Lesson 94 Power BI Row-Level Security (RLS) – Best Practices for Data Protection

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In today's data-driven world, it’s crucial to ensure the right people see the right data. That’s where Row-Level Security (RLS) in Power BI comes in.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

• ✅ What is RLS in Power BI?
• ✅ How to set it up step-by-step
• ✅ Best practices for secure deployment
• ✅ Real-world use cases

Let’s secure your Power BI reports like a pro! 🔐

✅ What is Row-Level Security (RLS)?

Row-Level Security controls what data users can see in a Power BI report based on their identity or role.

📌 Example:

• A Sales Manager sees only their region’s data
• An HR executive sees only their department’s employee data

🔐 Key Benefit: Keeps sensitive information safe and private.

🛠 How to Set Up RLS in Power BI (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Create Roles in Power BI Desktop

1. Go to Modeling tab
2. Click on Manage Roles
3. Click Create
4. Define a DAX filter

📌 Example DAX for Sales Region:

DAX

[Region] = "North"

You can also use dynamic filters like:

DAX

[Username] = USERNAME()

Step 2: Test Roles

Click View as Roles to test what each role sees.

🌐 Step 3: Publish to Power BI Service

1. Publish the report to Power BI Service
2. Go to the Dataset settings
3. Assign users or groups to each role

🚨 Note: Roles don’t apply in Power BI Desktop – they work only in the Service.

🔒 RLS Best Practices

• 🔹 Use dynamic RLS with USERPRINCIPALNAME() for scalability
• 🔹 Use security tables in the data model to map users to allowed rows
• 🔹 Never hard-code usernames in filters – use parameterized filters
• 🔹 Document each role clearly
• 🔹 Test with real users before rolling out

🎯 Real-World Use Cases of RLS

• 💼 Finance: CFO sees full data, but branch managers see only their branch
• 🛒 Sales: Territory managers see sales for their assigned region
• 🏥 Healthcare: Doctors view patients only in their department
• 🏢 HR Analytics: Managers view performance of their own team only

🧠 Bonus Tip: Combine RLS with Power BI Apps

Use Power BI Apps to:

• ✔ Bundle reports for specific user groups
• ✔ Apply RLS consistently across multiple reports
• ✔ Share securely with business units

📌 Summary

• ✔ RLS keeps your Power BI data secure
• ✔ Supports both static and dynamic filtering
• ✔ Easy to manage and scale in the Power BI Service
• ✔ Essential for finance, sales, HR, healthcare, and more

🔒 Power BI Row-Level Security = Smart, safe reporting

✅ Coming up next:

• Power BI Workspace vs App: What’s the Difference?
• Power BI Service vs Desktop: Full Comparison
• How to Publish & Share Reports Securely

📩 For any help or guidance, email support@virvijay.com

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