Enforce Power BI model security

Question 1

What is the main purpose of enforcing model security in Power BI?

Answer 1

To restrict data access at the row level, ensuring users see only the data they are authorized to view.

Question 2

What are the two types of security roles in Power BI?

Answer 2

Static and dynamic security roles.

Question 3

How do you create a security role in Power BI?

Answer 3

By using the Manage Roles feature in Power BI Desktop to define DAX filters for tables.

Question 4

What is the difference between static and dynamic security roles?

Answer 4

Static roles apply fixed filters, while dynamic roles use user-specific information to filter data.

Question 5

Why is it important to test security roles in Power BI?

Answer 5

To ensure they correctly restrict data access as intended before deploying the model.

Question 6

What is row-level security (RLS) in Power BI?

Answer 6

A method to restrict data access for given users by using filters to limit the data at the row level.

Question 7

How do you create a security role in Power BI?

Answer 7

In Power BI Desktop, navigate to Modeling > Manage Roles and define DAX filters on tables.

Question 8

What is the purpose of testing security roles?

Answer 8

To ensure the roles are correctly restricting access before publishing the model.

Question 9

What are dynamic security roles in Power BI?

Answer 9

Roles that use DAX functions to filter data based on user information, allowing for user-specific data access.

Question 10

What function can be used to create dynamic security in Power BI?

Answer 10

The USERPRINCIPALNAME() function, which returns the user login name.

Question 11

What is the purpose of the LOOKUPVALUE function in dynamic RLS?

Answer 11

It retrieves a value from a table based on the result of a search condition, used to match user information with data table columns.

Question 12

How can you assign roles to users in Power BI Service?

Answer 12

By publishing the report to Power BI Service, navigating to the dataset, and assigning roles in the “Security” settings.

Question 13

Can RLS be tested in Power BI Desktop?

Answer 13

Yes, by using the “View as Roles” feature to simulate different user roles.

Question 14

What is a common use case for static RLS?

Answer 14

Limiting access to data based on departments, where each department only sees its own data.

Question 15

What is Object-Level Security (OLS) in Power BI?

Answer 15

OLS restricts access to specific tables and columns, as well as their metadata, ensuring users can only see authorized data.

Question 16

How do you set up OLS in Power BI?

Answer 16

Create roles in Power BI Desktop, then add OLS rules using an XMLA endpoint with tools like SSMS or Tabular Editor, and publish the model to Power BI Service.

Question 17

What happens if a user tries to access a restricted table or column in Power BI?

Answer 17

The user will receive an error message indicating that the object does not exist.

Question 18

What are the restrictions on using OLS in Power BI?

Answer 18

OLS and RLS cannot be mixed in the same role, and table-level security cannot break relationship chains between tables.

Question 19

What is one good practice for defining datasets in Power BI?

Answer 19

Strive to define fewer datasets with well-designed roles to simplify management and maintenance.

Question 20

Why should you use dynamic rules for roles in Power BI?

Answer 20

Dynamic rules create fewer roles, making a data-driven solution easier to maintain.

Question 21

Where should you apply filters for faster query performance?

Answer 21

Apply filters on dimension tables instead of fact tables.

Question 22

Which DAX function is preferred for validating roles in Power BI?

Answer 22

Use the USERPRINCIPALNAME function for consistency in both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service.

Question 23

What is essential to validate in Power BI models?

Answer 23

Validate that model design, relationships, and relationship properties are correctly set up.

Question 24

How should RLS and OLS be validated?

Answer 24

Rigorously test all roles to ensure proper enforcement of data permissions.

Question 25

Why is it important to use the same credentials in Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service?

Answer 25

To ensure consistent data source connections and proper functioning of security roles.