I am sure we have all had it where there is Power BI report in the service which has been working for a long time. Then there is a requirement to make a change, and NO ONE can find the original PBIX.

There now is an easy way to download the Power BI Report or the Power BI Semantic model from the Power BI Service, and I will show you how to do this!

Even better it can be from ANY Workspace, be it a Pro, Premium Per User or Fabric workspace!

I must give a huge shout out to Gerhard Brueckl for his work creating Fabric Studio!

Example

It is best to use an example I am going to use, which makes it easier to follow.

I am going to download a semantic model called “Zwift Insider – Wheels Performance” in my App Workspace called “Public Shares”

I will also download a thin report called “Zwift Thin Report” in my App Workspace called “Public Shares”

Installing Fabric Studio

To install Fabric Studio, I first had to make sure I had Visual Studio Code installed (Visual Studio Code is free to use)

If you need to install Visual Studio Code, you can download it here: https://code.visualstudio.com/

Next, I had to install the Fabric Studio extension by completing the following steps.

  1. Click on Extensions on the left-hand side.
  2. Search for Fabric Studio
    1. NOTE: Make sure that it is by Gerhard Bruckl
  3. Click on Install
  • If prompted to Trust the Publisher click on “Trust Publisher & Install” as shown below.
  • Once it is installed, I could see it as shown below (When it has got the Uninstall button, it means it is successfully installed)
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • I could now see the extension on the left-hand side.

Update Settings to show Pro Workspaces

By default, the Pro workspaces are not shown. Below are the steps to show the Pro Workspaces.

  • On the Fabric Studio extension click on Settings
  • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • Find the section “Show Pro Workspaces” and enable it as shown below.
  • I recommend closing down Fabric Studio and opening it up for the settings to be applied.

Using Fabric Studio

Below are the steps for logging into Fabric Studio and finding my Workspace.

  • I clicked on the Fabric Studio Icon; I was then prompted to Sign in
    • I clicked on “Allow”
  • I then logged in with my account which I use for my Power BI Service.
    • A screenshot of a login screen AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • Once logged in I can see the Fabric Workspaces in the top left corner
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Downloading the Semantic Model

In the steps below I will now download the Semantic Model in my example “Zwift Insider – Wheels Performance” in my App Workspace called “Public Shares”

  • NOTE: If you hover in the Fabric Workspaces there are some icons that appear near the top. I use the filter icon to filter and find my app workspace
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • I navigate to my App Workspace called “Public Shares”
  • I then clicked on my Semantic Model as shown below
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
    • NOTE: The icon also identifies it as a Semantic Model
  • I then right-click and select “Download as PowerBI Project (PBIP)
  • I then get Prompted where I want to save the PBIP to.
    • I saved this in my PBIP location
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
    • I clicked on Save
  • Once completed, I could see the confirmation on the bottom left-hand side.
  • I could then see the downloaded files
    • A text on a white background AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • And when I went into the Semantic Model, I could then see the TMDL tables.
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Downloading the Thin Report

In the steps below I will now download the thin report “Zwift Thin Report” in my App Workspace called “Public Shares”

  • NOTE: If you hover in the Fabric Workspaces there are some icons that appear near the top. I use the filter icon to filter and find my app workspace
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • I navigate to my App Workspace called “Public Shares”
  • I then clicked on my Thin Report as shown below
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
    • NOTE: The icon also identifies it as a Report.
  • I then right-click and select “Download as PowerBI Project (PBIP)
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • I then get a prompt asking if I want the Live Connection or the Local Dataset
    • In my example I want the Live Connection, because I want the thin report.
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • I then get Prompted where I want to save the PBIP to.
    • I saved this in my PBIP location
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.
    • I clicked on Save
  • Once completed, I could see the confirmation on the bottom left-hand side.
  • I could then see the downloaded files highlighted below.
    • A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Summary

In this blog post I have shown you how you can download any Power BI Semantic Model or Report from the Power BI Service and get the all-important information

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

Thanks for reading!