|
| 1 | +# PBI Workspace Usage → Dataverse Automation Architecture |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +## Overview |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +This document describes the automated pipeline that runs `Get-PBIWorkspaceUsageReport.ps1` on a schedule via an Azure Function, stages the output in Blob Storage, and uses a Power Automate flow to validate and load the data into Dataverse. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +--- |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +## High-Level Architecture |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +```mermaid |
| 12 | +flowchart TD |
| 13 | + KV[(Azure Key Vault\nROPC Password\nTenant ID / Client ID)] |
| 14 | + AF[Azure Function\nTimer Trigger\nPowerShell] |
| 15 | + BLOB[(Blob Storage\nreports/pending/\nreports/failed/)] |
| 16 | + PA[Power Automate\nBlob Created Trigger] |
| 17 | + DV[(Dataverse\nPBI Usage Table)] |
| 18 | + ALERT[Email / Teams Alert\nMax retries exceeded] |
| 19 | +
|
| 20 | + KV -->|secrets at runtime| AF |
| 21 | + AF -->|writes report JSON| BLOB |
| 22 | + BLOB -->|new file event| PA |
| 23 | + PA -->|valid data| DV |
| 24 | + PA -->|invalid / parse error| BLOB |
| 25 | + BLOB -->|retry count exceeded| ALERT |
| 26 | + PA -->|retry — HTTP POST| AF |
| 27 | +``` |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +--- |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +## Azure Function — Internal Flow |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +```mermaid |
| 34 | +flowchart TD |
| 35 | + START([Timer Trigger\nor HTTP POST]) |
| 36 | + PARAMS{Retry count\nin request body?} |
| 37 | + RETRY_CHK{RetryCount\n≥ 3?} |
| 38 | + FAIL_OUT[Write report to\nreports/failed/\nwith error metadata] |
| 39 | + DEAD([Exit — Dead Letter\nAlert upstream]) |
| 40 | + KV_FETCH[Fetch secrets\nfrom Key Vault\nvia Managed Identity] |
| 41 | + ROPC[ROPC Token Request\nPBI Admin API] |
| 42 | + TOKEN_OK{Token\nacquired?} |
| 43 | + TOKEN_ERR[Write error blob\nto reports/failed/] |
| 44 | + PBI_GROUPS[GET /admin/groups\nall workspaces + reports] |
| 45 | + PBI_ACTIVITY[GET /admin/activityEvents\nViewReport events\nfor ActivityDays] |
| 46 | + CORRELATE[Correlate reports\nwith activity data\nbuild usage objects] |
| 47 | + SERIALIZE[Serialize to JSON\nwith metadata block:\n- generatedAt\n- retryCount\n- tenantId] |
| 48 | + WRITE_BLOB[Write to\nreports/pending/\nyyyyMMdd_HHmmss.json] |
| 49 | + DONE([Exit — Success]) |
| 50 | +
|
| 51 | + START --> PARAMS |
| 52 | + PARAMS -->|yes| RETRY_CHK |
| 53 | + PARAMS -->|no, retryCount = 0| KV_FETCH |
| 54 | + RETRY_CHK -->|yes| FAIL_OUT |
| 55 | + RETRY_CHK -->|no| KV_FETCH |
| 56 | + FAIL_OUT --> DEAD |
| 57 | + KV_FETCH --> ROPC |
| 58 | + ROPC --> TOKEN_OK |
| 59 | + TOKEN_OK -->|no| TOKEN_ERR |
| 60 | + TOKEN_ERR --> DEAD |
| 61 | + TOKEN_OK -->|yes| PBI_GROUPS |
| 62 | + PBI_GROUPS --> PBI_ACTIVITY |
| 63 | + PBI_ACTIVITY --> CORRELATE |
| 64 | + CORRELATE --> SERIALIZE |
| 65 | + SERIALIZE --> WRITE_BLOB |
| 66 | + WRITE_BLOB --> DONE |
| 67 | +``` |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +--- |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +## Power Automate Flow — Internal Logic |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +```mermaid |
| 74 | +flowchart TD |
| 75 | + TRIGGER([When a blob is created\nreports/pending/ container]) |
