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 implement RLS in the data model; therefore, the dataset’s storage mode must be in Import mode, DirectQuery mode, or Composite mode (Mixed mode). The following steps explain the RLS implementation flow:

1. Creating security roles.
2. Defining rules within the roles.
3. Validating roles in Power BI Desktop.
4. Publishing the model to the Power BI Service or Power BI Report Server.
5. Assigning members to roles within the Power BI Service or Power BI Report Server.
6. Validating roles in the Power BI Service (role validation is unavailable 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 RLS implementation approaches.