PowerBI Desktop no more multi-version installation on the same PC?

[Anonymous]

Dear Microsoft, 

Would you please confirm that once user install October 2020 version of PowerBI Desktop (Version: 1.9.7675.15620 (Build 15.0.1104.300), Released: January 8, 2021), older versions like January 2020 will be automatically uninstalled, and cannot install back?
As the PowerBI admin, I am evaluating the new version, and got an "0x643(1603)" error when trying to reinstall the January 2020 back.
Is that due to the Enhanced Dataset Metadata?
This affects the way we do UAT before the upgrade, as super-users will have no way to have two versions in parallel before they fully test the upgrade.

Thank you!

[v-lili6-msft]

hi  @Anonymous 

October 2020 version of PowerBI Desktop (Version: 1.9.7675.15620 (Build 15.0.1104.300), Released: January 8, 2021),

this is power bi report server, it couldn't install multi-version on the same PC.

and for Support timeline for Power BI Report Server

Version history

VERSION HISTORY

Version	Availability date	Support end date
September 2019	September 2019	September 2019 and all previous versions no longer supported
January 2020	January 2020	January 2021
May 2020	May 2020	May 2021
October 2020	October 2020	October 2021

you could have a try May 2020 version:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56722

Regards,

Lin

[Anonymous]

Thank you Lin! Sorry I copied from the wrong place. Desktop is Version: 2.86.1321.0 64-bit (October 2020). Still have the question for whether we can have multiple version of Desktop installed on the end-users' PCs, for testing before the upgrade from Jan 2020. Thanks again, Michael

[v-lili6-msft]

hi @Anonymous 

for power bi desktop, it could achieve in win10.

You can get Power BI Desktop in two ways, each of which is described in the following sections:

• Install as an app from the Microsoft Store.
• Download directly, as an executable you download and install on your computer.

for microsoft store version, it will always get the most recent version.

for web download version, you could customize any version.

By this way, you need to open a report by click file-open report after open one version power bi desktop instead of opening this report directly.

Regards,

Lin

[Anonymous]

Dear Lin,

Thank you for the reply. We use the on-prem server. The link is pointing to "online" version, which I tried. The "Save as" in this version cannot be pointed to an on-prem server. I will try the on-prem server version msi again with the command line options, to see if I can redirect the installation path, so it will not overwrite Jan 2020 version we had for the users in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Power BI Desktop RS\

Thank you,

Michael

[v-lili6-msft]

hi @Anonymous 

Power bi desktop and power bi report server are different.

for your case, you are using power bi report server. to my knowledge, this could not install multi-version on the same PC.

I recommend try to install May 2020 version,

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56722

Maybe you could use a Virtual Machine for another version.

Regards,

Lin