This week: Microsoft's AI connector for Power BI models fails on data queries from Claude, a hands-on test shows Claude dashboards respect row-level security, and Microsoft previews an agent that builds and checks data pipelines.
Act on it
- Fabric IQ MCP fails on every data query from Claude. Many people report that since October 27 queries return a server error in several tenants and regions, while reading the model's structure still works. Microsoft has not confirmed a fix, so do not plan a live Claude demo on a client model yet. GitHub issue
- Claude dashboards on a Power BI model apply row-level security. A hands-on test shows the account Claude connects with only needs Read and Build on the model, but setup needs an Entra app, a tenant setting and a custom connector. Multi-tenant did not work and sharing was not fully tested; it is still beta. A good answer when someone asks about security. BI Insight
Worth knowing
- Tabular Editor 3 has a connector that lets AI agents such as Claude Code work on an open model. Changes can be undone in one step, and its built-in AI assistant is out of preview. The agent must run on the same machine, and query results go to the AI provider. Tabular Editor video
- The cost of a Fabric data agent jumped on October 29 for one user, with no changes on their side. They suspect a new way of measuring AI usage; Microsoft has not answered yet. Check the capacity usage of the data agents you run. Fabric Community
- Microsoft introduced an AI agent that builds and checks data pipelines in a Fabric lakehouse (Project Osmos). It is in preview and does not run on trial capacities. Useful when data preparation is the bottleneck. Fabric blog
- Five lessons from six months of building a Fabric platform with Claude agents: keep tasks small, give the agent a notes file of Fabric gotchas, and have people make the architecture calls. Learn Microsoft Fabric with Will
New in Power BI
- Reports can show images stored in a Fabric lakehouse, with access controlled by OneLake security. Build the image link with a DAX measure and use it in the Image visual: an alternative to SharePoint for product photos or logos. Guy in a Cube