Exploring Git-based Deployment Options for Power BI Projects in Fabric
After the development process, which includes how developers work with source control in an isolated environment, whether on their local machine (using Power BI Desktop, VS Code) or in an isolated workspace in Fabric (you can find information about these different scenarios in my article ......) 👇👇
Now comes the step of releasing new updates into production.
When managing Power BI projects in Fabric, there are different ways to handle deployment pipelines. Depending on your team’s workflow, one of these options might suit your needs best:
Approach1: Git-based Deployments
With this option, all deployments are triggered from the Git repository.
Each environment (Dev, Test, Prod) is connected to a specific Git branch, and changes are uploaded directly from Git to the corresponding Fabric workspace using Fabric’s Git APIs.
PR to Dev branch → Release pipeline updates the Dev workspace.
PR to Test branch → Release pipeline updates the Test workspace.
PR to Prod branch → Release pipeline updates the Prod workspace.
✨Flow: Git repo is the source of truth. Code flows from Dev → Test → Prod through dedicated branches.
✨Steps: PRs, release pipelines, and automatic updates to each workspace using Git APIs.
✨Best for: Teams using Gitflow and wanting to manage all deployments directly from Git.
Approach 2: Git-based Deployments Using Build Environments
This option uses a single Git branch (Main) and includes build environments for each stage.
Build environments are used to run unit tests, adjust configurations (such as data source connections), and ensure that the files are prepared before they are uploaded to the workspace.
PR to Dev branch → Build pipeline runs unit tests, then a release pipeline uploads changes to the Dev workspace.
PR to Test branch → Build and release pipelines deploy changes to the Test workspace, followed by tests.
PR to Prod branch → Build and release pipelines deploy changes to Prod, with post-deployment validation and data ingestion.
✨Flow: All deployments start from Main branch. Build environments run unit tests and configuration scripts before uploading to each stage.
✨Steps: PR to Main → Build pipeline → Release pipeline with configurations → Deploy to Dev, Test, then Prod.
✨Best for: Teams following trunk-based development and needing build environments to modify workspace attributes.
Approach 3: Deploy Using Fabric Deployment Pipelines
In this approach, Git is only used for the Dev stage.
Once changes are pushed to the Dev workspace, deployments are managed through Fabric’s internal deployment pipelines between Dev, Test, and Prod workspaces.
PR to Main branch → Build pipeline uploads changes to the Dev workspace.
After Dev deployment, a release pipeline moves changes to the Test workspace.
After tests and approval, a release pipeline deploys changes to Prod.
✨Flow: Git is used only in the Dev stage; from there, Fabric’s internal deployment pipelines take over to move updates between Dev, Test, and Prod.
✨Steps: PR to Main → Build pipeline for Dev → Release pipelines for Test & Prod using Fabric deployment APIs.
✨Best for: Teams looking for full integration with Fabric’s internal deployment tools.
Each of these options offers flexibility based on team needs and project requirements. Explore them in detail and find what works best for your CI/CD needs!