Features
From exploration to governance — natural language tools for every stage.
HOW IT WORKS
All features are exposed as MCP tools that your AI assistant can call. Authoring features support bulk execution, dry-run preview, and transactions.
Feature availability depends on mode (read-only / browse-only) and license tier.
01 — CORE TOOLS
Core Tools
Essential tools for connecting, browsing, querying, and refreshing Power BI models.
Model Connection
Connect to Power BI Desktop (local) or Power BI Service (XMLA) and manage session context.
- Discover available models — Find running Power BI Desktop instances
- Browse Service workspaces — List workspaces you have access to
- Connect to a model — Establish connection to work with a model
- Check connection status — See which model is currently connected
Model Explorer
Model browsing and search across tables, measures, columns, relationships, and more.
- Browse model objects — List tables, measures, columns, relationships
- Search by name or expression — Find objects matching your criteria
- Analyze object details — Get descriptions, previews, column stats
- View model metadata — Schema info, data sources, compatibility
DAX Query Runner
DAX execution and diagnostics with row-capped results and performance metrics.
- Execute DAX queries — Run queries and get tabular results
- Basic query timing — Execution time and row counts
- Query plans & detailed timingsPro — Engine breakdown and optimization hints
- Query tracingPro — Capture detailed execution trace
Data Refresh
Refresh at Partition, Table, or Model scope with type control.
- Full refresh — Complete data reload from source
- Data-only refresh — Reload data without recalculating
- Calculate refresh — Recalculate without reloading data
- Check refresh status — Query current refresh state
02 — AUTHORING TOOLS
Authoring Tools
Full-mode tools for creating and modifying semantic model objects.
Semantic Layer
Semantic layer authoring for measures, KPIs, calculation groups, UDFs, and named expressions.
- Create & edit measures — Add DAX calculations to your model
- Manage KPIs — Define targets, status, and trends
- Build calculation groups — Reusable calculation logic (time intel, currency)
- Define user functions — Create reusable DAX functions
Schema Manager
Schema authoring for tables, partitions, columns, relationships, hierarchies, and calendars.
- Create & modify tables — Add or update table definitions
- Manage partitions — M, SQL, DAX, or Entity partitions
- Add calculated columns — Row-by-row DAX calculations
- Define relationships — Connect tables with proper cardinality
Security Manager
Roles (RLS/OLS) and perspectives management for access control.
- Create security roles — Define RLS and OLS roles
- Set row-level filters — DAX filters to restrict data access
- Configure permissions — Read, process, admin rights per role
- Manage perspectives — Simplified views for different audiences
Localization
Cultures and translations for multi-language model support.
- Add language cultures — Support 40+ regional formats
- Translate labels — Localize table, column, measure names
- Manage translations — Update or remove existing translations
Model Properties
Global model properties including description, culture, annotations, and compatibility level.
- View model settings — Current configuration and metadata
- Update properties — Description, default culture, annotations
03 — GOVERNANCE TOOLS
Governance Tools
Tools for preferences, policies, and license management.
Preferences Memory
Portable preferences memory for naming rules, guardrails, aliases, and default behaviors.
- Store naming conventions — Remember your preferred patterns (5 max in Free)
- Define guardrails — Set constraints the AI should follow
- Create aliases — Shortcuts for common operations
- Unlimited preferencesPro — No quota on stored preferences
Policy Engine
Policy guardrails for tool execution with allow/deny/confirm rules.
- Define allow/deny rules — Control which operations are permitted
- Require confirmations — Add approval steps for risky actions
- Use policy recipes — Pre-built policy templates
- Validate before apply — Check policies without committing
License Manager
License lifecycle management for activation and status checking.
- Check license status — Current tier, expiry, features
- Activate license — Apply a new license key
- Refresh license — Renew online lease tokens
- Deactivate license — Release for use on another machine
04 — PRO & ENTERPRISE TOOLS
Pro & Enterprise Tools
Advanced tools for change management, testing, and compliance.
Version Control
Change history, diffs, rollback, checkpoints, and deterministic changesets.
- View change history — See all modifications to the model
- Compare versions — Diff between any two points in time
- Rollback changes — Undo to a previous state
- Create checkpoints — Named snapshots you can restore
Test Runner
Test lifecycle for models including definitions, runs, exports, baselines, and packs.
- Define test cases — Expected values for measures and queries
- Run test suites — Execute all tests and get results
- Set baselines — Capture known-good values
- Export test reports — Share results with stakeholders
Audit Log
Tamper-evident audit log management. Tool visibility can be disabled unless explicitly enabled.
- View audit log — All operations with timestamps and users
- Export for compliance — Generate reports for auditors
- Verify log integrity — Cryptographic tamper detection
- Rotate audit keys — Refresh signing keys periodically
05 — SEMANTIC MODEL COVERAGE
Semantic Model Coverage
Query and manage all Power BI object types with full semantic model support.
15 Queryable Object Types
Full semantic model coverageReady to get started?
Install MCP Engine in seconds and start using natural language to work with your Power BI models.