Test as role does not work with Single Sign-On (SSO)

[nn6484]

Hi Community, i got this error when i tried to test roles usign row level security:

Test as role does not work with Single Sign-On (SSO).

Please try again later or contact support. If you contact support, please provide these details.

Activity ID: c3b1509d-bc87-4978-89dc-efc2ba12a668
Request ID: 3bd061ea-1a1f-019b-c30d-dbf2c8f0cc19
Correlation ID: 6ee958db-8724-51d9-6456-8798d576ab4c
Time: Tue May 20 2025 23:42:16 GMT+0800 (Singapore Standard Time)
Service version: 13.0.25918.43
Client version: 2505.2.24206-train

[burakkaragoz]

Hi @nn6484 ,

This is actually a known limitation in Power BI — when Single Sign-On (SSO) is enabled, the Test as role feature doesn’t work.

Here’s why:
SSO forces Power BI to always use the real, authenticated user’s identity when connecting to the data source. That means it can’t simulate another role or user, which is exactly what “Test as role” tries to do.

What you can do:

• If you need to test Row-Level Security (RLS), try doing it in Power BI Desktop instead. It works fine there.
• Alternatively, publish the report and ask a user assigned to the role to validate the data visibility.
• If you're using an on-premises data source, make sure your gateway is configured for SSO, but keep in mind that testing roles still won’t work in the Service with SSO on.

More info here: Row-level security (RLS) with Power BI

Hope this clears things up!

If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I would be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response helpful.
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[v-kpoloju-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @nn6484,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum. Also @Ritaf1983, for his inputs on this thread. I have identified few workarounds that may help resolve the issue.

The error message "Test as role does not work with Single Sign-On (SSO)" is expected when the dataset is configured to use SSO authentication, such as Azure AD SSO via Direct Query or Live Connection. In these scenarios, the “Test as role” feature is not supported because Power BI cannot impersonate user roles when SSO is active, as user identity is delegated to the data source during query execution.

Test RLS in Power BI Desktop: This is the most reliable approach for validating Row-Level Security roles:

• Open your .pbix file in Power BI Desktop.
• Go to Modelling > Manage Roles to review or define roles.
• Use “View as Roles” to simulate how data will appear for users in each role.
• Once verified, publish the report to the Power BI Service.

Test in the Service Using Real Users: You can assign users to roles in the Power BI Service:

• In the dataset’s security settings, assign users to their appropriate roles.
• Share the report with test users and have them access it directly.
• This will reflect the data as filtered by their assigned role and works with SSO.

Kindly please look into below mentioned image:

Kindly refer to the below following links for better understanding:
Test single sign-on (SSO) configuration - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Row-level security (RLS) with Power BI - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

Kindly refer to the below solved solution for better understanding:
Solved: Re: Test as role does not work with Single Sign-On... - Microsoft Fabric Community

If this post helps, then please give us ‘Kudos’ and consider Accept it as a solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Thank you for using Microsoft Community Forum.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @nn6484,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

Thank you.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @nn6484,

I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If my response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.
Thank you.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @nn6484,

I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you'd like to discuss this further. If this answers your question, please Accept it as a solution and give it a 'Kudos' so others can find it easily.
Thank you.

[Ritaf1983]

Hi @nn6484 

This is expected behavior when you're using Single Sign-On (SSO).

When SSO is enabled (e.g., via Azure AD), Power BI uses the identity of the currently signed-in user to connect to the data source. That means you can’t simulate another role/user using the "View as role" feature — because you're always authenticated as yourself through SSO.

If you just want to test your RLS roles, you have two main options:

1. Temporarily disable SSO for the data source in the dataset settings. That way, you can use “View as role” without identity conflicts. Just don’t forget to re-enable it after testing.

2. Test using a real user account that has the role assigned, and access the report through the service with SSO active. It’s more work but gives you the full end-to-end validation.

Unfortunately, “Test as role” simply doesn’t work with SSO on — by design.

If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution and giving Kudos to help the other members find it more quickly