want to clone an existing pbi report in same ws with its own semantic model

[db042190]

hi i'd like to clone an existing report in the same ws it currently sits in with its own sm such that any changes to the sm i make will affect only this report's sm, not the original.   i see "make a copy" but dont want to cause any damage before i understand the implications.  the change i want to make to the sm is to point (connect) it at an azure vm with sql whereas right now it points to an on prem sql server.

[cengizhanarslan]

Step 1) Download the original report as a PBIX file from the Power BI Service.

Step 2) Open the PBIX in Power BI Desktop.

Step 3) Change the data source connection in Desktop from the on-prem SQL Server to your Azure VM SQL Server — Transform data → Data source settings → change source → update credentials.

Step 4) Publish back to the same workspace under a new name. This creates a brand new report and a brand new independent semantic model in the workspace, completely separate from the original.

[db042190]

thx cengizhanarslan

[luisoliveira89 · Accepted solution]

Hello @db042190 ,

"Make a copy" will actually only duplicate the report, but it will still point to the same semantic model, so any changes to the model would impact the original report as well.

If you want a fully independent copy (report + its own semantic model), the recommended approach is:

1. Download the existing report as a PBIX
2. Open it in Power BI Desktop
3. Update the data source 
4. Publish it back to the workspace with a new name

This creates a completely separate semantic model and report, so your changes won’t affect the original.

If PBIX download is disabled, then you’d need to:

• Create a new semantic model separately, and
• Rebind a copied report to that new model (via API or external tools)