Which licence is required to share: report with multiple sharepoint data sources?

[AlexS2023]

Hello,

I am trying to troubleshoot a report which I don't seem to be able to share online.

Our organisation has mostly Pro accounts, but myself and a few others are on Premium. I have shared multiple reports without problem. the report works perfectly on Desktop, but when published, any user trying to access it (including myself) receives this error:

Power BI Premium is required

The dataset for this report is backed by premium files storage and can only be loaded on a Premium capacity. Go to Workspace settings and move the workspace to a Premium capacity to re-enable the report.

The only difference between this and my other reports is that this particular one pulls data from two seperate SharePoint sites (both within the same 365). I have tested this by publishing two test variations of the report, each with only one of the data sources connected (the other deleted). Both test reports succeeded.

Any ideas what's going on?

Many thanks,

[Wikkleyn_81]

Hi @AlexS2023 The Sharepoint source shouldn't be an issue.

Firstly, have a look a similar thread - https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/PowerBI-Report-now-requiring-Premium-Capacity/m-p/... 

Secondly - Look a the size of the dataset. With a Pro license you are limited to 10GB per workspace.

[CSrikanth_21]

Hi @AlexS2023 
Sorry for the late response.

Q1) Do we need an enterprise version (Power BI Premium per Capacity)?
   A) Yes, if you want to keep using multiple sharepoint sources in the same report and allow free users to access             it, you would need Power BI Premium (Per Capacity).However, if all users have Power BI Pro, you can still share it         without requiring Premium Capacity.

Q2) Can we use an alternative without Power BI Premium?

  A) Yes, merge data in Power Query pull the lookup data separately and merge within Power BI.

If the above information helps you, please give us a Kudos and marked the reply Accept as a Solution.

Thanks,
Cheri Srikanth

[rohit1991]

Hi @AlexS2023 ,

Your report requires Power BI Premium because it pulls data from multiple SharePoint sources, triggering Premium Files Storage.

Why This Happens?

• When a report combines multiple SharePoint data sources, Power BI treats it as Premium Files Storage, requiring Premium Capacity.
• Your test reports (with only one SharePoint source) work because they don’t trigger this restriction.

Solution:

1. Move the Workspace to Premium Capacity

   • Go to Workspace settings → Assign it to a Premium workspace.

2. Check License Requirements

   • Users need Power BI Pro (for shared reports in a Pro workspace).
   • If Premium Capacity is used, Free users can access it.

3. Alternative Workaround

   • Load SharePoint data separately into OneDrive or SQL, then connect Power BI to the consolidated source.

"The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight." – Carly Fiorina

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[AlexS2023]

Thanks rohit1991 now I understand.

For 1 & 2, does that mean we would need an enterprise version? (Unfortunately we're not big enough to justify the cost).

I can definitely work something with option 3, as the second sharepoint is only really there for a few lookups.

Thanks again,