Project packager

Project Packager

Scaffold, assemble, validate, and zip a Power BI Desktop Project (PBIP). This skill takes the TMDL files from the semantic mapper and the report files from the visual generator and packages them into a complete PBIP directory structure that can be opened in Power BI Desktop.

When to Use This Skill

• Assembling TMDL and report files into a PBIP directory structure
• Creating pointer files (.pbip, .pbism, .pbir) and .platform files with correct cross-references
• Validating that all required PBIP files exist and references are consistent
• Zipping a PBIP project for distribution
• Packaging artifacts as part of the query-to-pbip pipeline (Stage 4)

Inputs

• TMDL files — From Stage 1 (database.tmdl, model.tmdl, relationships.tmdl, tables/*.tmdl)
• Report files — From Stage 3 (visual.json files, one per visual)
• Project name — Used for directory and pointer file naming

Outputs

• Complete PBIP directory structure on disk
• Zipped PBIP archive (.zip) ready for distribution

PBIP Directory Structure

The official Microsoft PBIP format (with TMDL semantic model and PBIR report format):

<ProjectName>/
├── <ProjectName>.pbip                              # Project entry point
├── .gitignore                                      # Excludes local settings and cache
├── <ProjectName>.SemanticModel/
│   ├── .platform                                   # Fabric Git integration (type: SemanticModel)
│   ├── definition.pbism                             # Semantic model pointer (version 4.2 for TMDL)
│   ├── diagramLayout.json                           # Model diagram layout (optional)
│   ├── .pbi/
│   │   └── editorSettings.json                      # Editor configuration
│   └── definition/
│       ├── database.tmdl                            # Database name + compatibility level
│       ├── model.tmdl                               # Model configuration
│       ├── relationships.tmdl                       # Table relationships
│       ├── cultures/
│       │   └── en-US.tmdl                           # Culture/locale definition
│       └── tables/
│           ├── fact_sales.tmdl
│           ├── dim_customer.tmdl
│           └── ...
└── <ProjectName>.Report/
    ├── .platform                                   # Fabric Git integration (type: Report)
    ├── definition.pbir                              # Report pointer (version 4.0, references SemanticModel)
    ├── StaticResources/
    │   └── SharedResources/
    │       └── BaseThemes/
    │           └── CY25SU11.json                    # Default Power BI theme
    └── definition/
        ├── report.json                              # Report-level configuration (schema 3.1.0)
        ├── version.json                             # Report format version metadata
        └── pages/
            ├── pages.json                           # Page ordering and active page
            └── <pageId>/                            # 20-char hex page identifier
                ├── page.json                        # Page definition (schema 2.0.0)
                └── visuals/
                    ├── <visualId>/                  # 20-char hex visual identifier
                    │   └── visual.json              # Visual definition (schema 2.5.0)
                    └── <visualId>/
                        └── visual.json

Packaging Workflow

Step 1: Create Directory Structure

Create the full directory hierarchy. Use scripts/scaffold_pbip.py from the query-to-pbip skill:

python scaffold_pbip.py <ProjectName> --output <output-dir>

This generates all directories, pointer files, .platform files, and stub report files.

Step 2: Generate Pointer Files

<ProjectName>.pbip — Project entry point:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/pbip/pbipProperties/1.0.0/schema.json",
  "version": "1.0",
  "artifacts": [
    {
      "report": {
        "path": "<ProjectName>.Report"
      }
    }
  ],
  "settings": {
    "enableAutoRecovery": true
  }
}

definition.pbism — Semantic model pointer (in <ProjectName>.SemanticModel/):

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/semanticModel/definitionProperties/1.0.0/schema.json",
  "version": "4.2",
  "settings": {}
}

Version 4.2 indicates the semantic model definition is stored as TMDL in the definition/ folder.

definition.pbir — Report pointer (in <ProjectName>.Report/):

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definitionProperties/2.0.0/schema.json",
  "version": "4.0",
  "datasetReference": {
    "byPath": {
      "path": "../<ProjectName>.SemanticModel"
    }
  }
}

Version 4.0 indicates the report definition is stored in PBIR format in the definition/ folder.

Step 3: Generate .platform Files

Each item folder (SemanticModel and Report) requires a .platform file for Fabric Git integration:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/gitIntegration/platformProperties/2.0.0/schema.json",
  "metadata": {
    "type": "SemanticModel",
    "displayName": "<ProjectName>"
  },
  "config": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "logicalId": "<generated-guid>"
  }
}

The type field is "SemanticModel" or "Report" depending on the folder. The logicalId is a unique GUID.

