What Is PBIR?

• PBIR stands for Power BI Enhanced Report Format.
  
• It’s a JSON-based way to store Power BI report metadata, instead of having everything in a single binary PBIX file.
  
• Designed for developers: it improves collaboration by making report structure diff-friendly (good for Git/source control), enabling CI/CD, and making batch edits easier.

How It Works / File Structure

• When PBIR is enabled, Power BI Desktop saves report metadata in a “\definition” folder inside the project.
  
• In that folder, each page, visual, bookmark, etc., is in its own JSON file. This granular structure helps with merging changes, versioning, and editing.
  
• There’s a definition.pbir file (JSON) that acts as a pointer or manifest.
  
• The .pbip project format (Power BI Project) works together with PBIR: PBIP is the overall project container, and PBIR is how the report part is stored.

Benefits of PBIR

• Source Control Friendly: Because it’s text/JSON, you can track line-by-line changes in Git.
  
• Better Collaboration: Multiple developers can work on the same report without stepping on each other’s toes.
  
• Batch Edits: You can script or manually modify properties across many visuals/pages (e.g., change a style or filter across all visuals).
  
• Public JSON Schema: The JSON files follow a schema, so IDEs (like VS Code) can validate them.

Limitations / Current State

Because PBIR is relatively new (preview / early stage), there are some caveats:

• Publishing Restrictions: During preview, you can only publish PBIR reports via Fabric Git Integration.
  
• No PPTX / PDF Export: PBIR format reports can’t be exported to PowerPoint or PDF currently.
  
• No Subscriptions: Reports in PBIR format don’t support Power BI subscription feature.
  
• Power BI Embedded: PBIR is not yet supported in Power BI Embedded.
  
• Mobile Layouts: Mobile layouts are not applied with PBIR (as of now).

Future / Roadmap

• Starting January 2026, PBIR will become the default report format for new reports in Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service.
  
• Eventually, PBIP (Power BI Project) + PBIR (report) + TMDL (model) are part of a larger code-friendly project structure.

What is the difference between PBIX/PBIP reports and PBIR reports?

Here is a clear, practical comparison of PBIX, PBIP, and PBIR report formats so you can quickly understand how they differ and when to use each one.

PBIX vs. PBIP vs. PBIR  The Differences

1. PBIX (Traditional Power BI Report File)

What it is:

The original, all-in-one Power BI file format.

Characteristics

• Single binary file
  
• Contains:
  
  • Report
    
  • Data model
    
  • Queries
    
  • Layout
    
• Not source control–friendly (difficult to diff/merge)
  
• Best for single developer or ad-hoc report development

Use When

• Quick personal projects
  
• You need a single portable file
  
• No Git or collaborative dev is required

2. PBIP (Power BI Project Format)

What it is:

A project folder format introduced for Developer Mode.

Characteristics

• Not a report format itself → it’s a container project
  
• When you save a PBIX as PBIP, Power BI extracts:
  
  • TMDL → dataset (data model)
    
  • PBIR (if enabled) → report JSON
    
• The .pbip file is just a manifest that points to the folder structure
  
• Fully supports Git integration
  

Use When

• You want a structured project folder
  
• You’re using Fabric Git Integration
  
• You want to manage report + model separately

3. PBIR (Enhanced Report Format JSON-Based)

What it is:

The new report format, stored as JSON files, replacing the PBIX internal binary report structure.

Characteristics

• Text-based / JSON, ideal for Git
  
• The report is broken into many files, such as:
  
  • definition.pbir
    
  • pages
    
  • visuals
    
  • filters
    
  • bookmarks
    
• Enables multi-developer collaboration
  
• Enables automated CI/CD
  
• The future default (Microsoft announced PBIR becomes the default in 2026)

Use When

• You’re working in a team
  
• You need source control, versioning, branching
  
• You want clean diffs for visuals, pages, filters
  
• You are building enterprise-grade solutions

Side-by-Side Comparison Table

In Simple Terms

PBIX = a sealed box

Everything packed into one file easy to use, but hard to collaborate on.

