PC|Access Issue|Access Denied – Unable to Load Folder Contents in Web Portal|AWS|UAI|PROD

An administrator must assign the account shown in the Power BI Report Server portal an item-level role—normally Browser—on Home or the required folder, because configuring the Web Portal URL does not grant access to report-server content.

Grant access to the folder

Sign in using an account that already has Content Manager rights, then:

1. Open the Power BI Report Server web portal.
2. Locate the required folder.
   • To grant access from the root, select Home and then Manage folder.
   • For a specific child folder, select its ellipsis (…) → Manage.
3. Select Security.
4. If the folder inherits security from its parent:
   • Add the user at the parent folder, or
   • Select Customize security to create folder-specific permissions.
5. Select Add group or user.
6. Enter the same identity displayed in the portal’s upper-right corner, using the account format recognized by this deployment, such as:
   • DOMAIN\user for Windows authentication, or
   • The applicable format for a configured custom authentication provider.
7. Select:
   • Browser for viewing folders and running reports; or
   • A custom role containing at least the required view tasks, including View folders and View reports.
8. Select OK, sign out, and sign back in as the affected user.

SSRS/PBIRS stores content access in item-level role assignments. Permissions assigned to a folder are inherited by its reports and child folders unless inheritance has been customized.^1^ ^2^

Add the system-level assignment

The administrator should also assign the account the System User role:

1. In the portal, select the gear icon → Site settings.
2. Select Security → Add group or user.
3. Enter the same account.
4. Select System User → OK.

Item-level roles control folders and reports, while system-level roles control site-wide operations. Microsoft recommends using both assignment types.^3^

If no administrator can open Home

A member of the report-server computer’s local Administrators group has the initial built-in report-server permissions and can use those permissions to create assignments for other users.^3^

Have that administrator:

1. Sign in to the report-server computer with a local-administrator account.
2. Open the local web portal URL.
3. Grant the affected account:
   • Browser on Home or the required folder.
   • System User under Site settings → Security.
4. Grant Content Manager and System Administrator only to designated report-server administrators, not ordinary report consumers.

The documented elevated-browser and Trusted Sites bootstrap procedure applies only to the older Windows versions listed on that page; do not apply it automatically to a newer server OS.^4^

The screenshot shows that the portal URL itself is reachable and that an identity was authenticated. Changing the Web Service URL, firewall, database, or PBIRS service account is therefore not the appropriate first action; verify the role assignment for the identity displayed by the portal.

References

1. Grant users access to a report server
2. Report server content management (SSRS native mode)
3. Grant permissions on a native mode report server
4. Configure a native mode report server for local administration (SSRS)