| 76 | + GET_BLOB[Get blob content] |
| 77 | + PARSE[Parse JSON\ncheck schema:\n- generatedAt present\n- workspaces array not empty\n- retryCount field] |
| 78 | + VALID{Schema\nvalid?} |
| 79 | + RETRY_CHK{retryCount\n≥ 3?} |
| 80 | + ALERT[Send Teams / Email alert\nBlob name + error reason\nManual review required] |
| 81 | + MOVE_FAILED[Move blob to\nreports/failed/] |
| 82 | + LOOP[For each workspace row\nUpsert into Dataverse\nPBI Usage table\nmatch on ReportId + Date] |
| 83 | + DV_ERR{Dataverse\nerror?} |
| 84 | + MOVE_DONE[Move blob to\nreports/processed/] |
| 85 | + INCREMENT[RetryCount + 1\nRebuild request body] |
| 86 | + HTTP[HTTP POST\nAzure Function URL\nbody: retryCount] |
| 87 | + DONE([End]) |
| 88 | +
|
| 89 | + TRIGGER --> GET_BLOB |
| 90 | + GET_BLOB --> PARSE |
| 91 | + PARSE --> VALID |
| 92 | + VALID -->|yes| LOOP |
| 93 | + VALID -->|no| RETRY_CHK |
| 94 | + RETRY_CHK -->|yes| ALERT |
| 95 | + RETRY_CHK -->|no| INCREMENT |
| 96 | + ALERT --> MOVE_FAILED |
| 97 | + MOVE_FAILED --> DONE |
| 98 | + INCREMENT --> HTTP |
| 99 | + HTTP --> DONE |
| 100 | + LOOP --> DV_ERR |
| 101 | + DV_ERR -->|yes| RETRY_CHK |
| 102 | + DV_ERR -->|no| MOVE_DONE |
| 103 | + MOVE_DONE --> DONE |
| 104 | +``` |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +--- |
| 107 | + |
| 108 | +## Deployment Guide |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +### 1. Prerequisites |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +| Resource | Notes | |
| 113 | +|---|---| |
| 114 | +| Azure Subscription | Contributor access required | |
| 115 | +| Azure Function App | PowerShell 7.4 runtime, Windows or Linux | |
| 116 | +| Azure Key Vault | For ROPC credentials | |
| 117 | +| Azure Storage Account | Blob Storage (LRS sufficient) | |
| 118 | +| Power Automate | Premium license (Azure Blob connector is premium) | |
| 119 | +| Dataverse environment | Table pre-created — see schema below | |
| 120 | +| Entra App Registration | Existing SP from `Get-PBIWorkspaceUsageReport.ps1` | |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +--- |
| 123 | + |
| 124 | +### 2. Blob Storage Setup |
| 125 | + |
| 126 | +Create three containers in the storage account: |
| 127 | + |
| 128 | +| Container | Purpose | |
| 129 | +|---|---| |
| 130 | +| `reports/pending` | Function writes here; PA trigger watches here | |
| 131 | +| `reports/processed` | PA moves valid blobs here after Dataverse load | |
| 132 | +| `reports/failed` | Dead-letter — blobs that exceeded retry limit | |
| 133 | + |
| 134 | +Set a **Lifecycle Management policy** on `reports/processed` to delete blobs older than 90 days. |
| 135 | + |
| 136 | +--- |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +### 3. Azure Key Vault — Secrets |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +Store the following secrets: |
| 141 | + |
| 142 | +| Secret Name | Value | |
| 143 | +|---|---| |
| 144 | +| `pbi-tenant-id` | Entra Tenant ID | |
| 145 | +| `pbi-client-id` | App Registration Client ID | |
| 146 | +| `pbi-svc-username` | Service account UPN | |
| 147 | +| `pbi-svc-password` | Service account password | |
| 148 | + |
| 149 | +--- |
| 150 | + |
| 151 | +### 4. Azure Function App Setup |
| 152 | + |
| 153 | +#### 4a. Enable System-Assigned Managed Identity |
| 154 | + |
| 155 | +**Function App → Identity → System assigned → Status: On → Save** |
| 156 | + |
| 157 | +#### 4b. Grant Managed Identity access to Key Vault |
