Troubleshooting powerbi service account setup

Troubleshooting Power BI Service Account Setup

This guide helps you verify and troubleshoot Power BI service account configurations. If you're experiencing issues with Power BI integration, follow these steps.

Quick Checklist

Before diving into detailed troubleshooting, verify these common issues:

• Service Principal is properly configured in Azure AD

• Security group includes the Service Principal

• Workspaces are not personal workspaces

• "Allow service principals to use Power BI APIs" is enabled

• You've waited 30-60 minutes for permission changes to propagate

Automated Verification Tool

We provide a Python script that automatically checks your Power BI configuration and permissions.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6 or higher installed

  • Download Python for Windows

  • Mac: brew install python3

  • Linux: sudo apt-get install python3

Running the Verification Tool

7KB

powerbi_workspace_checker.py

1. Download the powerbi_workspace_checker.py script

2. Open Terminal/Command Prompt

3. Navigate to the script location:

   cd path/to/script/location

4. Run the script:

   python3 powerbi_workspace_checker.py

5. Enter your credentials when prompted:

   • Tenant ID

   • Client ID

   • Client Secret

The script will check:

• Authentication status

• Accessible workspaces

• Permission levels

• Security group memberships

Manual Verification Steps

If you prefer to check manually, or if the script identified issues, verify these configurations:

1. Azure AD App Registration

1. Go to Azure Portal
2. Navigate to "App Registrations"

3. Find your service principal

4. Verify:

   • Application (client) ID exists

   • Client secret is valid and not expired

   • Required API permissions are granted:

     • Power BI Service

     • Microsoft Graph (if needed)

2. Power BI Admin Settings

1. Go to Power BI Admin Portal
2. Check "Tenant Settings"

3. Find "Allow service principals to use Power BI APIs"

4. Verify:

   • Setting is enabled

   • Your security group is listed in allowed groups

   • Changes were made >30 minutes ago

3. Security Group Configuration

1. Go to Azure AD

2. Find your security group

3. Check members list

4. Verify:

   • Service Principal is a member

   • Group name matches Power BI settings

   • No typos in group name

4. Workspace Configuration

1. Open Power BI Service

2. Go to each workspace

3. Check "Access" settings

4. Verify:

   • Security group is added

   • Correct permission level assigned

   • Workspace is not personal

   • Changes were made >30 minutes ago

Common Issues and Solutions

Service Principal Can't Access Workspace

1. Issue: Authentication fails

   • Check: Client secret expiration

   • Solution: Generate new client secret if expired

2. Issue: No workspaces visible

   • Check: Security group membership

   • Solution: Add service principal to security group

3. Issue: Permission denied

   • Check: Admin settings

   • Solution: Enable "Allow service principals to use Power BI APIs"

4. Issue: Changes not reflecting

   • Check: Timing of changes

   • Solution: Wait 2-4 hours, retry

Still Having Issues?

If you've verified all settings and still experience problems:

1. Run the verification script and save the output

2. Check Azure AD audit logs for access attempts

3. Verify network connectivity/firewall settings

4. Contact Smaply support with:

   • Script output

   • Error messages

   • Timing of issues

   • Steps already attempted

Additional Resources

• Power BI Service Principal Documentation
• Azure AD App Registration Guide
• Power BI Admin Settings Documentation

Need More Help?

Please contact [e-mail] and we'll try and get you up and running as fast as we can.

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Note: Keep your credentials secure and never share client secrets or access tokens. Always follow your organization's security policies when handling service account information.