RLS implementation flow

Implementing RLS in Power BI always follows the same flow, which applies to all implementation approaches and all supported storage modes. We can implement RLS in the data model; therefore, the dataset's storage mode must be in Import mode, DirectQuery mode or Composite mode (Mixed mode). Once we have a data model, we have to go through the following flow:

1. Creating security roles.
2. Defining rules within the roles.
3. Validating roles in Power BI Desktop.
4. Publishing a report to the Power BI service or Power BI Report Server.
5. Assigning members to roles within the service or Power BI Report Server.
6. Validating roles in the Power BI service (role validation is not available in Power BI Report Server).

The following diagram illustrates the preceding flow:

Figure 11.9 – RLS implementation flow

In the next section, we look at different implementation approaches.