In the complex landscape of data analysis, Power BI Apps have become indispensable tools. These apps, developed within Microsoft's Power BI framework, offer an intuitive and efficient way to provide comprehensive data insights across the organization. This article aims to deepen the functionality and advantages of Power BI Apps, focusing on their practical application in a business context. We'll explore the core purpose of Power BI, define what a Power BI App is, and guide you through the creation process. You'll learn why these apps are revolutionary for presenting data and how they facilitate seamless data interaction for end users. In addition, we'll discuss access control, share practical tips for optimizing your app, and explain what you can do with Power BI Apps.
Microsoft Power BI is a business intelligence (BI) platform designed to allow non-technical business users to effortlessly collect, analyze, visualize and share data.
The user interface is intuitive, especially for those with experience with Excel, and its smooth integration with other Microsoft products increases its versatility as a self-service tool, minimizing the need for in-depth initial training.
Users can access Power BI through different platforms. For Windows 10 and Windows 11, they can download Power BI Desktop.
Mobile versions are also available for Windows, Android, and iOS devices. For organizations that need to keep data and reports on-premises, Power BI Report Server is available. This version requires a dedicated desktop application called Power BI Desktop for Power BI Report Server.
There are essentially three licenses that Microsoft makes available for Power BI, two of which apply to an individual user, while the third is based on the type of storage capacity that a company has purchased.
Respectively, the three main licenses are: Power BI Free (or Desktop), Power BI Pro, and Power BI Premium.
Below is a table that summarizes how much Power BI licenses cost.
Power BI Apps provide a simplified way to distribute Power BI reports to a large number of users.
These Apps allow users to access Power BI content directly in their browsers or on mobile devices through a simple link, eliminating the need to navigate the Workspace structure within the Microsoft Fabric interface.
Power BI Apps allow you to package and distribute interconnected reports and dashboards, making them easily accessible to end users within an organization. These apps offer a streamlined method for distributing content both to the entire organization and to designated individuals or groups.
The advantage of using Power BI Apps lies in their ability to present end users with a personalized view that highlights only finalized and verified content. In addition, the apps are set to read-only mode, making them perfect for users who don't need to change content.
Power BI Apps are linked to a specific Workspace App. Fabric Workspace administrators have the flexibility to add or remove Power BI content from the visibility of the App at any time.
Power BI Apps include not only Power BI reports and dashboards, but also other resources found in Power BI Workspaces, such as Excel spreadsheets and paginated reports.
App creators control when end users see changes to report layouts. However, the underlying data remains up to date, synchronized according to the Dataset update schedule.
As we said before, a Power BI Workspace App, often simply called Power BI App, works as a consolidated interface for accessing reports within a workspace. While this may seem similar to the concept of a workspace, it's crucial to differentiate between the two.
A Workspace serves as a collaborative hub for all your Power BI assets, including reports, dashboards, datasets, and data flows. If your organization has enabled additional Fabric features, these can also be included in the Workspace.
Workspaces facilitate the management of user access permissions and can be used to directly share reports. However, it is advisable to use an app for distribution, as this method is recognized as the most effective practice.
A Power BI App is intended solely for distributing reports from a workspace through a consolidated interface. This interface allows users to easily switch between reports without the need to open multiple browser windows.
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If you want to build a customized Power BI App for more advanced data analysis and visualization, this section will guide you through every step of the process.
We'll cover everything from setting up a workspace to publishing the app, ensuring you have all the information you need to transform your data into an engaging and accessible application with Microsoft Power BI.
First you need to create a workspace to be able to create a Power BI App.
Log in to Power BI and go to the workspaces section. Click 'Create' and select 'Workspace' from the options provided in the drop-down menu.
Give your workspace a name and select the appropriate type. Then, configure the privacy settings according to your preferences.
Invite members to your workspace by entering their email addresses, then click 'Save' to finalize and create your workspace.
After creating a workspace, you need to add content to it.
Log in to Power BI and go to the workspaces section. Click 'Create' and select 'Workspace' from the menu options.
