Boost Collaboration in Power BI Desktop Using GitHub Integration

[ArwaAldoud]

Boost Collaboration in Power BI Desktop Using GitHub Integration

Source Control + Versioning + Team Collaboration = Better BI Development

Introduction
In the evolving world of data analytics, collaboration and version control have become essential. Power BI has long been a go-to tool for building powerful dashboards and reports but what happens when you're working with a team, iterating on reports, or just want to track your development history?

That’s where Git integration steps in.

With the recent introduction of Power BI Desktop Projects (.pbip), Microsoft has opened the door to treating Power BI development like real software development using Git, GitHub, DevOps to manage versions, track changes, and collaborate more effectively.

In this article, I’ll walk you through how to set up your environment and get started with source control for your Power BI projects. You’ll also find a full demo in Arabic linked below.

Why Use Source Control in Power BI?
Previously, Working with .pbix files in a team used to mean lots of copying, renaming, and manual backups. Now, with project-based development, we can treat Power BI reports like code track changes, collaborate easily, and even integrate with DevOps pipelines.

Key Benefits of Git Integration:

• Version Control: Track every change and revert when needed.
• Collaboration: Multiple developers can work in parallel using branches.
• Backup & Safety: Your work is safely stored in the cloud or local repos.
• CI/CD Support: Integrate with build pipelines using Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.

Understanding Power BI Desktop Projects (.pbip) 

Power BI Desktop Projects introduce a new way of saving your reports as a structured folder instead of a single .pbix binary file. This is a game-changer for development teams. 

Key Files in a Power BI Project: 

This structure allows each component visuals, data models, connections to be versioned separately. It’s a major shift from the all-in-one .pbix file, and it aligns Power BI development with modern DevOps and Git-based workflows.

** The model.bim file is compatible with Tabular Editor, which allows deeper modeling and automation of dataset tasks.

How GitHub Fits into Power BI Development

Using Git and platforms like GitHub allows you to:

• Initialize a repository from your Power BI project folder
• Track every change made to DAX, visuals, or metadata
• Collaborate via pull requests, branches, and code reviews
• Integrate with CI/CD tools like Azure DevOps for full deployment pipelines

Step-by-Step Setup: Git + Power BI Desktop + VS Code
Let’s walk through the process of setting up Git integration with Power BI Desktop Projects using Visual Studio Code. This setup allows you to version your Power BI files, collaborate with others, and back up your work efficiently.

Prepare Your Environment

• Familiarity with Git. If you're new to Git, check out some Git and GitHub learning resources.
• Install Git and install it.
• Install Visual Studio Code (VS Code) Visual Studio Code
• Install Power BI Desktop (Make sure you're using the latest version that supports the new Project (.pbip) feature).

Create a Power BI Desktop Project

• Open Power BI Desktop
• Go to Options > Preview Features and enable Power BI Project (.pbip)

• Save your report as a project (File > Save As > Choose Power BI Project Files .pbip)

This will save your project as a folder with individual text-based files, instead of a single binary .pbix.

Initialize Git in VS Code
Open the .pbip project folder in VS Code

• Go to the Source Control tab
• Click "Initialize Repository"

• Make your first commit & Push

• Connect and Push to a GitHub repository

Now the project is published to GitHub repository you can add your team and collaborate with each other

Once published, your Power BI project is now version-controlled on GitHub. You can collaborate with your team by cloning the repo, creating branches, and using pull requests.

Real Demo Example

I recorded a video walkthrough in Arabic to make this even easier to follow. Check it out below:

Watch the YouTube Demo (Arabic)

Resources

Here are some helpful links to deepen your understanding:

• Enable Power BI Desktop Projects
• Microsoft Learn: Git Integration in Power BI Projects
• Power BI Desktop project semantic model folder
• Power BI Desktop project report folder

Conclusion

Power BI Projects (.pbip) unlock a new era of business intelligence development bringing structure, collaboration, and version control into everyday workflows. By leveraging Git integration, teams can work more efficiently, track changes with confidence, and scale their solutions with ease.

This approach bridges the gap between traditional BI and modern software development practices.

If you’re looking to streamline your Power BI processes and improve collaboration, adopting PBIP with Git is the way forward.

More tutorials and insights are on the way especially around Git + Microsoft Fabric.

Feel free to follow me for updates, share your feedback, or ask any question.