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Collect Power BI Metadata Through Another Connection Profile (v7.2.2+)

Beginning in v7.2.2, Power BI metadata delegation lets one Power BI connection profile collect metadata on behalf of another. Metadata delegation is intended for situations where one connection profile (typically, a Service Principal) has the required permissions for Lineage/full object metadata collection, and other connection profiles (for instance, OAuth) do not have sufficient permissions for full metadata collection. With delegation, the OAuth profiles use the metadata that the Service Principal profile collects, without exposing the Service Principal profile to users.

This article describes how to set up metadata delegation and collect metadata through another connection profile.

PREREQUISITES:

  • Administrator access, or the Create Data Source and Edit Data Source permissions.

Table of contents :

  1. Share Collected Metadata From a Profile
  2. Delegate Metadata Collection to Another Profile
  3. Review Profiles Collecting Through This Profile
  4. Stop Sharing Collected Metadata

1. Share Collected Metadata From a Profile

Access Admin > Collection & Storage > Data Sources > Select a Data Source whose metadata collection you want to share

Configure the connection profile that holds the elevated credentials (typically the Service Principal profile) so other connection profiles can collect metadata through it:

  1. Select the Metadata tab.
  2. Activate the Share Collected Metadata toggle (off by default).
  3. [Save]

NOTES:

  • Once Share Collected Metadata is on, this connection profile appears in the Collect Metadata Using dropdown of every other Power BI connection profile.
  • While Share Collected Metadata is on, the Collect Metadata Using dropdown is hidden on this profile, because a sharing profile never delegates its own collection. The saved selection is preserved and the control returns if sharing is turned off.

2. Delegate Metadata Collection to Another Profile

On the connection profile that should use shared metadata, select the sharing connection profile as the delegate.

  1. Open the delegating connection profile and select the Metadata tab.
  2. In the Collect Metadata Using dropdown, choose the sharing connection profile.
  3. [Save]

NOTES:

  • This connection profile (default) keeps the profile collecting with its own credentials. Every other option is a Power BI connection profile with Share Collected Metadata turned on.
  • Choosing a delegate hides this profile's Metadata Sync Trigger, manual and scheduled syncs now run on the delegate instead. The control reappears with its saved value if you switch back to the default option.
  • The Metadata References grid below shows only the objects shared by the delegate, not its full catalog.

3. Review Profiles Collecting Through This Profile

On a connection profile with Share Collected Metadata turned on, a read-only grid titled Profiles Collecting Metadata Through This Profile appears under the toggle whenever at least one connection profile delegates to it. Each row names a child connection profile and links to that profile's editor. Delegation is configured on each child profile's Collect Metadata Using dropdown, so the grid has no add, remove, or edit controls.

4. Stop Sharing Collected Metadata

To stop a connection profile from acting as a delegation target, turn off Share Collected Metadata on that connection profile.

  1. Open the sharing connection profile and select the Metadata tab.
  2. Turn off the Share Collected Metadata toggle.
  3. [Save]
  4. [OK]

NOTE: If other connection profiles are collecting through this connection profile, a confirmation dialog lists the affected child profiles before the change is applied. After confirming, each affected profile collects metadata with its own credentials again.