Best Practices for Sharing Power BI Workspace Reports

Purpose

To ensure secure and intentional sharing of Power BI reports within a workspace.

Recommended Sharing Method

Use “Manage Permissions” at the Report Level

  1. Open the report in Power BI Service.
  2. Click File > Manage Permissions.
  3. Select + Add user and enter the email addresses of intended recipients.
  4. Important Settings:
    • Uncheck “Allow recipients to share this report.”
    • Uncheck “Allow build access.”
  5. Click Grant Access.

This method ensures:

  • Controlled access to specific individuals.
  • Prevention of unauthorized re sharing.
  • Protection of sensitive data.
     


 

Avoid Using the “Share” Button with Link Sharing

What the options under Share do:

  • The default option is “People in your organization”, which shares the report broadly.
  • If “Allow recipients to share” is checked, access can spread uncontrollably.
    • The report owner loses visibility into who has access.

 



 

Workspace Roles and Governance

Assign appropriate roles within the workspace:

  • Viewer: Can view content but not share or edit.
  • Contributor/Member: Can edit and share, so use cautiously.
  • Admin: Full control.
     

Additional Tips

  • Never share from “My Workspace” – it’s intended for personal use and lacks governance controls.
  • Monitor access regularly to ensure compliance with data privacy standards.
     

References

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