Power BI Administration

Power BI administration is crucial for ensuring:

Data security,
Efficient user management,
Optimized reporting performance.

The essential aspects of Power BI administration are

Managing Users and Permissions
Setting Up Usage Metrics and Auditing

1. Managing Users and Permissions in Power BI

Managing users and permissions is critical for maintaining data security by ensuring that the users have appropriate access levels. Power BI provides various ways to control user access at different levels.

a) Role-Based Access in Power BI

Power BI offers different roles to manage access control, such as:

Power BI Administrator,
Capacity Administrator,
Workspace Admin,
Report and Dashboard Owners.

Power BI Administrator manages the entire Power BI tenant which includes security, compliance, and usage monitoring.

Capacity Administrator manages premium capacity settings and workload performance.

Workspace Admin controls workspace settings along with user roles and permissions.

Report and Dashboard Owners define access at the report/dashboard level.

b) Managing Users in Power BI Service

Power BI integrates with Microsoft Entra ID for user management. Users can be added and assigned roles via:

Power BI Admin Portal
Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Entra ID (Azure AD) Groups

Administrators can assign users to different Power BI workspaces, which define collaboration and sharing settings.

c) Assigning Permissions in Power BI Workspaces

Power BI workspaces allow different levels of access:

Admin – Full control over the workspace, including adding/removing members.
Member – Can edit content and share reports but cannot delete the workspace.
Contributor – Can edit reports/dashboards but cannot share them.
Viewer – Can only view reports but cannot edit or share them.

Admins can manage these roles through the Power BI Service → Workspaces → Manage Access option.

d) Securing Data with Row-Level Security (RLS)

Power BI provides Row-Level Security (RLS), which restricts data access based on user roles. RLS is implemented in Power bi desktop using DAX filters and published to Power BI Service.

e) Sharing Reports and Dashboards Securely

Power BI reports can be shared via:

Direct Sharing – Email invitations with view/edit permissions.
Power BI Apps – Packaged reports shared with broader audiences.
Embedding in Teams, SharePoint, or Websites – Using embed links with security controls.
Exporting Data – Admins can restrict or allow data exports for security.

2. Setting Up Usage Metrics and Auditing in Power BI

Monitoring Power BI usage helps administrators track report performance, user engagement, and potential security issues.

a) Enabling Power BI Usage Metrics Reports

Power BI provides Usage Metrics Reports to track user activity, including:

Views, shares, and export actions on reports and dashboards.
Most frequently accessed reports.
User engagement trends over time.

Admins can enable usage metrics by navigating to: Power BI Service → Reports/Dashboards → View Usage Metrics Report

b) Power BI Admin Portal – Audit Logs and Activity Monitoring

Power BI Admins can access detailed usage logs from the Power BI Admin Portal. Audit logs track:

Report/dashboard access.
Data exports and sharing activities.
Gateway refresh failures.
User login attempts and security violations.

To access audit logs:

Go to Microsoft Purview Compliance Center (formerly Office 365 Security & Compliance).
Navigate to Audit → Search for Power BI Activities.
Use filters like date range, user, and activity type.

c) Setting Up Alerts for Security & Compliance

Admins can configure alerts for unusual activities, such as:

Excessive data exports.
Unauthorized access attempts.
Report sharing outside the organization.

Alerts can be set up in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to notify admins of security risks.

d) Monitoring Power BI Capacity Usage

For organizations using Power BI Premium, monitoring capacity is essential for performance optimization.
Use the Power BI Capacity Metrics App to track memory, CPU, and query performance.
Identify bottlenecks and optimize dataset refresh schedules.

e) Automating Auditing with Power BI REST API

Admins can integrate Power BI REST API with monitoring tools like Azure Log Analytics to automate audit data collection. The API provides detailed logs on:

Workspace activities.
Dataset refreshes history.
User activity tracking.

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Power BI Administration