Power BI endorsement: badges that point people to good content
Power BI endorsement is a way to label reports, semantic models and other items as trustworthy, so people know which content to use. It works through badges that appear beside an item in lists and search results. However, a badge only means something when a clear process stands behind it. This page explains the badge types, who can apply them and how to set simple rules.
- Three badge types
- Owners can promote
- Admins control the rest
Last updated
What is Power BI endorsement?
In a busy tenant, people find several models that look alike. Which one is right? Endorsement answers that question with a visible mark. An endorsed item shows a badge, and some lists place endorsed items first.
Microsoft documents three badges. Promoted is the light one, and any owner can apply it. Certification is stricter, because only people an admin has authorized can grant it. Master data marks items that hold core data for the organization.
Most Fabric and Power BI items can carry a badge. Dashboards are the documented exception. So the feature covers the models and reports that people reuse most.
The three endorsement badges side by side
Each badge has a different gatekeeper, and that is what gives it meaning.
| Badge | Who can apply it | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| Promoted | Anyone with write permission on the item | The owner thinks it is ready to share |
| Certification | Reviewers authorized by an admin | It passed the organization's quality review |
| Master data | Users an admin has specified | It is a core source of record |
| No badge | Not applicable | Use with care and ask the owner |
| Request for review | Any user can ask | An authorized reviewer then decides |
Who decides what earns the top badge?
A Fabric administrator enables certification in the tenant settings and names the people who may grant it. The admin can also add a link to the organization's own guidance. Therefore authors know where to read the rules before they ask.
Microsoft also allows delegation to domain admins. So a finance domain can have its own reviewers, while sales has others. That keeps reviews close to the people who know the data.
Any user can request a review, but only an authorized person can approve it. Because of that gap, the badge carries weight. Still, the weight depends on the review being real and not a rubber stamp.
How to set up a Power BI endorsement process
The technical part is small, so spend the time on the criteria.
Write the criteria
First, list what an item must meet, for example a named owner, a description, tested measures and a working refresh.
Name the reviewers
Then choose a small group who understand both the data and the tool. Add them to a security group for the tenant setting.
Enable and publish
After that, the admin turns on the setting for that group and adds the link to your criteria page.
Review on a schedule
Finally, recheck endorsed items from time to time. A model that was sound last year may have lost its owner since.
Why Power BI endorsement needs rules to work
A badge without rules soon loses value. If every author promotes every report, the mark tells readers nothing. So even the light badge deserves a short checklist.
Used well, endorsement cuts duplication. When people trust a shared model, they connect to it instead of building another. As a result, numbers across reports agree more often.
It also supports discovery. Endorsed models stand out when an author looks for data to build on, and admins can see the badge in lineage and catalog views. However, endorsement does not grant access. Permissions remain a separate step.
Power BI endorsement questions and answers
What is the difference between promoted and the certification badge?
Promoted is self-service. Anyone with write permission on an item can apply it, so it shows the owner's confidence. The certification badge needs an authorized reviewer, which an admin sets up. Therefore it signals that the item passed an agreed review. Most organizations use promotion widely and keep the stricter badge for a small set of core items.
Can dashboards carry a Power BI endorsement?
No. Microsoft documents that all Fabric and Power BI items can be promoted or reviewed for the top badge except dashboards. Reports, semantic models, dataflows and many Fabric items qualify. So if a dashboard matters, endorse the report and the model behind it, and describe that in the dashboard's description.
Does endorsement give people access to an item?
No. A badge is a quality signal only. People still need permission through a workspace role, an app or direct sharing. However, making endorsed models easy to find encourages reuse. So pair endorsement with a clear way to request access. Otherwise people will see the badge and still build their own copy.
Who should hold the right to grant the top badge?
Keep the group small. Choose people who know the data domain and can read a model critically. Add them through a security group so membership is easy to manage. Also avoid letting authors approve their own work. A second pair of eyes is what gives the badge its meaning.
Can you help define our endorsement criteria?
Yes. Power BI Agency writes review checklists and sets up the tenant side with your administrator. We are a division of Sataware Technologies and independent of Microsoft. The service runs online in your own tenant, with a written scope. The first step is a free 30-minute assessment, and we reply within 2 hours.
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