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Microsoft Fabric Workspace Automation

Complete automation of Microsoft Fabric workspace creation, deployment pipeline setup, OneLake configuration, and Power BI report deployment for client onboarding.

R
Rov
•16 min read
Microsoft FabricPower BIAutomationPowerShellOneLakeData Platform

Microsoft Fabric Workspace Automation

Automated Fabric Environment Provisioning
This post covers the complete automation of Microsoft Fabric workspace creation, deployment pipeline setup, OneLake configuration, and Power BI report deployment for client onboarding.

Overview

Steps 7-8 of our automated client onboarding system focus on provisioning Microsoft Fabric environments and connecting Power BI reports to client data. This creates isolated Dev/Test/Prod workspaces with automated deployment pipelines and secure data connections.

Step 7: Fabric Workspaces Provisioning

The Fabric automation creates three workspaces per client (Dev, Test, Prod) and links them through a deployment pipeline for proper release management.

Workspace Creation via Power BI REST API

function New-FabricWorkspaces {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$ClientName,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$AccessToken
    )

    Write-Host "Creating Fabric workspaces for client: $ClientName" -ForegroundColor Green

    $headers = @{
        "Authorization" = "Bearer $AccessToken"
        "Content-Type" = "application/json"
    }

    $workspaces = @()
    $environments = @("Dev", "Test", "Prod")

    foreach ($env in $environments) {
        $workspaceName = "$ClientName-$env"

        Write-Host "  Creating workspace: $workspaceName"

        $payload = @{
            name = $workspaceName
            description = "$ClientName data platform - $env environment"
        } | ConvertTo-Json

        try {
            $response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups?workspaceV2=true" -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $payload

            $workspaces += @{
                Environment = $env
                Name = $workspaceName
                Id = $response.id
                Url = "https://app.powerbi.com/groups/$($response.id)"
            }

            Write-Host "    Created: $workspaceName (ID: $($response.id))"
            Start-Sleep -Seconds 2  # Rate limiting
        }
        catch {
            Write-Error "    Failed to create workspace $workspaceName`: $($_.Exception.Message)"
            throw
        }
    }

    return $workspaces
}

Deployment Pipeline Creation

Creating and configuring the deployment pipeline to link Dev → Test → Prod:

function New-FabricDeploymentPipeline {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$ClientName,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [array]$Workspaces,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$AccessToken
    )

    Write-Host "Creating deployment pipeline for client: $ClientName" -ForegroundColor Cyan

    $headers = @{
        "Authorization" = "Bearer $AccessToken"
        "Content-Type" = "application/json"
    }

    # Create deployment pipeline
    $pipelineName = "$ClientName-Release-Pipeline"
    $pipelinePayload = @{
        displayName = $pipelineName
        description = "Automated deployment pipeline for $ClientName data platform"
    } | ConvertTo-Json

    try {
        $pipelineResponse = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/pipelines" -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $pipelinePayload

        Write-Host "  Pipeline created: $pipelineName (ID: $($pipelineResponse.id))"

        # Assign workspaces to pipeline stages
        $devWorkspace = $Workspaces | Where-Object { $_.Environment -eq "Dev" }
        $testWorkspace = $Workspaces | Where-Object { $_.Environment -eq "Test" }
        $prodWorkspace = $Workspaces | Where-Object { $_.Environment -eq "Prod" }

        # Assign Dev workspace to stage 0
        $assignPayload = @{
            workspaceId = $devWorkspace.Id
        } | ConvertTo-Json

        Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/pipelines/$($pipelineResponse.id)/stages/0/assignWorkspace" -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $assignPayload

        # Assign Test workspace to stage 1
        $assignPayload = @{
            workspaceId = $testWorkspace.Id
        } | ConvertTo-Json

        Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/pipelines/$($pipelineResponse.id)/stages/1/assignWorkspace" -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $assignPayload

        # Assign Prod workspace to stage 2
        $assignPayload = @{
            workspaceId = $prodWorkspace.Id
        } | ConvertTo-Json

        Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/pipelines/$($pipelineResponse.id)/stages/2/assignWorkspace" -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $assignPayload

        Write-Host "  Workspaces assigned to pipeline stages" -ForegroundColor Green

        return @{
            PipelineId = $pipelineResponse.id
            PipelineName = $pipelineName
            Stages = @{
                Dev = @{ StageId = 0; WorkspaceId = $devWorkspace.Id }
                Test = @{ StageId = 1; WorkspaceId = $testWorkspace.Id }
                Prod = @{ StageId = 2; WorkspaceId = $prodWorkspace.Id }
            }
        }
    }
    catch {
        Write-Error "Failed to create deployment pipeline: $($_.Exception.Message)"
        throw
    }
}

OneLake Configuration

Setting up OneLake lakehouses and configuring data connections:

function New-OneLakeLakehouses {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [array]$Workspaces,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$AccessToken,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$ClientName
    )

