Who Can See Your Power BI Data Access Demystified.

• Who Can See Your Power BI Data? Access Demystified.

Why Roles Matter

• Control who can see your reports and data
• Prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information
• Manage who can edit and publish content
• Assign the right level of power to team members
• Ensure a secure and organized analytics environment
• They are the foundation of good data governance

The Viewer Role

• Can view reports and dashboards in the workspace
• Cannot edit any content or data models
• Cannot create new reports or add data sources
• Ideal for most end-users and stakeholders
• Perfect for distributing finished analytics products
• Lowest level of permission available

The Contributor Role

• Can do everything a Viewer can do
• Can create and edit their own reports
• Can add new reports to the workspace
• Cannot modify datasets created by others
• Cannot delete others' content or publish to web
• Great for report developers and analysts

The Member Role

• Has all the capabilities of a Contributor
• Can also edit and modify existing datasets
• Can refresh data for all datasets in the workspace
• Can publish or update apps for the group
• Cannot add other users to the workspace
• This is a powerful role for developers

The Admin Role

• Has full control over the entire workspace
• Can add or remove users and assign their roles
• Can delete any content, including all datasets
• Can update workspace settings and details
• Should be limited to a few trusted individuals
• Ultimate responsibility for the workspace

Key Differences Summarized

• Viewer: Consume content only
• Contributor: Create new reports only
• Member: Manage all content and datasets
• Admin: Manage people and workspace settings
• Permissions are cumulative from Viewer to Admin
• Always assign the least privileged role needed

Best Practices

• Start users with the Viewer role; promote as needed
• Use the Contributor role for testing new reports
• Reserve the Admin role for team leads only
• Regularly audit user access and roles
• Name workspaces clearly to avoid confusion
• Train team members on their permission level

Putting It All Together

• Roles are essential for security and collaboration
• Understand the tasks each user needs to perform
• Match the role to the user's responsibility
• Incorrect roles lead to risk or frustration
• Proper setup enables a smooth workflow
• Now you can confidently manage your workspace