Microsoft opens Power BI semantic models to external DAX queries
The new Execute DAX Queries REST API entered preview on 9 May. It accepts multiple EVALUATE statements against any semantic model and returns results in Apache Arrow IPC format. The endpoint sits at POST /groups/{workspace_id}/datasets/{dataset_id}/executeDaxQueries. It runs on the same engine as DAX Query View and supports up to 120 queries per minute per user. Access requires Power BI Premium or Fabric capacity plus Entra ID authentication. Row-level security does not yet work with service principals.
Until now anyone who needed large volumes of data from a Power BI model had to export to Excel or build custom connectors that hit JSON limits and slow refreshes. The API removes those barriers for anyone who can write code and handle binary results. For analysts still learning DAX in the desktop interface the change adds another layer of abstraction they do not need. It widens the distance between people who click buttons and people who script against the model.
Analysis
Ignore every notebook and REST example for the next six months. Open the DAX Query View in Power BI Desktop today and run the same measures you already write in visuals until the syntax feels automatic.
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