That is the second a part of the sequence of weblog posts exhibiting tips on how to combine Energy BI with Azure DevOps, a cloud platform for software program improvement. The earlier publish gave a short historical past of supply management methods, which assist builders handle code adjustments. It additionally defined what Git is, a quick and versatile distributed supply management system, and why it’s helpful. It launched the preliminary configurations required in Azure DevOps and defined tips on how to combine Energy BI (Cloth) Service with Azure DevOps.

This weblog publish explains tips on how to synchronise an Azure DevOps repository along with your native machine to combine your Energy BI Initiatives with Azure DevOps. Earlier than we begin, we have to know what a Energy BI Undertaking is and the way we are able to create it.

Energy BI Undertaking (*.PBIP) is a brand new file format for Energy BI Desktop that was introduced in Might 2023 and made out there for public preview in June 2023. It permits us to avoid wasting our work as a undertaking, which consists of a folder construction containing particular person textual content information that outline the report and dataset artefacts. This permits us to make use of supply management methods, reminiscent of Git, to trace adjustments, examine revisions, resolve conflicts, and evaluation adjustments. It additionally allows us to make use of textual content editors, reminiscent of Visible Studio Code, to edit the artefact definitions extra productively and programmatically. Moreover, it helps CI/CD (steady integration and steady supply), the place we submit adjustments to a sequence of high quality gates earlier than making use of them to the manufacturing system.

PBIP information differ from the common Energy BI Desktop information (PBIX), which retailer the report and dataset artefacts as a single binary file. This made integrating with supply management methods, textual content editors, and CI/CD methods troublesome. PBIP goals to beat these limitations and supply a extra developer-friendly expertise for Energy BI Desktop customers.

Since this characteristic continues to be in public preview when scripting this weblog publish, we’ve to allow it from the Energy BI Desktop Choices and Settings.

Allow Energy BI Undertaking (Developer Mode) (Presently in Preview)

As talked about, we first have to allow the Energy BI Undertaking (Developer Mode) characteristic, launched for public preview within the June 2023 launch of Energy BI Desktop. Energy BI Undertaking information permit us to avoid wasting our Energy BI information as *.PBIP information deconstruct the legacy Energy BI report information (*.PBIX) into well-organised folders and information.
With this characteristic, we are able to:

• Edit particular person parts of our Energy BI file, reminiscent of knowledge sources, queries, knowledge mannequin, visuals, and many others.
• Use any textual content editor or IDE to edit our Energy BI file
• Examine and merge adjustments
• Collaborate with different builders on the identical Energy BI file

To allow Energy BI Undertaking (Developer Mode), observe these steps in Energy BI Desktop:

1. Go to File
2. Click on Choices and settings
3. Click on Choices

4. Within the Choices dialog field, go to Preview options
5. Test the field subsequent to Energy BI Undertaking information
6. Click on OK

After making use of the adjustments, we have to restart the Energy BI Desktop.

The first publish of this sequence defined tips on how to create a brand new Organisation, Undertaking, and Repo in Azure DevOps. So, we don’t repeat these steps right here. As an alternative, this part explains tips on how to clone our Git repository created on Azure DevOps on the native machine. Cloning is the method of copying a distant repository to an area machine in order that we are able to work on the undertaking offline.

To clone a Git repo on an area machine, we require both to put in Visible Studio or Visible Studio Code (VS Code) on the native machine. We will additionally use Git Command Line for cloning. The latter is out of the scope of this weblog, so we concentrate on utilizing the VS Code strategies.

Notice

Whatever the desired cloning methodology, we’ve to put in Git on the native machine.

Comply with these steps to shut Azure DevOps Repos with VS Code:

1. In your internet browser, navigate to your Azure DevOps Group utilizing this sample: https://dev.azure.com/{your_organization_name}
2. Click on the specified Undertaking

3. Click on Repos
4. Click on the Clone button
5. From the Clone Repository pane, click on the Clone in VS Code button
6. Click on the Open button

7. Now you get a message on VS Code to Permit an extension to open this URL; click on the Open button

8. Choose a Folder to clone information
9. Click on the Choose as Repository Vacation spot button

10. Go your credentials on the Git Credential Supervisor and click on the Sign up button

We’re executed now. You possibly can click on both the Open button to navigate to the chosen cloned repo inside the VS Code or click on the Open in New Window button to open a brand new occasion of VS Code and navigate to the cloned repo.

