Migrating reports (embedded in model-driven apps) to different environments

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I built a few reports and embedded them into a model-driven app. My data source is common data service (legacy), everything is working fine on my dev environment but what is the best approach to migrating to different environments?

I noticed others asked the question but it was years ago so wanted to see if there was a new solution to this.

Thanks

[SamInogic]

Hi,

1) Prepare Everything in Dev

1. Ensure your Power BI report is published to a Power BI workspace and working correctly in Dev.
2. Enable Power BI embedding in the environment settings in Power Apps admin center (if not already).
3. In your model-driven app designer, confirm the embedded report is added as a Power BI embedded page or dashboard.

2) Create a Solution for Migration

Power Platform migrations work best if all components are in a Solution.

1. In Power Apps, go to Solutions → New Solution.
2. Give it a Name, Publisher, Version.
3. Save.

3) Add App + Report to the Solution

1. Open the solution you just created.
2. Click Add existing → App → Model-driven app.
3. Select your model-driven app.
4. Also Add existing Power BI report or dashboard that’s turned into a Power BI embedded system dashboard.

4) Use Environment Variables for Report & Workspace

To avoid having to manually re-embed the report in each environment:

1. While adding the Power BI embedded dashboard in the solution, enable the Use environment variable option.
2. Create variables like:
• Workspace ID / name
• Report ID / name
3. Set default/current values for your Dev environment here.
4. These variables let you map to different workspaces & Power BI reports per environment (Dev, Test, Prod).

? Why? Because the actual workspace/report names and IDs change across environments and environment variables let you configure them after import.

5) Export the Solution

1. In the Dev environment, click Export on your Solution.
2. Choose Managed if deploying to Production; Unmanaged for Test or Dev-like environments.
3. Download the .zip file.

6) Import into Target (Test/Prod) Environment

1. Switch to the target environment in Power Apps.
2. Go to Solutions → Import Solution.
3. Upload the .zip you exported.
4. During import, you’ll be prompted to provide values for environment variables – here you pick the Test/Prod workspace and report that correspond to this environment.

7) Validate & Publish

1. After import, publish your solution.
2. Open the model-driven app in the target environment.
3. Test that the Power BI report appears and loads correctly.

Hope this helps.

Thanks!