PBIP = a folder that organizes everything

It breaks the PBIX apart into a structured project: report + model.

PBIR = the blueprint of the report

A clean, editable, JSON-based format that developers can track, version, and modify.

How do I migrate existing PBIX/PBIP reports to PBIR ?

Here’s a clear, practical guide for migrating existing PBIX or PBIP reports to the new PBIR format in Power BI Desktop Developer Mode. No downloads or external tools required just Power BI Desktop (with Developer Mode enabled).

How to Migrate PBIX → PBIR

Option A Convert a PBIX file into a PBIP/PBIR project

This is the most common migration path.

Steps

1. Open the PBIX in the latest Power BI Desktop (Developer Mode)
   
    (Developer Mode must be enabled under File → Options → Preview features → Developer Mode.)
   
2. Go to File → Save As.
   
3. Choose Power BI Project (PBIP) as the file type.
   
   • This creates a PBIP project folder.
     
   • Inside the folder you’ll see:
     
     • /report → becomes PBIR JSON files
       
     • /model → TMDL files (for the dataset)
       
     • *.pbip manifest file
       
4. Power BI automatically extracts the report from the PBIX and converts it into the PBIR format (JSON page/visual definitions).
   
5. Your migration is complete.
   
    You now have:
   
   • PBIR (JSON-based report definition)
     
   • TMDL model folder
     
   • PBIP project container

How to Migrate PBIP → PBIR

If you already have a PBIP project, but your report is still using the old report structure, follow this:

Steps

1. Open the PBIP project in Power BI Desktop (Developer Mode).
   
2. Go to File → Options and Settings → Options → Report Settings.
   
3. Turn ON:
   
   • “Use PBIR format for reports” (or “Use the enhanced report format”)
     
4. Save the project.
   
5. Power BI regenerates the /report folder into the PBIR JSON structure, including:
   
   • definition.pbir
     
   • /definition/ (pages, visuals, bookmarks, filters, etc.)

What Your Folder Looks Like After Migration

MyReportProject

│   MyReport.pbip

│

├── report

│   ├── definition.pbir

│   └── definition

│       ├── report.json

│       ├── pages/

│       ├── visuals/

│       └── filters/

│

└── model

    └── tmdl files…

Best Practices After Migration

1. Add the project to Git (recommended)

PBIR + TMDL is optimized for Git merging, branching, and code reviews.

2. Validate JSON files in VS Code

Power BI exposes a JSON schema, so the editor can:

• auto-complete
  
• validate structure
  
• highlight errors

3. Use Fabric Git Integration for publishing

As of now, PBIR publishing works best through Git-connected workspaces.

Here is a PBIR Migration Visual Checklist that will help you with the migration:

PBIR Migration Visual Checklist

1. Enable Developer Mode

• Open Power BI Desktop

• File → Options → Preview Features → Enable “Developer Mode”

2. Convert PBIX to PBIP (PBIR)

• Open the PBIX

• File → Save As → Choose “Power BI Project (.pbip)”

• Power BI creates: PBIP + PBIR (report folder) + TMDL (model folder)

3. Convert Existing PBIP to PBIR

• Open the PBIP project

• Options → Report Settings → Turn on “Enhanced PBIR Format”

• Save the project to regenerate JSON report structure

4. Validate Folder Structure

• Ensure presence of:

– definition.pbir

– /definition folder (reports, pages, visuals)

– /model (TMDL dataset)

5. Add to Source Control

• Commit project folder to Git

• PBIR + TMDL improves diffs and collaboration

6. Publish via Git Integration

• Use Fabric Git Integration for PBIR deployments

7. Best Practices

• Use VS Code for JSON validation

• Avoid editing PBIR JSON manually unless needed

• Follow naming standards for visuals/pages