Part 4: Fabric Deployment Pipelines

4.1 Create Deployment Pipeline

1. Navigate to Deployment Pipelines in Microsoft Fabric
2. Click Create Pipeline

Pipeline Configuration:

Pipeline Name: PowerBI-Reports-Lifecycle
Description: Automated deployment from DEV to UAT to PROD
Pipeline Type: Standard (3-stage pipeline)

4.2 Configure Three-Stage Pipeline

Stage Configuration:

Figure: Three-Stage Deployment Pipeline

4.3 Set Up Parameter Rules

⚠️ Critical: Parameter rules can only be configured AFTER the first deployment

Step 1: Initial Deployment (Without Rules)

1. Deploy from DEV → UAT without parameter rules
2. Verify successful deployment
3. Items will initially use DEV parameters (expected)

Step 2: Configure Parameter Rules (After First Deployment)

UAT Stage Parameter Rules:

Parameter: Environment
DEV Value: DEV → UAT Value: UAT

Parameter: SrvName  
DEV Value: dev-server-endpoint → UAT Value: uat-server-endpoint

Parameter: DbName
DEV Value: dev-database-id → UAT Value: uat-database-id

PROD Stage Parameter Rules:

Parameter: Environment
UAT Value: UAT → PROD Value: PROD

Parameter: SrvName  
UAT Value: uat-server-endpoint → PROD Value: prod-server-endpoint

Parameter: DbName
UAT Value: uat-database-id → PROD Value: prod-database-id

Figure: Parameter Rules Configuration

Pipeline Permissions

Step 1: Access Control Configure appropriate permissions:

Pipeline Administrators:

• Full pipeline management
• Configuration changes
• Deployment approvals

Deployers:

• Initiate deployments
• View deployment status
• Access deployment logs

Viewers:

• View pipeline status
• Access deployment history
• No deployment permissions

Step 2: Approval Configuration

1. UAT Approvers: QA Team, DevOps Team
2. PROD Approvers: DevOps Team, Business Stakeholders
3. Configure approval timeouts
4. Set up escalation procedures

Deployment Process

Step 1: Manual Deployment

1. Navigate to deployment pipeline
2. Select source stage
3. Choose target stage
4. Review changes
5. Initiate deployment

Step 2: Automated Deployment

1. Configure GitHub Actions trigger
2. Set up automatic deployment on merge
3. Configure approval workflows
4. Monitor deployment status

Step 3: Deployment Validation

1. Verify parameter updates
2. Test data connections
3. Validate report functionality
4. Confirm security settings

Monitoring and Alerts

Step 1: Deployment Monitoring

1. Monitor deployment status
2. Track deployment history
3. Monitor approval times
4. Track deployment failures

Step 2: Alert Configuration

1. Set up failure notifications
2. Configure success notifications
3. Set up approval reminders
4. Monitor pipeline health

Step 3: Reporting

1. Generate deployment reports
2. Track deployment metrics
3. Monitor approval patterns
4. Analyze deployment trends

Best Practices

Pipeline Management

• Regular pipeline testing
• Document pipeline configurations
• Monitor pipeline performance
• Regular security reviews

Deployment Process

• Test deployments in lower environments first
• Validate changes before production deployment
• Maintain deployment documentation
• Regular backup and recovery testing

Security

• Regular access reviews
• Monitor deployment activities
• Implement least privilege access
• Regular security audits

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Deployment fails: Check workspace capacity and permissions
• Parameter not updated: Verify parameter rule configuration
• Approval not triggered: Check approval gate configuration
• Sync issues: Verify Git integration status

Solutions

• Verify workspace capacity and permissions
• Review parameter rule configuration
• Check approval gate settings
• Validate Git integration

Next: GitHub Actions Automation