5.1.3. Subscriptions, Data Alerts, and Endorsement
💡 First Principle: Consumers shouldn't have to remember to check reports, and they shouldn't have to guess which content is trustworthy. Subscriptions and alerts push information to people on a schedule or when a threshold is crossed; endorsement marks content so people can find the authoritative version.
Subscriptions email a snapshot (image and link, optionally with a PDF or PowerPoint attachment) of a report page, a dashboard, or a paginated report on a schedule (daily, weekly, monthly, hourly, or after data refresh). You can subscribe yourself or, with sufficient permissions, subscribe others (users and groups). Subscriptions can include filters, and paginated reports (and Power BI reports) support dynamic per-recipient subscriptions that tailor content using recipient data. Subscriptions respect permissions and RLS; recipients need access to the content (and an appropriate license) to view it in the service.
Data alerts notify you (email and the notification center, and mobile) when a value crosses a threshold. Classic data alerts are set on dashboard tiles of type card, KPI, or gauge (single-number tiles), with conditions above or below a threshold and a maximum notification frequency (at most once an hour or once every 24 hours). Alerts are personal (only the user who creates one receives it) and evaluate when the data refreshes. For alert scenarios on report visuals and richer actions, Microsoft Fabric's Activator (set alert on a visual) can trigger emails, Teams messages, or flows.
Endorsement labels content so users can find trusted items:
- Promoted: any user with write permission on the item (owner or a workspace Contributor and above) can promote it to signal it's ready for broad use.
- Certified: only reviewers authorized by the Power BI/Fabric administrator in tenant settings can certify an item, signifying it meets organizational standards.
- Master data: a newer badge, also admin-authorized, for core reference data items.
Endorsed items appear with badges, rank higher in search and the OneLake catalog, and help analysts choose the right shared semantic model (1.1.2). Featured content on the Home page is a separate way to highlight items.
⚠️ Exam Trap: Data alerts are set on dashboard tiles of card, KPI, or gauge type, not directly on a report visual (classic alerts) and not on line or bar chart tiles. If the stem says "notify the sales manager when daily revenue drops below $50,000," pin a card of the measure to a dashboard and set the alert on that tile (or use Activator).
Reflection Question: A business analyst wants their semantic model to carry the Certified badge. What must happen at the tenant level first, and why does Microsoft separate certification from promotion?
