Tabular Editor User Options (.tmuo)

Expert guidance for understanding and configuring Tabular Editor 3 user options files for Power BI semantic model development.

When to Use This Skill

Activate automatically when tasks involve:

• •Understanding .tmuo file structure and purpose
• •Configuring workspace database connections
• •Setting up deployment preferences
• •Managing data source overrides for development
• •Configuring table import settings
• •Troubleshooting credential encryption issues

Critical

• •TMUO files contain user-specific settings - never commit to version control
• •Credentials are encrypted with Windows User Key - cannot be shared between users
• •Add *.tmuo to .gitignore in all projects
• •Each developer needs their own .tmuo file

About TMUO Files

• •Introduced in Tabular Editor 3 for storing developer- and model-specific preferences
• •Created automatically when opening a Model.bim or Database.json file
• •Contains workspace, deployment, and data source settings

File Location

TMUO files are stored alongside the model file with a user-specific name:

Important:

• •One .tmuo file per model per user
• •Never commit to version control (add *.tmuo to .gitignore)
• •Credentials are encrypted with Windows User Key - cannot be shared between users
• •Each developer creates their own .tmuo automatically when opening the model

Cross-Platform Access (macOS/Linux)

When working on macOS or Linux with models stored on a Windows VM:

Parallels on macOS:

/Users/<macUser>/Library/Parallels/Windows Disks/{VM-UUID}/[C] <DiskName>.hidden/

TMUO files will be alongside models in Windows directories, e.g.:

• •<ParallelsRoot>/Users/<WinUser>/Documents/Models/MyModel.bim
• •<ParallelsRoot>/Users/<WinUser>/Documents/Models/MyModel.<WinUser>.tmuo

Other platforms:

• •VMware Fusion - Check /Volumes/ for mounted Windows drives
• •WSL on Windows - /mnt/c/Users/<username>/...

Note: The VM must be running for the filesystem to be accessible.

Quick Reference

TMUO JSON Structure

{
  "UseWorkspace": true,
  "WorkspaceConnection": "localhost",
  "WorkspaceDatabase": "MyModel_Workspace_JohnDoe",
  "Deployment": {
    "TargetConnectionString": "powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/Workspace",
    "TargetDatabase": "MyModel",
    "DeployPartitions": false,
    "DeployModelRoles": true
  },
  "DataSourceOverrides": {
    "SQL Server": {
      "ConnectionString": "Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=DevDB"
    }
  }
}

Workspace Settings

Control workspace database behavior:

{
  "UseWorkspace": true,
  "WorkspaceConnection": "provider=MSOLAP;data source=localhost",
  "WorkspaceDatabase": "AdventureWorks_Workspace_JohnDoe_20240115"
}

Deployment Settings

Configure deployment target and options:

{
  "Deployment": {
    "TargetConnectionString": "powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/Production",
    "TargetDatabase": "Sales Analytics",
    "DeployDataSources": false,
    "DeployPartitions": false,
    "DeployRefreshPolicyPartitions": true,
    "DeployModelRoles": true,
    "DeployModelRoleMembers": false,
    "DeploySharedExpressions": true
  }
}

Data Source Overrides

Override data source connections for workspace database:

ImpersonationMode values:

• •Default
• •ImpersonateAccount
• •ImpersonateAnonymous
• •ImpersonateCurrentUser
• •ImpersonateServiceAccount
• •ImpersonateUnattendedAccount

{
  "DataSourceOverrides": {
    "SQL Server DW": {
      "ImpersonationMode": "ImpersonateServiceAccount",
      "ConnectionString": "Data Source=dev-server;Initial Catalog=DevDW"
    },
    "Azure Blob": {
      "AccountKey": {
        "Encryption": "UserKey",
        "EncryptedString": "ABC123..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Table Import Settings

Settings for the Import Tables / Schema Update feature:

ServerType values:

• •Sql, Oracle, Odbc, OleDb, Snowflake, Dataflow
• •PostgreSql, MySql, MariaDb, Db2, Databricks, OneLake

{
  "TableImportSettings": {
    "Sales Data": {
      "ServerType": "Sql",
      "UserId": "sqladmin",
      "Password": {
        "Encryption": "UserKey",
        "EncryptedString": "..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Encrypted Credentials

Credentials can be stored encrypted using Windows User Key:

{
  "ConnectionString": {
    "Encryption": "UserKey",
    "EncryptedString": "ABC123..."
  }
}

Or for deployment targets:

{
  "TargetConnectionString": {
    "ConnectionString": "powerbi://...",
    "EncryptedCredentials": "XYZ789..."
  }
}

Note: Encrypted strings are tied to the Windows user account and cannot be shared.

File Naming Convention

<ModelFileName>.<WindowsUserName>.tmuo

Examples:

• •Model.bim opened by JohnDoe -> Model.JohnDoe.tmuo
• •AdventureWorks.bim opened by jane.smith -> AdventureWorks.jane.smith.tmuo

Common Patterns

Development Environment Setup

{
  "UseWorkspace": true,
  "WorkspaceConnection": "localhost",
  "WorkspaceDatabase": "Dev_AdventureWorks",
  "DataSourceOverrides": {
    "Production SQL": {
      "ConnectionString": "Data Source=dev-sql;Initial Catalog=DevDB"
    }
  }
}

Power BI Service Deployment

{
  "Deployment": {
    "TargetConnectionString": "powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/MyWorkspace",
    "TargetDatabase": "Sales Model",
    "DeployPartitions": false,
    "DeployModelRoles": true
  }
}

Additional Resources

Reference Files

• •schema/tmuo-schema.json - JSON Schema for validating .tmuo files (temporary location)

Scripts

• •scripts/validate_tmuo.py - Validate TMUO files for schema compliance

External References

• •Tabular Editor User Options
• •Workspace Mode
• •Supported File Types

Best Practices

1. •Never commit .tmuo files - Add *.tmuo to .gitignore
2. •Use unique workspace database names - Include username and timestamp
3. •Don't share encrypted credentials - They're tied to Windows account
4. •Use data source overrides - Point to dev/test environments
5. •Document expected settings - Create a template README for team