    Write-Host "Creating OneLake lakehouses for client: $ClientName" -ForegroundColor Magenta

    $headers = @{
        "Authorization" = "Bearer $AccessToken"
        "Content-Type" = "application/json"
    }

    $lakehouses = @()

    foreach ($workspace in $Workspaces) {
        $lakehouseName = "$ClientName-Lakehouse-$($workspace.Environment)"

        Write-Host "  Creating lakehouse: $lakehouseName in $($workspace.Name)"

        $lakehousePayload = @{
            displayName = $lakehouseName
            description = "OneLake lakehouse for $ClientName - $($workspace.Environment) environment"
            type = "Lakehouse"
        } | ConvertTo-Json

        try {
            $lakehouseResponse = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.fabric.microsoft.com/v1/workspaces/$($workspace.Id)/items" -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $lakehousePayload

            $lakehouses += @{
                Environment = $workspace.Environment
                WorkspaceId = $workspace.Id
                LakehouseId = $lakehouseResponse.id
                LakehouseName = $lakehouseName
                OneLakeUrl = "https://onelake.dfs.fabric.microsoft.com/$($workspace.Name).Workspace/$lakehouseName.Lakehouse"
            }

            Write-Host "    Created: $lakehouseName (ID: $($lakehouseResponse.id))"

            # Create default folder structure
            $folders = @("raw", "processed", "curated", "archive")
            foreach ($folder in $folders) {
                # Note: Folder creation would typically be done through OneLake APIs or Azure Storage APIs
                Write-Host "      Folder structure: /$folder" -ForegroundColor Gray
            }

            Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
        }
        catch {
            Write-Error "    Failed to create lakehouse $lakehouseName`: $($_.Exception.Message)"
            throw
        }
    }

    return $lakehouses
}

Step 8: Power BI Report Deployment

Template Report Processing

Automated deployment of Power BI reports with client-specific data connections:

function Deploy-PowerBIReports {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [array]$Workspaces,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [array]$Lakehouses,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$AccessToken,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$ClientName,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$TemplatePbixPath
    )

    Write-Host "Deploying Power BI reports for client: $ClientName" -ForegroundColor Blue

    $headers = @{
        "Authorization" = "Bearer $AccessToken"
    }

    foreach ($workspace in $Workspaces) {
        Write-Host "  Processing workspace: $($workspace.Name)"

        # Get corresponding lakehouse
        $lakehouse = $Lakehouses | Where-Object { $_.Environment -eq $workspace.Environment }

        # Create environment-specific report name
        $reportName = "$ClientName-Dashboard-$($workspace.Environment)"

        try {
            # Import PBIX file
            $importUri = "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/$($workspace.Id)/imports"
            
            # Prepare multipart form data
            $boundary = [System.Guid]::NewGuid().ToString()
            $bodyLines = @(
                "--$boundary",
                'Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="template.pbix"',
                'Content-Type: application/octet-stream',
                '',
                [System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($TemplatePbixPath),
                "--$boundary--"
            )

            $body = $bodyLines -join "`r`n"
            $contentType = "multipart/form-data; boundary=$boundary"

            $importResponse = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $importUri -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $body -ContentType $contentType

            Write-Host "    Report imported: $reportName (Import ID: $($importResponse.id))"

            # Wait for import to complete
            do {
                Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
                $importStatus = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/$($workspace.Id)/imports/$($importResponse.id)" -Headers $headers
                Write-Host "      Import status: $($importStatus.importState)" -ForegroundColor Gray
            } while ($importStatus.importState -eq "Publishing")

            if ($importStatus.importState -eq "Succeeded") {
                # Update data source connections
                $datasetId = $importStatus.datasets[0].id
                Update-DataSourceConnections -WorkspaceId $workspace.Id -DatasetId $datasetId -Lakehouse $lakehouse -AccessToken $AccessToken

                Write-Host "    Report deployment completed successfully" -ForegroundColor Green
            }
            else {
                Write-Error "    Report import failed: $($importStatus.importState)"
            }
        }
        catch {
            Write-Error "    Failed to deploy report to $($workspace.Name): $($_.Exception.Message)"
        }
    }
}

function Update-DataSourceConnections {
    param(
        [string]$WorkspaceId,
        [string]$DatasetId,
        [hashtable]$Lakehouse,
        [string]$AccessToken
    )

    $headers = @{
        "Authorization" = "Bearer $AccessToken"
        "Content-Type" = "application/json"
    }

    # Get current data sources
    $dataSourcesUri = "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/$WorkspaceId/datasets/$DatasetId/datasources"
    $dataSources = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $dataSourcesUri -Headers $headers

    foreach ($dataSource in $dataSources.value) {
        if ($dataSource.datasourceType -eq "OneLake") {
            # Update OneLake connection
            $updatePayload = @{
                connectionDetails = @{
                    server = $Lakehouse.OneLakeUrl
                    database = $Lakehouse.LakehouseName
                }
            } | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

