Forum Discussion
Smart Narrative Power BI Live Semantic Model
Hi smpa01
No, the Smart Narrative (non-Copilot) in Power BI does not work with measures created locally in a child PBIX file when it is connected to a live semantic model (parent PBIX) in a non-composite model setup. Since the child PBIX is in a Live Connection mode, it acts as a thin report and does not store or recognize locally created measures for Smart Narrative. As a workaround, you need to define all required measures in the parent PBIX (semantic model) so they are available for reporting in the child PBIX. Alternatively, if you need local measures, you must enable a DirectQuery for PBI dataset and AS (composite model) instead of a pure Live Connection, which allows defining additional measures in the child PBIX. However, this approach may have performance considerations.
Hi smpa01
No, the Smart Narrative (non-Copilot) in Power BI does not work with measures created locally in a child PBIX file when it is connected to a live semantic model (parent PBIX) in a non-composite model setup. Since the child PBIX is in a Live Connection mode, it acts as a thin report and does not store or recognize locally created measures for Smart Narrative. As a workaround, you need to define all required measures in the parent PBIX (semantic model) so they are available for reporting in the child PBIX. Alternatively, if you need local measures, you must enable a DirectQuery for PBI dataset and AS (composite model) instead of a pure Live Connection, which allows defining additional measures in the child PBIX. However, this approach may have performance considerations.
I have business scenarios that dictates creating children with locally defined measures of a single parent. I have several such example
1:18, 1:5, 1:4, so on and so forth.
It is simply not possible to define all the measures in th parent as and when these children emerge out of business req so that I can satisfy the smart narrative.
The business scenario is inevitable so as taking advantage of smart narrative. If an AS lets me do that, I can always do select 1 from a DB on a sql connector so that I can locally define measure from smart narrative to be happy. Now, woth this arrangement I never need to refresh the composite model as the AS rule dictates the live model gets refreshed when parent is refreshed and I don't need to refresh the sql tbl who is on import mode.
Now, with this arrangement above, will the locally created measure still work in smart narrative? That is the big Q
Hi smpa01
In your scenario, where you have a live connection to a parent semantic model and are defining local measures in the child model, the Smart Narrative (non-Copilot) feature does not support locally defined measures in a non-composite model. This is because Smart Narrative relies on the semantic model structure rather than dynamically created local measures.
Your workaround using an import-mode SQL table to force a composite model does enable local measures, but the challenge remains whether Smart Narrative can recognize them. In composite models, locally created measures should work with Smart Narrative if they are based on imported tables or fully independent calculations. However, if they reference the live connection tables from the parent semantic model, Smart Narrative may not detect them properly.
To ensure Smart Narrative works, you might have to fully define your measures in the parent model. If that’s not feasible, an alternative approach is creating calculated tables in the child model based on the local measures and using those as a source.
