Data Source Permissions in Power BI

Managing data source permissions is critical for security, governance, and ensuring smooth data refresh in Power BI.

Why Permissions Matter

• Control who can access sensitive data • Ensure data refresh works without interruption • Comply with organizational data governance policies • Prevent unauthorized access to databases and cloud services

Permission Levels in Power BI Service

Configuring Data Source Credentials

When you publish a report to Power BI Service, you must configure credentials for each data source.

Steps:

1. Go to Power BI Service → Workspace → Settings (for your dataset)
2. Expand Data Source Credentials
3. Click Edit Credentials for each source
4. Choose authentication method:

• OAuth2 (for cloud sources like Azure, Google)
• Windows (for on-premises SQL Server)
• Basic (username and password)
• Key (API keys for web sources)

1. Enter credentials and click Sign In

Row-Level Security (RLS)

RLS allows you to restrict data access at the row level based on the user viewing the report.

How it Works: • Define roles in Power BI Desktop using DAX filters • Assign users to roles in Power BI Service • Each user sees only the data they are authorized to view

Example: A sales report where each regional manager sees only their region's data.

Setting Up RLS:

1. In Power BI Desktop → Modeling tab → Manage Roles
2. Create a role (e.g., "East Region")
3. Add a DAX filter expression:

[Region] = "East"

4. Publish the report to Power BI Service
5. In the Service → Dataset → Security → Assign users to roles

Best Practices for Permissions

• Principle of Least Privilege — Grant minimum access needed • Use Groups — Assign permissions to security groups, not individuals • Regular Audits — Review who has access to datasets periodically • Use RLS — For sensitive data, implement row-level security • Service Accounts — Use dedicated service accounts for data refresh credentials • Document Access — Maintain documentation of who has access to what