Power BI changes privacy firewall behavior in Desktop
Reviewed by Helen Jones
Microsoft updated Power BI documentation on 2 July 2026 for a new Power BI Desktop setting called Allow data privacy firewall partitions that reference other partitions to also access data sources. Starting with the July 2026 version of Power BI Desktop, the setting is enabled by default. It lets Power Query evaluate compatible query patterns that previously triggered Formula. Firewall errors in Desktop.
Before this, report builders sometimes had to duplicate logic, refactor working queries, or disable privacy checks just to make Desktop behave like the Power BI service. That created a quiet trust problem because the same report could refresh differently depending on whether it was being built locally or running after publication. The change aligns Desktop more closely with Power Query Online, gateways, and the Power BI service, but it does not switch off privacy protection. Report builders still need to check source privacy levels, especially when one query builds a web request, SQL statement, file path, or other data-source request from another query.
Analysis
Pick one report that previously needed a Formula. Firewall workaround, test it in the July 2026 Power BI Desktop build, and document whether the workaround can be removed safely.
Source note
Pulse published by Collab365 Spaces, reviewed by Helen Jones on . Cite as "Power BI changes privacy firewall behavior in Desktop", Collab365 Spaces.