Unable to Deploy Thin Report After Deploying Backwards

[m-colbert]

In the process of setting up deployment pipelines, deployed content from production back to test. I have a dozen or so thin reports that use a dataset from another workspace, that is also using a deployment pipeline. When deployed back to test, the auto-binding correctly linked the report to the test dataset. At this point everything is working.

But now I need to make a change to one of the reports. I want to download a copy of the thin report locally, but the Download file option is disabled. I can still download from the production workspace, so I did that and then made my change. I published from the desktop to the test workspace and now Power BI thinks I have a new report. The report is the same name so there are two reports of the same name. One paired with the one in production that I can't download, and now a new one.

I seem to be stuck in the middle. No way to download the test copy and using the prod copy PBI thinks it's new. Any workaround suggestions. I really don't want to have to delete the original and then re-deploy to get them paired again. These 15 are just in one workspace and we are doing pieplines for all the workspaces in the tenant.

Anu ideas are greatly appreciated.

[v-lgarikapat]

Hi  @m-colbert ,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

@GilbertQ , @Poojara_D12  

Thanks for your prompt response

In addition to the insights from @GilbertQ  and @Poojara_D12 , I have included the relevant learning documents and previously resolved threads that may help you resolve the issue.

Solved: Re: Deployment Pipelines Thin reports - Microsoft Fabric Community

Reports - Rebind Report In Group - REST API (Power BI Power BI REST APIs) | Microsoft Learn

Reports - Rebind Report In Group - REST API (Power BI Power BI REST APIs) | Microsoft Learn

Solved: Can thin reports be deployed via the API? - Microsoft Fabric Community

Solved: Inability to see the download option in Power BI s... - Microsoft Fabric Community

If this post helped resolve your issue, please consider the Accepted Solution. This not only acknowledges the support provided but also helps other community members find relevant solutions more easily.

We appreciate your engagement and thank you for being an active part of the community.

Best regards,
LakshmiNarayana.

[Poojara_D12]

Hi @m-colbert 

You're facing a common challenge in Power BI deployment pipelines when working with thin reports that reference shared semantic models across different workspaces. After deploying content back from Production to Test, the auto-binding correctly linked the reports to the test dataset. However, since Power BI disables the "Download" option for some reports—often due to their being tied to a managed pipeline or cross-workspace dataset—the only way you could edit the report was by downloading it from Production. Unfortunately, publishing that edited version to the Test workspace caused Power BI to treat it as a separate report, even though the name matches, resulting in two identically named reports—one bound to the deployment pipeline and one unmanaged.

This disconnect happens because re-publishing from Power BI Desktop breaks the internal pipeline pairing metadata. Since the original test report (auto-bound) can't be downloaded and the newly published version is treated as separate, you're now stuck with two reports and unclear deployment continuity. To resolve this without deleting the original, one workaround is to use the “Save As” function within the Power BI Service for the original report (if it allows web editing), then re-apply your changes manually or copy over visuals from your Desktop-edited version using Power BI Desktop’s "copy visuals between reports" method. Alternatively, if editing in the Service isn't possible, the cleanest option—though admittedly not ideal—is to delete the broken test report and redeploy the corrected version from the pipeline, which reestablishes the pairing. Going forward, consider developing thin reports in Desktop using a parameterized reference to the semantic model so they’re easier to bind per environment, and manage them outside the service unless you're using deployment pipelines consistently for both reports and datasets.

[m-colbert · Accepted solution]

Hi @Poojara_D12 ,

 I did additiopnal digging and my resolution was to download the copy from production, open up the pbix in Desktop and change the connection to the shared dataset from production to test. Once this was done, I republished to the test workspace. This time is no longer creates a new item seeing it's the same report and the download file option is enabled again. 

I had not thought of applying parameters to connect to the dataset dynamically. I'm not sure how to do that in the UI. Could probably figure it out using PBIP format. Do you have an example?

Thanks

[GilbertQ]

Hi @m-colbert 

As far as I am aware, when working with deployment pipelines, you always have to deploy from dev test prod. When you go the other way, you get into these kind of issues. So what I would recommend doing is making sure you make your changes in dev and then promote it all the way through.

[m-colbert]

@GilbertQ 

Thanks for the response. 

We are only using 2 stages, test and production. And just now implementing pipelines would be a huge amount of work to not use the deploy backwards from production to test. I know of no other method of being able to pair the items in the test stage with those already in production that deploying back to test. 

Thanks

[GilbertQ]

Another option is to use Semantic-Link-Labs python notebook where you can swap the connection between a report and semantic model.

Or you can use the Visual Studio plug in called "Power BI Studio" in which you can also swap the connection between the report and semantic model.

By doing either of the methods above you can link your report to the semantic model in test.