Power BI import

Admin → Power BI import imports measures and dimensions from a Power BI project so you do not have to re-create metrics that already exist.

The .pbip format

The source is a .pbip package — a Power BI Project folder, zipped. It contains the model definition, so measures, dimensions, and their DAX expressions come out of it directly.

To produce one: in Power BI Desktop, enable the preview that saves a project file, then File → Save as, choosing the Power BI Project format.

Before you import

A .pbip carries DAX, and SEMANTIX stores SQL. The import converts measures and dimensions; it does not carry a semantic model, a data source connection, or any curated description across.

That is worth being blunt about: conversion is not guaranteed to be faithful. DAX measures rely on model semantics — relationships, hierarchies, context transitions — that a standalone SQL query cannot assume. Review what comes in.

Importing

1. Provide the .pbip file and a target scope.
2. Run the import.
3. Review the result in the Registry.

Imported measures arrive as metrics. They are not certified, and they are not trusted — certification still needs a human to read the SQL and confirm it means what the DAX meant.

Caution

Treat every imported metric as a draft. Read its query, check the grain, then certify the ones that are right. An import that produces forty plausible-looking metrics and no reviewed ones has moved the work, not removed it.

When it is worth it

If your measures already exist and are already agreed on, the import saves writing them. If you are starting from nothing, build a few by hand in the Data Explorer and file metric requests — you learn what the data actually is, which the import does not teach you.

Fields

• Entity mapping — map the import’s tables to existing Registry entities where they correspond, so the measures land on the right tables.
• Scope — where the imported metrics are assigned. Nothing is visible to users until the scope is right.