To date, we’ve cloned an Azure DevOps repo with VS Code. The subsequent step is to create a Energy BI Undertaking.

Create a Energy BI Undertaking

The subsequent step is to create a Energy BI Undertaking utilizing Energy BI Desktop. You possibly can both create a brand new undertaking from scratch or convert an current PBIX file right into a Energy BI Undertaking file (PBIP). On this weblog publish, I create a brand new file from scratch.

To create a Energy BI Undertaking file, observe these steps:

1. Open a brand new occasion of Energy BI Desktop, then click on the File menu
2. Click on the Save as choice
3. Click on the Browse this machine

Notice

It’s possible you’ll wish to save the undertaking in your OneDrive. In that case choose the OneDrive choice on the Save as menu.

4. Within the Save As dialog field, select the situation of the cloned Azure DevOps repo
5. Kind in a reputation on your file
6. Within the Save as kind drop-down checklist, choose the Energy BI Undertaking information (*.pbip) choice
7. Click on Save

Once we navigate to the situation the place we saved the undertaking, we are going to see that the folder comprises the next:

• The PBIP From Scratch.pbip file
• A PBIP From Scratch.Dataset folder
• A PBIP From Scratch.Report folder

You possibly can discover and edit these folders and information utilizing Energy BI Desktop or some other device of your alternative reminiscent of Tabular Editor or perhaps a notepad editor reminiscent of Notepad++.

Now that we created the Energy BI undertaking, let’s stick with it and create a easy knowledge mannequin and report.
Since that is only a easy take a look at, we are able to hook up with any knowledge supply of alternative, I exploit Microsoft’s SQL Server pattern database: AdventureWorks2022DW.
In my pattern, I get knowledge from the next tables:

• DimDate
• DimProduct
• FactInternetSales

I additionally created a brand new measure as under:

Gross sales = SUM(FactInternetSales[SalesAmount])

Then I created a easy report with a slicer and a line chart as follows, and I saved the adjustments domestically on my machine:

Now on VS Code:

1. The Supply Management pane detected a few adjustments
2. To commit the adjustments we enter a remark that explains what we’ve executed
3. Click on the Commit button to commit the adjustments to Azure DevOps Repo

Relying in your VS Code settings, you could get the next message on VS Code saying “There are not any staged adjustments to commit. Would you wish to stage all of your adjustments and commit them immediately?” as proven within the following picture. This query asks you if you want to Stage all adjustments first, after which Commit them domestically. Study extra about Staging adjustments and Committing right here.

I choose All the time as I don’t need VS Code to ask the identical query once more sooner or later.

To date, we dedicated adjustments to our native machine, we now wish to publish the adjustments to Azure DevOps.

4. Kind in a remark
5. Click on the Publish Department button

Now, we efficiently Pushed all adjustments to the Azure DevOps repo. The subsequent step is to test the DevOps repo. Checking if the adjustments have gone by means of on Azure DevOps is simple. We simply have to navigate to the specified Undertaking on Azure DevOps.

Log into Cloth and navigate to the specified Workspace. If you happen to accurately configured Git Integration from the Workspace Settings, it’s best to see that the Workspace contents synchronised with the Azure DevOps repo.

As you see, in my case, the synchronisation was profitable. Now, let’s open the report and see whether it is truly working.

As you’ll be able to see, the report is empty. It is because the Git integration in Cloth solely synchronises the dataset and report definitions, not the info. Subsequently, we’ve to both refresh the dataset or Publish the report back to Cloth from Energy BI Desktop.

Notice

Since we work on a Energy BI Undertaking, when you use older variations of Energy BI Desktop than the Aug 2023 launch, the Publish button is disabled.

That is it for this weblog publish.
Within the subsequent weblog, we take a look at some real-world working eventualities and focus on present limitations and issues.
So keep tuned for that.

As at all times, I might like to know your opinion and ideas. So please share with us what you suppose within the feedback part under.