What Is Backed Up¶
A backup captures item definitions, optionally report data, and optionally the access, folders and settings around them; each item type is captured one of three ways, and some types are only recorded.
How each item type is captured¶
| Capture | Item types | What the archive holds |
|---|---|---|
| Definition (bulk or per object) | Report, Semantic model, Notebook, Dataflow Gen2 (CI/CD), Data pipeline, Eventstream, Eventhouse, KQL database, KQL queryset, Real-Time Dashboard, Activator | The item definition in Fabric's definition format. Semantic models are captured as TMSL. |
| Out-of-band (per object) | Paginated report | The .rdl file. |
| Out-of-band (per object) | Dataflow Gen1, Dataflow Gen2 without CI/CD | The dataflow's model.json. A Dataflow Gen2 without CI/CD is restored as a Dataflow Gen1, because Power BI can no longer create the older Gen2 kind. |
| Record only | Dashboard, App, Lakehouse, Warehouse, SQL analytics endpoint, Gateway, Data source, Exploration, Deployment pipeline, Capacity, and any type not listed above | An inventory entry only (name, type, id). No content, so these cannot be restored. |
In the backup wizard, record-only items are greyed out and cannot be ticked; out-of-band items are tagged out-of-band. A whole-workspace backup takes everything Power BI lists in the workspace, including items not shown in the selection tree, and records the rest.
Image of the backup wizard Define step with a workspace expanded, showing a greyed record-only dashboard and an out-of-band paginated report
../images/backup-restore/define-record-only-items.png
What you can add to a backup¶
Item definitions are always captured. The other contents are options on the Define step of the wizard.
| Option | Default | What it captures | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item definitions | Always on | The definition of every captured item. | Every captured item |
| Workspace access | On | Workspace roles: who has Admin, Member, Contributor or Viewer on the workspace. | Whole and partial workspaces |
| Item access | Off | Per-item permissions (Power BI's Manage permissions / Direct access: Read, Reshare, Build) beyond workspace roles. | Each selected item |
| Folders | On | The workspace folder tree and which folder each item is in. | Whole and partial workspaces |
| Workspace settings | Off | The workspace name and description, and the capacity it was on (for reference only). Nothing per item, such as refresh schedules or sensitivity labels. | Whole and partial workspaces |
Data tier: .pbix |
Off (None) | Each report together with its data as a .pbix file, where Power BI allows the export. |
Reports |
When report data is not saved
Data is saved only for reports with their own import-mode model. Live-connected and usage metrics reports never have one, and Power BI refuses the export for Direct Lake, DirectQuery, large-format and incremental-refresh models. The run completes as OK, with warnings and lists which reports have no data and why.
The .abf data tier (large-model data for Premium/XMLA models) is shown in the wizard but is not available in this release.
Dependencies¶
A report reads a semantic model. If the model is in a workspace you did not select, the Dependencies step offers to add the model to the backup as a loose object. If you leave it out, or the model is in a workspace MetaMiner cannot see, the report is a dangling reference on restore: you must point it at a model when you restore it (see Bind Reports to Semantic Models).
Only direct report-to-model dependencies are checked. Data sources and connections behind a model are not followed.
What is never captured¶
- Credentials and data source passwords. A restored model comes back without its credentials and gateway binding, so refreshes fail until someone re-enters them in Power BI.
- Data in lakehouses, warehouses, KQL databases and other Fabric data stores. Only the definitions listed above are captured.
- Semantic model data, except what travels inside a report's
.pbixwhen the.pbixdata tier is on. - Per-item settings such as refresh schedules and sensitivity labels.
The archive inventory¶
Every archive lists every object in each selected workspace: those captured, and those listed without content (record-only types and objects you did not select). Open it with View contents to see the status of each object (see Browse an Archive).