Enforce Row-Level Security

Lab story

In this lab, you’ll enforce row-level security to ensure that a salesperson can only analyze sales data for their assigned region(s).

In this lab you learn how to:

• Enforce row-level security
• Choose between dynamic and static methods

This lab should take approximately 20 minutes.

Get started

In this task, you’ll set up the environment for the lab.

Important: If you’re continuing on from the previous lab (and you completed that lab successfully), don’t complete this task; instead, continue from the next task.

1. Open Power BI Desktop.

   

   Tip: By default, the Getting Started dialog box opens in front of Power BI Desktop. Sign-in and then close the pop-up.

2. To open the starter Power BI Desktop file, select the File > Open Report > Browse Reports.

3. In the Open window, navigate to the D:\Allfiles\Labs\10-row-level-security\Starter folder, and open the Sales Analysis file.

4. Close any informational windows that may open.

5. Notice the warning message beneath the ribbon. This message alerts you to the fact that the queries haven’t been applied to load as model tables. You’ll apply the queries later in this lab.

   To dismiss the warning message, at the right of the warning message, select X.

6. To create a copy of the file, go to File > Save As and save to D:\Allfiles\MySolution folder.

7. If prompted to apply changes, select Apply Later.

Enforce row-level security

In this task, you’ll enforce row-level security to ensure a salesperson can only see sales made in their assigned region(s).

1. Switch to Data view.

   

2. In the Data pane, select the Salesperson (Performance) table.

3. Review the data, noticing that Michael Blythe (EmployeeKey 281) has a UPN value of: michael-blythe@adventureworks.com

   You may recall that Michael Blythe is assigned to three sales regions: US Northeast, US Central, and US Southeast.

4. On the Modeling ribbon tab, from inside the Security group, select Manage Roles.

   

5. In the Manage Roles window, select Create.

6. In the box, replace the selected text with the name of the role: Salespeople, and then press Enter.

   

7. To assign a filter, for the Salesperson (Performance) table, select the ellipsis (…) character, and then select Add Filter | [UPN].

   

8. In the Table Filter DAX Expression box, modify the expression by replacing “Value” with USERPRINCIPALNAME(), and then Save.

   USERPRINCIPALNAME() is a Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) function that returns the name of the authenticated user. It means that the Salesperson (Performance) table will filter by the User Principal Name (UPN) of the user querying the model.

   

9. To test the security role, on the Modeling ribbon tab, from inside the Security group, select View As.

   

10. In the View as Roles window, check the Other User item, and then in the corresponding box, enter: michael-blythe@adventureworks.com

11. Check the Salespeople role, and then OK.

    This configuration results in using the Salespeople role and impersonating the user with your Michael Blythe’s name.

    

12. Notice the yellow banner above the report page, describing the test security context.

    

13. In the table visual, notice that only the salesperson Michael Blythe is listed.

    

14. To stop testing, at the right side of the yellow banner, select Stop Viewing.

    

15. To delete the Salespeople role, on the Modeling ribbon tab, from inside the Security group, select Manage Roles.

    

16. In the Manage Roles window, select Delete. When prompted to confirm the deletion, select Yes, Delete.

    

Finish up

In this task, you’ll complete the lab.

1. Select Save, then save the Power BI Desktop file to end the lab.

Note: When the Power BI Desktop file is published to the Power BI service, you’ll need to complete a post-publication task to map security principals to the Salespeople role. You won’t do that in this lab.