Power BI (On-Prem) Report Server Configuration

Power BI (On-Prem) integrates with OvalEdge through Power BI Report Server, enabling secure metadata crawling and lineage generation within on-premises environments.

The configuration involves preparing the Power BI Report Server, authentication settings, Windows service accounts, and network/security configurations to ensure controlled and compliant access to reports, datasets, pages, and visuals.

Prerequisites

Service Account User Permissions

Create a Power BI service account to connect to OvalEdge with the required permissions for metadata crawling and lineage generation.

The connector supports the following authentication methods:

• Windows Authentication (NTLM / Active Directory)

• Basic User Authentication

Create a dedicated Power BI user account in the Windows environment or Power BI Report Server environment based on the selected authentication method.

Configure Authentication in Power BI Report Server

Follow the steps below to configure Windows Authentication (NTLM) and Basic User Authentication in Power BI Report Server.

Step 1: Locate the Report Server Configuration Folder

• Log in to the machine where the Power BI Report Server is installed.

• Navigate to the Report Server installation directory. Example path:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Power BI Report Server\PBIRS\ReportServer

• Locate the following configuration file:

rsreportserver.config

Step 2: Open the Configuration File

• Open the rsreportserver.config file using a text editor such as Notepad or Notepad++.

• Search for the following section:

<Authentication>

Step 3: Enable Windows Authentication (NTLM)

• To enable Windows Authentication, ensure the following configuration is present within the <Authentication> section.

<Authentication>
   <AuthenticationTypes>
      <RSWindowsNTLM/>
   </AuthenticationTypes>
   <EnableAuthPersistence>true</EnableAuthPersistence>
</Authentication>

This configuration enables authentication using Active Directory credentials.

Step 4: Enable Basic Authentication

• To enable Basic User Authentication, update the <AuthenticationTypes> section as follows.

<Authentication>
   <AuthenticationTypes>
      <RSWindowsBasic/>
   </AuthenticationTypes>
   <EnableAuthPersistence>true</EnableAuthPersistence>
</Authentication>

This configuration enables authentication using username and password credentials.

Step 5: Enable Both Authentication Methods (Optional)

• To support both Windows Authentication and Basic User Authentication, configure the section as follows.

<Authentication>
   <AuthenticationTypes>
      <RSWindowsNTLM/>
      <RSWindowsBasic/>
   </AuthenticationTypes>
   <EnableAuthPersistence>true</EnableAuthPersistence>
</Authentication>

Step 6: Save the Configuration

• Save the changes made to the rsreportserver.config file and close the text editor.

Step 7: Restart the Power BI Report Server Service

• Open the Services application on the server machine.

• Locate the Power BI Report Server service.

• Right-click the service and select Restart.

• This applies the updated authentication configuration changes.

The Power BI Report Server service must be restarted after modifying the rsreportserver.config file for the authentication changes to take effect.

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