5.1Publish to Power BI Service & workspaces
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Publishing sends the .pbix from Desktop to the Service and splits it into two objects: the report (the pages) and the semantic model (the data + measures).
- "My workspace" is for learning; collaborative workspaces are for producing — with roles (admin, member, contributor, viewer).
- The dashboard (Service) aggregates pins from several reports: the executive view, the cross-report summary.
Running mini-case — Zineb publishes her sales steering in Algiers
Zineb, a management controller at an agri-food SME in Algiers, has finished her sales report in Desktop: it must now live. She applies the section's circuit: Home → Publish → My workspace, then opens app.powerbi.com and finds two distinct objects from the same .pbix — the report and the semantic model. She tests the interactivity in the browser, hovers over her revenue card, pins it to a new "Sales steering" dashboard with two other KPIs, and notes the reflex: keep the source .pbix on SharePoint, because any republish overwrites the online version.
Standalone case for this section: it returns in the course, the diagram, the script and the 48h challenge of section 5.1.
1. Publishing splits the .pbix
The report finished in Desktop must live: Publish sends it to the Service, within a workspace. There, it is viewed in the browser, shared and refreshed. Publishing splits the .pbix into two objects that must be distinguished: the report (the visual pages) and the semantic model (the data + measures) that feeds it. Zineb keeps this image: two objects, one source file.
2. Workspaces and dashboards
"My workspace" is the personal space: perfect for learning, but to be avoided for team production (everything depends on one person). Collaborative workspaces, on the other hand, carry roles (admin, member, contributor, viewer): that's the real life of a report. The report can also feed a dashboard: a page of pins from one or more reports — the executive view, the cross-report summary. Zineb reserves her personal space for learning.
3. Republishing and the source of truth
Careful: any republish overwrites the online version. The source .pbix therefore remains the source of truth and should be carefully kept (OneDrive/SharePoint). You can tweak a report in web edit mode, but a republish from Desktop would overwrite those tweaks. The clean flow is: edit in Desktop → republish. Zineb versions her .pbix rather than improvising online.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — The full Desktop → Service circuit
Zineb publishes then turns her report into an executive view:
1. Desktop (pro account) → Home → Publish → My workspace
2. app.powerbi.com: REPORT + SEMANTIC MODEL (2 objects)
3. Test slicers, export, buttons (now a simple click)
4. Hover the Revenue card → Pin → "Sales steering" dashboardReading: a single .pbix gives two objects in the Service: the report and its semantic model.
Lesson: pinning 2-3 KPIs is enough to create the executive view; the source .pbix is kept (any republish overwrites).
Section vocabulary
- Publish
- Home → Publish (Desktop): the .pbix goes up to the Service, split into report + semantic model.
Simple example: Zineb publishes her sales report from Desktop.
What it is not: a .pbix file left on the PC, never distributed.
Reflex: distribute → Publish to a workspace.
- Workspace
- The Service's container: reports, models, dashboards of the same scope — with roles.
Simple example: Zineb files her report in her team's workspace.
What it is not: a local folder on her hard drive.
Reflex: produce as a team → collaborative workspace.
- My workspace
- The personal space: perfect for learning, forbidden for team production.
Simple example: Zineb tests there first, before switching to the team.
What it is not: the team's shared workspace with roles.
Reflex: learn alone → My workspace.
- Dashboard
- The Service's page of pins: the key visuals pinned from one or more reports.
Simple example: Zineb pins her three steering KPIs there.
What it is not: a full report with several pages.
Reflex: executive view → dashboard of pins.
- Published semantic model
- The report's data and measures, living in the Service: reusable and refreshable.
Simple example: Zineb's model feeds several reports.
What it is not: only the visual pages.
Reflex: report = pages; model = data + measures.
In practice — In practice — First end-to-end publication
- In Desktop (connected to the pro account): Home → Publish → My workspace, like Zineb.
- Open app.powerbi.com: find the report and the semantic model — two distinct objects from the same .pbix.
- Test the interactivity in the browser (slicers, export, buttons — now a simple click).
- Hover your Revenue card → Pin → new "Sales steering" dashboard: pin 2-3 key visuals.
Step-by-step script — publishing like Zineb (5 min)
1) In Desktop connected to the pro account: Home then Publish, target My workspace. 2) Open app.powerbi.com and spot the two objects: the report and the semantic model. 3) Navigate with a simple click: test a slicer, an export, a button. 4) Hover the Revenue card, Pin, create the "Sales steering" dashboard with two other KPIs. 5) File the source .pbix on SharePoint: like Zineb, the source of truth is kept, because any republish overwrites the online version.
A report = several pages; a dashboard = one page of pins. Don't confuse them in front of management.
Copy-paste template — my first publication
1. Desktop → Home → Publish → (My workspace / team workspace)
2. app.powerbi.com → REPORT + SEMANTIC MODEL
3. Check the interactivity in the browser
4. Pin 2-3 KPIs → New dashboard "__"
Rule: source .pbix = source of truth (OneDrive/SharePoint); republish = overwrite.Personal space
Zineb first publishes to My workspace to test, then switches to the team workspace.
Executive dashboard
Zineb pins revenue, margin and service rate: management looks at the dashboard, not the report.
Two objects, one file
Zineb explains to her IT that the report and the semantic model are two distinct objects from the same .pbix.
Source of truth
Zineb keeps her .pbix on SharePoint: if she republishes, she knows the online version will be overwritten.
✓ Best practices
- Distinguish the report (pages) from the semantic model (data + measures).
- Reserve "My workspace" for learning; produce in a team workspace.
- Keep the source .pbix (OneDrive/SharePoint): any republish overwrites.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Producing as a team from "My workspace" (everything depends on one person).
- Editing online then losing the tweaks when republishing the local .pbix.
- Forgetting to save the source .pbix.
Key takeaways
- Publishing splits the .pbix: report (pages) + semantic model (data/measures).
- My workspace = learning; team workspaces = production.
- The dashboard aggregates pins from several reports: the cross-report summary.
- Any republish overwrites the online version: the source .pbix is carefully kept.
48h challenge — apply it tomorrow
Publish one of Zineb's reports (or your own) from Desktop to the Service: spot the two objects (report + model), then pin 2-3 KPIs to a new dashboard. Note in one sentence why you keep the source .pbix.
- I publish a report from Desktop to a Service workspace.
- I distinguish the report from the semantic model and I know where to produce as a team.
- I pin KPIs to a dashboard and I keep the source .pbix.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a report and a dashboard, concretely?
They are two distinct objects of the Service, often confused. The REPORT = several interactive pages designed in Desktop (in-depth exploration of a subject). The DASHBOARD = ONE page of PINS in the Service, potentially from several reports, with possible alerts on the tiles. In practice, management often lives on the dashboard (summary at a glance), analysts in the reports. Pin the 5-6 indicators looked at every morning.
Can I modify the report directly in the Service?
Yes, a web edit mode exists for quick tweaks (adjust a visual, fix a title). But the clean flow remains: edit in Desktop → republish — because the local .pbix is the source of truth, and a republish overwrites your online modifications. Reserve web editing for micro-corrections, knowing they are fragile.
How does publishing a .pbix split the file?