| 158 | + |
| 159 | +In Key Vault → **Access policies** (or RBAC if using Azure RBAC model): |
| 160 | + |
| 161 | +- Grant the Function App's identity the **Key Vault Secrets User** role |
| 162 | + |
| 163 | +#### 4c. Grant Managed Identity access to Blob Storage |
| 164 | + |
| 165 | +In the Storage Account → **Access Control (IAM)**: |
| 166 | + |
| 167 | +- Assign **Storage Blob Data Contributor** to the Function App's identity |
| 168 | + |
| 169 | +#### 4d. Function App Settings |
| 170 | + |
| 171 | +Add the following Application Settings (not secrets — these are non-sensitive references): |
| 172 | + |
| 173 | +| Setting | Value | |
| 174 | +|---|---| |
| 175 | +| `KEY_VAULT_NAME` | Your Key Vault name | |
| 176 | +| `BLOB_ACCOUNT_NAME` | Your Storage Account name | |
| 177 | +| `BLOB_CONTAINER_PENDING` | `reports/pending` | |
| 178 | +| `ACTIVITY_DAYS` | `30` (or `90` for Fabric/Premium) | |
| 179 | + |
| 180 | +#### 4e. Deploy the Function |
| 181 | + |
| 182 | +The Function wraps `Get-PBIWorkspaceUsageReport.ps1` with the following entry point pattern: |
| 183 | + |
| 184 | +```powershell |
| 185 | +# run.ps1 (timer trigger) |
| 186 | +using namespace System.Net |
| 187 | +
|
| 188 | +param($Timer, $TriggerMetadata) |
| 189 | +
|
| 190 | +# Read retry count from binding metadata (HTTP trigger passes this) |
| 191 | +$retryCount = $TriggerMetadata.RetryCount ?? 0 |
| 192 | +
|
| 193 | +# Fetch secrets from Key Vault via Managed Identity |
| 194 | +$kvUri = "https://$env:KEY_VAULT_NAME.vault.azure.net" |
| 195 | +$tenantId = (Invoke-RestMethod "$kvUri/secrets/pbi-tenant-id?api-version=7.4" -Headers (Get-MIAuthHeader)).value |
| 196 | +$clientId = (Invoke-RestMethod "$kvUri/secrets/pbi-client-id?api-version=7.4" -Headers (Get-MIAuthHeader)).value |
| 197 | +$username = (Invoke-RestMethod "$kvUri/secrets/pbi-svc-username?api-version=7.4" -Headers (Get-MIAuthHeader)).value |
| 198 | +$password = (Invoke-RestMethod "$kvUri/secrets/pbi-svc-password?api-version=7.4" -Headers (Get-MIAuthHeader)).value | ConvertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText -Force |
| 199 | +
|
| 200 | +# Run the report script — output to temp path |
| 201 | +$outPath = [System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath() |
| 202 | +.\Get-PBIWorkspaceUsageReport.ps1 ` |
| 203 | + -TenantId $tenantId ` |
| 204 | + -ClientId $clientId ` |
| 205 | + -Username $username ` |
| 206 | + -Password $password ` |
| 207 | + -OutputPath $outPath ` |
| 208 | + -OutputFormat json ` |
| 209 | + -ActivityDays $env:ACTIVITY_DAYS |
| 210 | +
|
| 211 | +# Upload result blob with retry metadata injected |
| 212 | +# ... (upload logic using Az.Storage or REST with MI token) |
| 213 | +``` |
| 214 | + |
| 215 | +> The full Function implementation is out of scope for this doc. The pattern above shows the secret retrieval and script invocation approach. |
| 216 | +
|
| 217 | +#### 4f. Timer Schedule |
| 218 | + |
| 219 | +Set the CRON expression in `function.json`: |
| 220 | + |
| 221 | +```json |
| 222 | +{ |
| 223 | + "schedule": "0 0 6 * * 1" |
| 224 | +} |
| 225 | +``` |
| 226 | + |
| 227 | +This runs **every Monday at 06:00 UTC**. Adjust to suit your reporting cadence. |
| 228 | + |
| 229 | +--- |
| 230 | + |
| 231 | +### 5. Dataverse Table Schema |
| 232 | + |
| 233 | +Create a custom table `pbi_workspaceusage` with the following columns: |
| 234 | + |
