Visual not loading in app for users without access to semantic model

[afaro]

I have two reports - report 1 and report 2. 

Audience have access to report 2. Report 2 gets data from semantic model of report 1 as Direct Query. Audience doesn't have visibility in Power BI app to report 1.  All visuals which use direct query of report 1 do not get loaded in report 2 for the audience. How do I bypass this without giving audience access to report 1 in the app as well? 

[v-lgarikapat]

Hi @afaro ,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

@tayloramy 

Thanks for your prompt response

I wanted to follow up and confirm whether you’ve had the opportunity to review the information  provided by @tayloramy . If you have any questions or need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

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

Best regards,
Lakshmi.

[tayloramy · Accepted solution]

Hi @afaro. 

You’re running into a permissions issue with DirectQuery over a Power BI semantic model. When Report 2 queries the semantic model behind Report 1, viewers of Report 2 must also have access to that upstream semantic model-even if they never see Report 1 in the app. If they don’t, visuals won’t load. See Microsoft’s guidance on this behavior and troubleshooting: Troubleshoot sharing dashboards and reports.

What to do

• Grant your audience access to Report 1’s semantic model (not the report artifact).
  
  • If the upstream model (Report 1) is in a Premium or PPU workspace, Read permission (or Viewer role) on all datasets in the chain is sufficient. Microsoft blog: permission update for composite models and Semantic model permissions.
  • If it’s Pro-only, consumers typically need Build on the upstream model to view a report that uses DirectQuery/composite models across workspaces. Semantic model permissions.
• How to grant without exposing Report 1 in the app:
  
  • In the workspace that hosts Report 1, go to Semantic models + dataflows > … > Manage permissions, and add your audience (group) with the needed level (Read for Premium/PPU, Build for Pro). You don’t need to include Report 1 in the app navigation. Semantic model permissions.
  • If the upstream model lives in the same workspace as your app, you can also use Update app > Manage audience access > Advanced to grant Build/Share to datasets for that audience. Note: these Advanced app settings only apply to datasets in the same workspace; for cross-workspace datasets you must grant permissions directly in the dataset’s workspace. Publish an app in Power BI.
• If the upstream model uses RLS, assign users to the appropriate RLS roles on that model; having Read/Build alone won’t bypass RLS. Semantic model permissions.
• Still blank after access changes? Have a user sign out/in or try a private browser session to refresh tokens. Troubleshoot sharing.

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