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

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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