Step 4: Generate Report Definition Files

definition/report.json — Report configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/report/3.1.0/schema.json",
  "themeCollection": {
    "baseTheme": {
      "name": "CY25SU11",
      "reportVersionAtImport": {
        "visual": "2.4.0",
        "report": "3.0.0",
        "page": "2.3.0"
      },
      "type": "SharedResources"
    }
  },
  "resourcePackages": [
    {
      "name": "SharedResources",
      "type": "SharedResources",
      "items": [
        {
          "name": "CY25SU11",
          "path": "BaseThemes/CY25SU11.json",
          "type": "BaseTheme"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "settings": {
    "useStylableVisualContainerHeader": true,
    "exportDataMode": "AllowSummarized",
    "defaultDrillFilterOtherVisuals": true,
    "allowChangeFilterTypes": true,
    "useEnhancedTooltips": true,
    "useDefaultAggregateDisplayName": true
  }
}

definition/version.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/versionMetadata/1.0.0/schema.json",
  "version": "2.0.0"
}

definition/pages/pages.json — Page ordering:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/pagesMetadata/1.0.0/schema.json",
  "pageOrder": ["<pageId>"],
  "activePageName": "<pageId>"
}

Step 5: Place Artifact Files

Copy files from previous pipeline stages into the correct locations:

Source	Destination
database.tmdl	<ProjectName>.SemanticModel/definition/database.tmdl
model.tmdl	<ProjectName>.SemanticModel/definition/model.tmdl
relationships.tmdl	<ProjectName>.SemanticModel/definition/relationships.tmdl
tables/*.tmdl	<ProjectName>.SemanticModel/definition/tables/
visual.json (per visual)	<ProjectName>.Report/definition/pages/<pageId>/visuals/<visualId>/visual.json

Step 6: Validate the Structure

Run validation to ensure project integrity:

python package_pbip.py <ProjectDir> --validate-only

Validation checks:

1. File existence — .pbip, .pbism, .pbir, database.tmdl, model.tmdl all exist
2. Pointer consistency — .pbir references the correct .SemanticModel path
3. PBISM version — Must be 4.x for TMDL format
4. Platform files — .platform exists in both SemanticModel and Report
5. Report definition — definition/report.json and definition/version.json exist
6. Pages — pages.json exists, at least one page directory with page.json
7. Visuals — Each visual directory contains visual.json
8. Table files — At least one .tmdl file in tables/

Step 7: Create Zip Archive

Package the validated project into a zip archive:

python package_pbip.py <ProjectDir> --output <ProjectName>.zip

The zip excludes .pbi/localSettings.json and .pbi/cache.abf (local-only files).

File Format Requirements

File Type	Encoding	Indentation	Line Endings
.tmdl	UTF-8 (no BOM)	Tab	LF
.json	UTF-8 (no BOM)	2 spaces	LF
.pbip, .pbism, .pbir, .platform	UTF-8 (no BOM)	2 spaces	LF

Validation Checklist

Before delivering the PBIP:

1. Project file exists — <ProjectName>.pbip is present in root
2. .gitignore exists — Excludes .pbi/localSettings.json and .pbi/cache.abf
3. Semantic model complete — .platform, definition.pbism (v4.2), database.tmdl, model.tmdl all exist
4. Tables present — At least one .tmdl file in tables/
5. Culture defined — cultures/en-US.tmdl exists
6. Relationships file exists — relationships.tmdl is present (even if empty)
7. Report complete — .platform, definition.pbir (v4.0), definition/report.json, definition/version.json
8. Pages configured — pages.json with at least one page ID, matching page directory with page.json
9. Visuals present — At least one visual.json in a visual subdirectory
10. Pointer paths correct — .pbir → ../<ProjectName>.SemanticModel

Error Handling

Error	Resolution
Missing TMDL files from Stage 1	Report which files are missing; do not create zip
Missing visual.json files from Stage 3	Report which files are missing; do not create zip
Pointer path mismatch	Auto-correct the path based on project name
Empty tables directory	Warn but allow packaging (model may have no dimensions)
Missing .platform files	Generate them with new GUIDs
PBISM version mismatch	Update to version 4.2 for TMDL format

Opening the PBIP

To use the generated PBIP:

1. Extract the zip archive
2. Open <ProjectName>.pbip in Power BI Desktop (June 2023 or later with PBIP preview enabled)
3. Power BI will load the semantic model and report definition
4. If the Databricks connection is configured, visuals will render with live data