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

• Microsoft Learn: Collaborate and Share in Power BI
• Microsoft Fabric Community: Sharing from My Workspace
• Share report through my Workspace pros and cons
• Collaborate and share Power BI reports and dashboards