Editing Semantic Models in the Power BI Service (Generally Available)
Semantic model editing in the Power BI service is now generally available, bringing core modeling capabilities to the web.
Create New Semantic Models in the Web
You can now create new import semantic models from over 100 connectors, all within your browser.
Getting started:
1. Navigate to the Create page and select Get data.
This will launch the modern Power Query Get Data experience for you to discover and connect to data including sources like Excel, SharePoint, SQL Server, and more!
2. Choose your data source and configure connection settings.
Option 1: Create a report
This option takes you into the report editing experience in the Power BI service. Here, you can immediately start building a report on top of your newly created semantic model. The report editor provides all the familiar tools for designing visuals, adding filters, and customizing your report layout—right in the browser.
Option 2: Only create a semantic model
Selecting this option creates just the semantic model, without launching the report editor. You’ll land in the model editor in the web, where you can make further edits to your semantic model. This is ideal if you want to refine your semantic model, add relationships, create DAX measures, or configure row-level security before building reports.
Option 3: Transform data
This option allows you to perform rich data transformations using the modern Power Query editor in the web. After completing your transformations, you can choose to either create a report or a semantic model only, depending on your workflow.
Edit Existing Semantic Models in the Web
Not only can you create new import semantic models in the Power BI service, you can also make core modeling changes to your existing semantic models—all without leaving your browser. This includes many capabilities such as:
Manage relationships: between tables in the properties pane, diagram view, or the Manage relationships dialog. This includes support for autodetecting relationships for faster modeling.
Considerations and limitations
There are a few limitations for this release of editing
semantic models in the Power BI service, which fall into a handful of
categories.
Considerations with the Power Query editor
Keep in mind the following considerations when interacting
with the Power Query editor:
- Using
the Power Query editor to Transform data or connect to new data sources is
only supported for import storage mode. These capabilities aren't support
for Direct Lake or DirectQuery tables.
- Adding
import tables to the model from custom connectors, Azure Database for
PostgreSQL, IBM Informix database (Beta), Essbase, Microsoft Exchange,
Hadoop File (HDFS), OLE DB, R, and Python aren't supported. Models using
these connectors also do not support query editing in the Power Query
editor or refreshing via the ribbon button in the web model editing
experience.
- Semantic
models with connected
goals do not support editing queries in the Power Query editor or
refreshing via the ribbon button in the web model editing experience.
- If you
select Cancel or close the Power Query dialog, any
changes made to queries will be discarded. In the web, changes made in the
Power Query editor must be explicitly saved and applied to the model for
them to persist beyond the editor.
- You
can use existing personal
cloud connections in the Power Query editor for the semantic
model, but you can't create new ones there. When connecting to a data
source in the editor, only on-premises or shared cloud connections can be
created. To use a personal cloud connection, link it through the semantic
model settings page. Configuration and management of these personal cloud
connections can be done in the Power BI Manage Connections and
Gateways page.
- When
opening the Power Query editor for a model published from Desktop,
connections may initially appear unlinked in the Manage
Connections dialog. You'll be able to configure these connections
by clickign the "+" sign.
- A data
gateway is needed to certain data sources. These gateways can be
managed from the semantic model settings page. When publishing
from Desktop, gateway connections aren't configured by default for sources
that require them. You’ll need to manually set them up under Gateway
connections in the semantic model settings.
- Dynamic
data sources aren't supported in the Power Query editor.
- When
adding a new import data source using Power Query on the web, the semantic
model doesn't automatically inherit the sensitivity label from that data
source.
- When
importing data using Power Query in the Power BI service, relationships
defined in the underlying data sources aren't automatically imported.
These relationships must be manually recreated in the semantic model.
Unsupported semantic models
The following scenarios don't support opening the semantic
model in the service:
- Semantic
models that have incremental refresh.
- Semantic
models deployed through deployment pipelines can only be edited on the web
in the development workspace. Editing in test and production workspaces
isn't supported.
- Semantic
models that haven't yet been upgraded to enhanced metadata format. You can
upgrade to enhanced metadata format by opening the corresponding pbix in
Desktop and republishing.
- Semantic
models that have automatic aggregations configured.
- Semantic
models that have a live connection.
- Semantic
models migrated from Azure Analysis Services (AAS).
- Not
all semantic models in Pro workspaces are currently supported in UAE
North.
To see which limitation is preventing you from opening your
semantic model, hover over the Open semantic model button in
the semantic model details page. This displays a tooltip indicating which
limitation is causing the Open semantic model button to be
disabled.
Limitations
There are still many functional gaps between the model view
in Power BI desktop and service. Functionality not yet supported in the service
includes:
- The
refresh button within the web editor for semantic models is disabled for
Direct Lake, DirectQuery, and composite models as well as models
containing customer connectors or cube data sources.
- Setting
a table as a feature table
- Configuring
any feature table properties
- Changing
the storage mode of a table
- Changing
to and from the data category ‘barcode’
- View
as dialog
- Q&A
setup and configuration including editing synonyms
- Classifying
sensitivity of your report
- When
modifying your semantic model within the Service, changing the name of
data fields won't automatically update in existing visuals in downstream
artifacts that depend on that semantic model.
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