Using seperate workspaces for Semantic Models and Reports and DTAP connectionstring issue.

[ArjanFraaij]

Hi, there are some posts about this issue latest this one I did find. But no real solutions yet, did any of you get to a solution?

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/Parameterize-Semantic-Model-Data-Source-URL/td-p/3...

Replay the situation.

We are using DTAP for development and having a seperation between Semantic Model workspaces and Report workspaces.

We are using Azure DevOps with GIT integration.

Semantic Model Workspacesas example:

WS_SMM_DM_DEV, WS_SMM_DM_TST, WS_SMM_DM_ACP, WS_SMM_DM_PRD

Report Workspacesas example:

WS_RPT_Finance_DEV, WS_RPT_Finance_TST, WS_RPT_Finance_ACP, WS_RPT_Finance_PRD

The _DEV workspaces are used with feature GIT branches for development. 

When the feature branch is merged to TST branch that is connected to the _TST workspaces who are then updated from git for the sematic models and reports that are developed.

When we have a Semantic Model in WS_SMM_DM_DEV for example SMM_DM_Invoices and we make a report in WS_RPT_Finance_DEV using that Semantic Model as source the report definition wil show something like:

No when we move along the DTAP proces we will update the WS_RPT_Finance_TST workspace with this report information from the connected GIT branch still pointing to the workspace WS_SMM_DM_DEV instead of WS_SMM_DM_TST.

- It is not possible to parameterize a semantic model connection in Power BI Desktop

- There is not that I'm aware of a posibility to change the source connection in the fabric workspace

- There is not that I'm aware of a Power BI API that can change the semantic model connection string

Planning now is that from WS_RPT_Finance_TST > WS_RPT_Finance_ACC > WS_RPT_Finance_PRD would be handeld by Fabric deployment pipelines but again there is no deployment rule that I know of to change the connectstring for the semantic model source in the report.

But I can't know all so maybe you have a seen it?

Little side note: When using GIT to update for example the WS_SMM_DM_DEV workspace to place the report direct in this same workspace instead of the seperated one the following happens:

- After updating the workspace the report automatic has a change that needs a commit from the workspace to GIT again.

- The change is that the byConnection is changed to a byPath:

When you do commit this to GIT and get that branch to your local development enviroment and want to change the report you do not work any more to the semantic model in the fabric services but to your local folder structure. Meaning that executing a referesh in Power BI desktop causing the report somehow to do a real referesh on collecting the data from the semantic model used sources. Taking a long time to be executed...

Please Microsoft give us a parameterized semantic model Power BI Report option!

[ArjanFraaij · Accepted solution]

Created also an idea, please vote:

Microsoft Idea

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @ArjanFraaij,

Thank you for bringing this issue to the community forum. Since you have already submitted an idea for the feature implementation, we request that you continue to monitor it, as the backend team may be working on it.

Please mark the provided information as a solution on your end to help other community members find it easily.

Thank you.