When organizations grow, employees often create hundreds of published reports and semantic models across different cloud workspaces. Without proper governance, business users struggle to identify which datasets contain audited, trustworthy calculations versus unverified duplicate data.
Power BI Endorsement solves this challenge by allowing data governance teams to review and tag semantic models. This guide explains how endorsement works, the difference between Promoted and Certified datasets, and how to enable dataset certification in your organization.
What Is Power BI Dataset Endorsement?
Dataset endorsement is a governance feature that flags high-quality, verified semantic models within the Power BI Service.
When developers or data stewards endorse a semantic model, Power BI displays an official badge next to its name across data hubs and workspace lists.
Furthermore, endorsed datasets automatically appear at the top of dataset selection lists when users build new reports, making it easy to locate official corporate data.
Promoted vs. Certified Datasets
Power BI offers two endorsement tiers depending on the level of audit rigor and governance required:
| Feature | Promoted Datasets | Certified Datasets |
| Trust Level | Recommended for sharing | Officially audited & trusted |
| Who Can Apply | Any dataset owner with edit permissions | Authorized data stewards / admins only |
| Verification Process | Informal recommendation by report author | Strict organizational audit process |
| Primary Goal | Encourages team-level dataset reuse | Provides a single source of enterprise truth |
How to Enable Dataset Certification
By default, any content creator can promote a dataset, but dataset certification requires administrative control to ensure quality.
First, Power BI tenant administrators access the Admin Portal under Tenant settings.
Second, admins locate the Certification setting and define a specific group of authorized security users or data governance leads.
Third, authorized stewards review semantic models for accuracy, DAX efficiency, and row-level security compliance before granting official Certified status.
Benefits of Using Endorsed Datasets
Implementing endorsement tags provides major organizational advantages for business intelligence teams:
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Eliminates Duplicate Models: Prevents employees from reinventing the wheel by encouraging reuse of existing central datasets.
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Ensures Data Accuracy: Guarantees that executive management reviews numbers backed by audited, compliant DAX logic.
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Improves Discoverability: Highlights verified semantic models prominently inside the Power BI OneLake Data Hub and Excel.
Final Thoughts
Using Power BI dataset certification and endorsement brings order and trust to self-service analytics environments. By separating verified enterprise data from unvetted workspace models, organizations empower report builders while maintaining strong data governance.