Enable service principal authentication for admin APIs

This article shows how to enable service principal authentication for Power BI read-only admin APIs and Microsoft Fabric update admin APIs.

Service principal is an authentication method that can be used to let a Microsoft Entra application access Microsoft Fabric content and APIs.

When you create a Microsoft Entra app, a service principal object is created. The service principal object, also known simply as the service principal, allows Microsoft Entra ID to authenticate your app. Once authenticated, the app can access Microsoft Entra tenant resources.

Enable service principal authentication

To enable service principal authentication for Fabric APIs, follow these steps:

1. Create a Microsoft Entra app. You can skip this step if you already have a Microsoft Entra app you want to use. Take note of the app ID, which you need in later steps.

   Important

   Make sure the app you use doesn't have any admin-consent required permissions for Fabric set on it in the Azure portal. See how to check whether your app has any such permissions.

2. Create a new Microsoft Entra Security Group and make sure to select Security as the Group type. You can skip this step if you already have a Microsoft Entra security group you'd like to use.

3. Add your app ID as a member of the security group you created. To do so:

   1. Navigate to Azure portal > Microsoft Entra ID > Groups, and choose the security group you created in Step 2.
   2. Select Add Members.

4. Enable the Fabric admin settings:

   1. Sign in to the Fabric admin portal. You need to be a Fabric admin to see the tenant settings page.
   2. Under Admin API settings, select the switch for the type of admin APIs you want to enable:
      • Service principals can access read-only admin APIs (see supported Power BI admin APIs)
      • Service principals can access admin APIs used for updates (see supported Fabric admin APIs)

5. Set the toggle to Enabled.

6. Select the Specific security groups radio button. In the text field that appears below it, add the security group you created in Step 2.

7. Select Apply.

Supported Power BI admin APIs for read-only

Service principal authentication is currently supported for the following read-only admin APIs.

• GetGroupsAsAdmin with $expand for dashboards, semantic models, reports, and dataflows
• GetGroupUsersAsAdmin
• GetDashboardsAsAdmin with $expand tiles
• GetDashboardUsersAsAdmin
• GetAppsAsAdmin
• GetAppUsersAsAdmin
• GetDatasourcesAsAdmin
• GetDatasetToDataflowsLinksAsAdmin
• GetDataflowDatasourcesAsAdmin
• GetDataflowUpstreamDataflowsAsAdmin
• GetCapacitiesAsAdmin
• GetCapacityUsersAsAdmin
• GetActivityLog
• GetModifiedWorkspaces
• WorkspaceGetInfo
• WorkspaceScanStatus
• WorkspaceScanResult
• GetDashboardsInGroupAsAdmin
• GetTilesAsAdmin
• ExportDataflowAsAdmin
• GetDataflowsAsAdmin
• GetDataflowUsersAsAdmin
• GetDataflowsInGroupAsAdmin
• GetDatasetsAsAdmin
• GetDatasetUsersAsAdmin
• GetDatasetsInGroupAsAdmin
• Get Power BI Encryption Keys
• Get Refreshable For Capacity
• Get Refreshables
• Get Refreshables For Capacity
• GetImportsAsAdmin
• GetReportsAsAdmin
• GetReportUsersAsAdmin
• GetReportsInGroupAsAdmin

How to check if your app has admin-consent required permissions

An app using service principal authentication that calls read-only admin APIs must not have any admin-consent required permissions for Power BI set on it in the Azure portal. To check the assigned permissions:

1. Sign into the Azure portal.

2. Select Microsoft Entra ID, then Enterprise applications.

3. Select the application you want to grant access to Power BI.

4. Select Permissions. There must be no admin-consent required permissions of type Application registered for the app.

Supported Fabric admin APIs for updates

The Service principals can access admin APIs used for updates setting applies to Fabric admin APIs, such as the Workspaces - Restore Workspace API.

To find out if a specific Fabric admin API supports service principal authentication, check the API's documentation in the Microsoft Fabric REST API reference. Look for the "Microsoft Entra supported identities" section, which indicates whether service principal authentication is supported.

Considerations and limitations

• The service principal can make rest API calls, but you can't open Fabric with service principal credentials.

• Fabric admin rights are required to enable service principal in the Admin API settings in the Fabric admin portal.

Related content

• Metadata scanning overview

• Set up metadata scanning

• Run metadata scanning