forum Discussion
How to restore deleted reports and model?
Hi Maciekszn ,
To my knowledge you cannot recover any deleted semantic model from the service, except if you are using a CI/CD for Fabric workspaces.
If you do not have a copy of the PBIX for the semantic model you won't be able to get the model back.
If you have a copy of the semantic model you need to publish the semantic model first and then connect the report to the newly published semantic model using the Data Source settings on the Transform option in Power BI desktop.
Hi. I think you should be able to open the live connected report, get the error, see everything on blank and then change the data source at transform data menu. That should load everything back.
You can't restore semantic models unless you are working at the service and you have git integration. It's a good practice to think in a version control strategy for developing files.
I hope that helps,
Super UserHi Maciekszn
In Power BI, if a report’s underlying dataset or model has been deleted, opening the PBIX file in Desktop will fail because the report relies on a live connection or a published model that no longer exists. Unlike standard files, the Service does not automatically retain deleted datasets for long—although in some cases, if the dataset was in a workspace backed by a premium capacity, it may be recoverable through the Power BI Service recycle bin for a limited time, or via an admin restore if your tenant has retention policies enabled. If recovery isn’t possible, the PBIX file itself cannot directly reconnect to a new model if it was built as a live connection, because live-connected PBIX files do not store the data model locally—they only store metadata pointing to the dataset. The workaround is typically to rebuild the report using the PBIX as a template, either by recreating the visuals and measures in a new PBIX connected to the restored or republished dataset, or by using a backup of the original model to republish before opening the report. Unfortunately, there’s no supported way to “replace” the missing model in a live-connected PBIX without recreating the dataset first.