One-way Git Integration Sync

[fomoisreal]

Is there a way to do one-way sync from Git to Workspace? I don't want people committing changes from PowerBI then syncing with Git

[Poojara_D12]

Yes, you can set up a one-way sync from Git to Power BI Workspace to ensure that changes flow only from Git to the Power BI environment and prevent users from committing changes back to Git from Power BI.

Here's how you can approach this:

1. Set Up a Deployment Pipeline with Git Integration

• In Power BI, create a Deployment Pipeline and integrate it with your Git repository.
• When setting up Git integration, you’ll generally have two environments:
  • The Development environment (connected to the Git branch)
  • The Test and Production environments (not connected to Git)

2. Set Permissions for Each Environment

• Limit access permissions in the Development environment where Git sync is enabled.
• In the Test and Production environments, provide permissions only for viewing and testing, not for editing. This will prevent users from making changes that could be committed back to Git.

3. Disable Direct Editing in the Workspace

• Ensure that users in your workspace do not have permissions to edit reports directly in the Development environment or on any dataset that has been published from Git.
• You can do this by setting them as Viewers instead of Contributors or Members in the Development workspace.

4. Set the Deployment Pipeline to Pull Only

• Set up your deployment pipeline to pull updates only from Git and deploy them to the workspace. This will ensure that updates flow from Git to Power BI.
• Make sure that users know they should only update reports by committing changes to Git, rather than editing directly in the Power BI workspace.

5. Automate Syncing from Git to Workspace

• Use an automated deployment pipeline (e.g., Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions) to push any new changes from your Git branch to the Power BI service.
• Schedule the pipeline to sync periodically or trigger it whenever changes are pushed to the Git branch.

6. Communicate a Clear Workflow Policy

• Make it clear to team members that all changes should be committed to Git rather than being made directly in Power BI.
• Reinforce this by not allowing access to make edits in Power BI directly. All changes will go through a code review process in Git, and once approved, they’ll be pulled into Power BI.

7. Disable Git Sync from Power BI Service

• In some cases, Power BI may allow for bi-directional syncing if permissions are set incorrectly.
• To fully enforce a one-way sync, avoid linking the Test and Production environments to Git, and avoid giving users any option to push changes back to Git from Power BI.

By setting up this one-way sync, you control all changes through Git, with deployments flowing to Power BI but no direct changes allowed in Power BI that could sync back to Git. This ensures a controlled environment and keeps your version control process in Git.

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Kind Regards,
Poojara
Data Analyst | MSBI Developer | Power BI Consultant

[fomoisreal]

we dont want to use powerbi's deployment piplines to push changes from Dev to PROD. we only want to sync powerbi items from the corresponding branch whichever Workspace it is link to. for instance

WS-FIN-DEV (git integrated to Dev Branch)

WS-FIN-PRD (git integrated to Main Branch)

Developers can only do pull-requests to the relevant branch which will then sync to PowerBI workspace. no workspace access to developers except for Admin or release manager (who is responsible in hitting "update all" to synce changes from git to PowerBI). My only concern if these admins/release managers who have access on the workspace accidentally made changes on the dashboard within the workspace then hit commit which will then flow back to GitHub.

You mentioned "Power BI may allow for bi-directional syncing", can we do one-way sync from Git-to-PowerBI not Power-to-Git?