Forum Discussion
Power BI Template App
My template app is in testing phase under release management. I used the notification to change from sample data to my desired environment data. It works fine but when I want to change from that environment to another environment, there is no option for doing that. Is testing phase allows me to change data for a single time? or I am missing any option during the creation of the app?
Hoping for solutions.
Hey Haribaskar_11 ,
Based on the message and screenshot you've shared from your Power BI Template App during testing, When testing a Power BI Template App, you initially see this message: "You're viewing this app with sample data. Connect your data". After clicking "Connect your data", you're allowed to bind the app to one target workspace/environment. Once you've done this, the app no longer allows you to switch to a different environment in the same testing session. This is expected behavior during the testing phase of a template app. This is a limitation of the Template App testing environment, not a mistake on your part.
Solution
If you want to test your app against another environment, you need to:
Go back to App Designer and select "Edit" on your template app.
Make any minimal change (like changing a description).
Re-publish the app for testing.
This resets the testing environment and restores the "Connect your data" option.
Now, connect to the new environment instead of the previous one.
This is effectively a "re-test" with a new environment.
Things to remember:
- If you're building a multi-environment app (e.g., Dev, QA, Prod), consider parameters or dynamic data source bindings.
- Users will see the "Connect your data" prompt on first install.
- They can connect to any supported environment/workspace, but only once per install.
- If they want to switch, they’ll need to reinstall or rebind manually by editing the template setup.
If you found this solution helpful, please consider accepting it and giving it a kudos (Like) it’s greatly appreciated and helps others find the solution more easily.
Best Regards,
Nasif Azam
5 Replies
Hey Haribaskar_11 ,
Based on the message and screenshot you've shared from your Power BI Template App during testing, When testing a Power BI Template App, you initially see this message: "You're viewing this app with sample data. Connect your data". After clicking "Connect your data", you're allowed to bind the app to one target workspace/environment. Once you've done this, the app no longer allows you to switch to a different environment in the same testing session. This is expected behavior during the testing phase of a template app. This is a limitation of the Template App testing environment, not a mistake on your part.
Solution
If you want to test your app against another environment, you need to:
Go back to App Designer and select "Edit" on your template app.
Make any minimal change (like changing a description).
Re-publish the app for testing.
This resets the testing environment and restores the "Connect your data" option.
Now, connect to the new environment instead of the previous one.
This is effectively a "re-test" with a new environment.
Things to remember:
- If you're building a multi-environment app (e.g., Dev, QA, Prod), consider parameters or dynamic data source bindings.
- Users will see the "Connect your data" prompt on first install.
- They can connect to any supported environment/workspace, but only once per install.
- If they want to switch, they’ll need to reinstall or rebind manually by editing the template setup.
If you found this solution helpful, please consider accepting it and giving it a kudos (Like) it’s greatly appreciated and helps others find the solution more easily.
Best Regards,
Nasif AzamMy main objective is to make this app available for my clients outside of my organization. If they have multiple environments under a single tenant, will they able to change the environment after their first connection attempt?( i.e first install). All of these features I am asking is available after the pre-production or production?
Hi Haribaskar_11,
It is not possible for users to change the environment after the first connection during install — whether in pre-production or production. Power BI Template Apps allow binding to only one environment per install, and switching to another environment later is not supported.
If they need to connect to a different environment, they must uninstall and reinstall the app.
If this post helps, then please consider Accepting as solution to help the other members find it more quickly, don't forget to give a "Kudos" – I’d truly appreciate it!
Regards,
Vinay Pabbu
Hi Haribaskar_11,
As we haven’t heard back from you, we would like to follow up to see if the solution provided by the super user resolved your issue. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
If our super user response resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accept as solution" and click "Yes" if you found it helpful.Regards,
Vinay Pabbu
