Forum Discussion
Prevent export underlying data
I have just added this as an idea as I couldn't find it already posted. You can vote here: https://ideas.powerbi.com/forums/265200-power-bi-ideas/suggestions/32213098-disable-export-of-underlying-data
Thanks dmg... yeah, this is a pretty big problem for us as well. It is essentially causes us to expose sensitive row-level data that is valuable in aggregate form. It is unfortunate because we really only have two options: 1. prevent all users from exporting data, or 2. remove the aggregate data point that is sensitive at the detail level.
Yeah, I really need this to be an option. I have to basically duplicate the report to remove these columns. I work in an org where HR can see salaries, but some HR groups can't see salaries even to non-HR staff. So if there is an aggregate they can export underlying data which I cannot afford to happen.
It just seems like standard functionality that should have been available from the start. Please make this happen Ajay :) You guys do such a great job, but I feel this is such a core piece of functionality from an IT security perspective with sensitive data. I voted for it, but there are only 14 votes for the only one I can find.
The MDX this generates is crazy, and as noted it consumes nearly all resources on the SSAS server. To make matters worse, we've seen instances where the query times out after 4 minutes, then the Enterprise Gateway actually re-tries the same query - madness!
I'm working for a large Professional Services organisation, with a large and complex Cube with heaps of Measures, and we can't have our SSAS server getting killed for all the Partners and Directors, just because one of our hundreds of users clicked on "export of underlying data", when all they really wanted was covered by "summarized data". We can't be expected to try and train, and control, the use of this very dangerous MDX query generation, when we have hundreds of casual (but very senior) Power BI users.
Additionally, our whole Global organisation is currently one single Tenant, so the admin functions are all controlled Globally. We need the ability to really fine-tune who can do what, in a large Enterprise that's spread around the world. At a minimum, please let us:
1) disable Export of Underlying data, ideally with fine granularity of who can and/or can't do it e.g. by AD Group
2) and/or remove it from the product altogether
3) or re-enginner the Export of Underlying data, so it generates good MDX and doesn't just allow users to select Everything in the Table(s) we've used to create a PowerBI Object (usually, a Table visualisation)
Personally, I think the "Export of Underlying data" is a flawed idea, I think it's totally inappropriate in a large Enterprise environment, with a large and complex cube. We don't give all our report users the ability to "SELECT *" from any of our SQL tables, so why ttry and let them do the equivalent on our Cubes?