            $updateUri = "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/$WorkspaceId/datasets/$DatasetId/datasources/$($dataSource.datasourceId)"
            Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $updateUri -Method PATCH -Headers $headers -Body $updatePayload

            Write-Host "      Updated OneLake connection" -ForegroundColor Gray
        }
    }

    # Refresh dataset to validate connections
    $refreshUri = "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/$WorkspaceId/datasets/$DatasetId/refreshes"
    $refreshPayload = @{
        type = "full"
        commitMode = "transactional"
        maxParallelism = 2
    } | ConvertTo-Json

    Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $refreshUri -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $refreshPayload
    Write-Host "      Dataset refresh initiated" -ForegroundColor Gray
}

Automated Report Configuration

Setting up report-level security and sharing:

function Configure-ReportSecurity {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [array]$Workspaces,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$AccessToken,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [hashtable]$ClientConfig
    )

    Write-Host "Configuring report security and sharing" -ForegroundColor Yellow

    $headers = @{
        "Authorization" = "Bearer $AccessToken"
        "Content-Type" = "application/json"
    }

    foreach ($workspace in $Workspaces) {
        # Add client users to workspace
        if ($ClientConfig.ContainsKey("UserEmails")) {
            foreach ($userEmail in $ClientConfig.UserEmails) {
                $accessPayload = @{
                    emailAddress = $userEmail
                    groupUserAccessRight = if ($workspace.Environment -eq "Prod") { "Viewer" } else { "Contributor" }
                } | ConvertTo-Json

                try {
                    $addUserUri = "https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/$($workspace.Id)/users"
                    Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $addUserUri -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $accessPayload

                    Write-Host "    Added user $userEmail to $($workspace.Name) as $($accessPayload.groupUserAccessRight)" -ForegroundColor Gray
                }
                catch {
                    Write-Warning "    Failed to add user $userEmail to $($workspace.Name): $($_.Exception.Message)"
                }
            }
        }

        # Configure Row-Level Security (RLS) if needed
        if ($ClientConfig.ContainsKey("RLSRules")) {
            # Implementation would depend on specific RLS requirements
            Write-Host "    RLS configuration would be applied here" -ForegroundColor Gray
        }
    }
}

Complete Fabric Setup Function

function Initialize-FabricEnvironment {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$ClientName,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$AccessToken,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$TemplatePbixPath,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [hashtable]$ClientConfig
    )

    Write-Host "Initializing complete Fabric environment for $ClientName" -ForegroundColor Cyan

    try {
        # Step 1: Create workspaces
        $workspaces = New-FabricWorkspaces -ClientName $ClientName -AccessToken $AccessToken

        # Step 2: Create deployment pipeline
        $pipeline = New-FabricDeploymentPipeline -ClientName $ClientName -Workspaces $workspaces -AccessToken $AccessToken

        # Step 3: Create OneLake lakehouses
        $lakehouses = New-OneLakeLakehouses -Workspaces $workspaces -AccessToken $AccessToken -ClientName $ClientName

        # Step 4: Deploy Power BI reports
        Deploy-PowerBIReports -Workspaces $workspaces -Lakehouses $lakehouses -AccessToken $AccessToken -ClientName $ClientName -TemplatePbixPath $TemplatePbixPath

        # Step 5: Configure security and sharing
        Configure-ReportSecurity -Workspaces $workspaces -AccessToken $AccessToken -ClientConfig $ClientConfig

        Write-Host "Fabric environment setup completed successfully!" -ForegroundColor Green

        return @{
            Workspaces = $workspaces
            Pipeline = $pipeline
            Lakehouses = $lakehouses
            Success = $true
        }
    }
    catch {
        Write-Error "Fabric environment setup failed: $($_.Exception.Message)"
        return @{
            Workspaces = $null
            Pipeline = $null
            Lakehouses = $null
            Success = $false
            Error = $_.Exception.Message
        }
    }
}

Integration Benefits

Automated Environment Provisioning

  • Three-tier environment (Dev/Test/Prod) created automatically
  • Deployment pipeline configured for proper release management
  • OneLake integration with structured data storage

Consistent Data Architecture

  • Standardised lakehouse structure across all clients
  • Uniform naming conventions for easy management
  • Automated data source connections in Power BI reports

Security and Governance

  • Environment-specific access controls (Prod = read-only for business users)
  • Automated user provisioning based on client configuration
  • Row-level security configuration capabilities

Operational Efficiency

  • 5-minute setup vs. 2-3 hours manual configuration
  • Zero configuration errors through automation
  • Immediate availability of analytics environment

This Fabric automation completes the data platform setup, providing clients with a fully functional analytics environment that's ready for immediate use with their data ingestion pipelines.

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