| 235 | +| Display Name | Schema Name | Type | Notes | |
| 236 | +|---|---|---|---| |
| 237 | +| Report ID | `pbi_reportid` | Text | Unique identifier from PBI | |
| 238 | +| Report Name | `pbi_reportname` | Text | | |
| 239 | +| Workspace ID | `pbi_workspaceid` | Text | | |
| 240 | +| Workspace Name | `pbi_workspacename` | Text | | |
| 241 | +| View Count | `pbi_viewcount` | Whole Number | | |
| 242 | +| Unique Users | `pbi_uniqueusers` | Whole Number | | |
| 243 | +| Report Date | `pbi_reportdate` | Date Only | Date of the report run | |
| 244 | +| Generated At | `pbi_generatedat` | Date and Time | Timestamp from JSON metadata | |
| 245 | +| Is Personal Workspace | `pbi_ispersonal` | Yes/No | | |
| 246 | + |
| 247 | +Use **Report ID + Report Date** as the alternate key for upsert deduplication. |
| 248 | + |
| 249 | +--- |
| 250 | + |
| 251 | +### 6. Power Automate Flow Setup |
| 252 | + |
| 253 | +1. **Create a new Automated Cloud Flow** |
| 254 | +2. **Trigger:** `Azure Blob Storage — When a blob is added or modified` |
| 255 | + - Storage account: your account |
| 256 | + - Container: `reports/pending` |
| 257 | + |
| 258 | +3. **Actions (in order):** |
| 259 | + - `Get blob content` — get the new file |
| 260 | + - `Parse JSON` — use the report schema |
| 261 | + - `Condition` — check schema validity (`generatedAt` exists, `workspaces` length > 0) |
| 262 | + - **Yes branch:** `Apply to each` over workspace rows → `Add a new row` (Dataverse, upsert on alternate key) → Move blob to `reports/processed` |
| 263 | + - **No branch:** Check `retryCount` field |
| 264 | + - **retryCount < 3:** Increment, `HTTP POST` to Function HTTP trigger URL with `{ "RetryCount": N }` |
| 265 | + - **retryCount ≥ 3:** Move blob to `reports/failed`, send Teams/Email alert |
| 266 | + |
| 267 | +4. **Store the Function HTTP trigger URL** in a PA environment variable — do not hardcode it in the flow. |
| 268 | + |
| 269 | +--- |
| 270 | + |
| 271 | +### 7. Security Notes |
| 272 | + |
| 273 | +- The Power Automate HTTP action to re-trigger the Function must use the **Function Key** (not the master key). Store it in a PA environment variable. |
| 274 | +- The service account used for ROPC must be excluded from any Conditional Access policies that enforce MFA or device compliance. |
| 275 | +- Enable **Soft Delete** on the Storage Account to recover accidentally deleted blobs. |
| 276 | +- Enable **Diagnostic Logging** on the Function App → Log Analytics workspace for alerting on failures. |
| 277 | + |
| 278 | +--- |
| 279 | + |
| 280 | +### 8. Retry Flow Summary |
| 281 | + |
| 282 | +```mermaid |
| 283 | +sequenceDiagram |
| 284 | + participant F as Azure Function |
| 285 | + participant B as Blob Storage |
| 286 | + participant PA as Power Automate |
| 287 | + participant DV as Dataverse |
| 288 | +
|
| 289 | + F->>B: Write report (retryCount=0) |
| 290 | + B-->>PA: Blob created trigger |
| 291 | + PA->>PA: Validate schema — FAIL |
| 292 | + PA->>F: HTTP POST retryCount=1 |
| 293 | + F->>B: Write report (retryCount=1) |
| 294 | + B-->>PA: Blob created trigger |
| 295 | + PA->>PA: Validate schema — PASS |
| 296 | + PA->>DV: Upsert rows |
| 297 | + DV-->>PA: Success |
| 298 | + PA->>B: Move to reports/processed |
| 299 | +``` |
| 300 | + |
| 301 | +--- |
| 302 | + |
| 303 | +*Author: Managed Solution — Will Ford* |
| 304 | +*Last Updated: 2026-03-26* |
0 commit comments