How to Use AI to Handle Power BI (Interactive Guide)

Install Power BI Desktop

Power BI Desktop is required. Its local engine evaluates measures while you edit files in VS Code.

Sign In with GitHub

Open VS Code, click the Accounts icon in the lower-left corner, and sign in with your GitHub account containing an active Copilot subscription.

Install the Power BI Modeling MCP Extension

In the Extensions view, search for Power BI Modeling MCP published by Microsoft and click Install.

Launch Power BI Desktop

Start Power BI Desktop and keep it running in the background.

Open or Create a Report

Open an existing report or load sample data (such as Financial Sample) into a blank file.

Save as Power BI Project (*.pbip)

Select Save As and choose Power BI Project (*.pbip). This separates the report into human-readable TMDL text files on disk.

Open the PBIP Directory in VS Code

In VS Code, open the folder where you saved the .pbip file. Your model tables and definitions will appear in the sidebar explorer.

Enable Agent Mode

Open Copilot Chat, switch mode to Agent Mode, and confirm that the Power BI MCP tools are enabled.

Prompt Copilot to Build

Describe the tables or measures you need. Copilot will inspect the schema and write the TMDL definitions automatically:

Once Copilot writes the files, switch back to Power BI Desktop. The changes sync into your workspace automatically.