Give your workspace a name and choose the type that best suits your needs. Set privacy options for the workspace, then add members by entering their email addresses. Finally, click 'Save' to create your new workspace.
All that's left now is to configure the settings of your Power BI App.
Launch the Power BI app and go to the workspace where your app is stored. Click on the 'Settings' option in the toolbar.
Select 'App Settings' to open configuration options. Enter a display name for your app, which will be visible to users.
Select the default landing page that users will see first when they log in to the app. Configure navigation features and decide which pages or reports to include. Customize the look of the app by choosing a color scheme that aligns with your brand.
Define the app's privacy settings, including options to share it with external users or integrate it into other applications.
Review and change any additional settings according to your specific needs. Save the changes and publish the updated app to make it available to users.
To publish your App in Power BI, follow these steps.
Set up a workspace where you want to publish the app. Make sure to include all the necessary content, such as reports, dashboards, and datasets, within this workspace.
Customize app settings by defining the app's name, description, logo, and navigation features.
Publish the app to make it accessible to others.
After publishing it, users can access it through the Power BI service or the mobile app. By making the App available on Power BI, you facilitate the sharing of insights and data visualizations with a wider audience, improving collaboration and supporting data-based decision-making.
Initially, it's important to differentiate between Power BI App and Power Apps, despite the similar names. Power Apps is a separate Microsoft tool designed to develop low-code or no-code applications, customized to meet different business needs.
On the other hand, Power BI apps are particularly beneficial for distributing a unified collection of reports and dashboards to a large audience within an organization.
Not all users need the ability to create or edit content; some only need to view and interact with it. Using apps, you can separate production-ready content and provide a read-only version to end users, ensuring that they only have access to the finalized material.
You can keep development and testing activities within the Workspaces structure. For Power BI Premium users, the Deployment Pipelines functionality offers a way to organize Workspaces for Development, Test, and Production, providing a more detailed approach to managing the development lifecycle.
Power BI Apps excel at managing the structured and secure distribution of standardized reports and dashboards to specific teams within an organization.
They facilitate seamless access to business intelligence content, ensure that users have the latest data through effortless updates, support secure data sharing with precise access permissions, and offer a personalized user experience that aligns with the organization's branding.
Essentially, Power BI Apps improve decision-making by offering a unified and user-friendly platform for data analysis and collaboration. This centralized approach is particularly beneficial in large organizations and for projects that require meticulous oversight and frequent reporting.
The analysis of data within an organization has become increasingly important for growth, and as a result the visualization of the aforementioned data gains more and more predominance.
Many companies rely on Power BI to design customized apps, thanks to the simplicity and intuitive way in which they analyze data.
So, below, let's see what you can actually do with a Power BI app.
Custom branding in the Power BI Apps allows you to adapt the look and feel of your app to align it with your brand. By integrating your logo and company colors, you create a consistent user experience that resonates with employees and customers, leading to greater user engagement and higher app adoption rates.
To get personalized branding, follow these steps:
You can securely share and embed your Power BI App, allowing authorized users to securely access and interact with your data insights. To ensure secure sharing and embedding of your Power BI App, follow these steps:
A Power BI App needs updates and centralized management to be able to guarantee data accuracy and app performance. The ways to do it are different, let's see some of them together.
You can establish a central workspace to effectively oversee and update the contents of the app.
It is advisable to constantly review and analyze the app usage data to identify areas for improvement and implement the necessary updates.
Work with your team to make changes and improvements to the app. Consider using version control to monitor and manage updates, ensuring a smooth and organized process.
Inform app users about updates and provide clear guidance on how to access the latest version.
Establish a feedback loop to gather input from users and address any concerns or feature requests.
Regularly monitor the app's performance and make the necessary updates to ensure optimal operation.
The 'App Audience' functionality allows developers to create multiple versions of a single app. It allows you to segment content within a workspace into distinct audiences and share it with specific users.
This functionality helps optimize the organization and distribution of Power BI content and reduces the need to create more workspaces within your tenant.
Access to your workspace app is generally allowed to two groups of users, usually.
The first group consists of those who have direct access to the workspace and automatically receive access to the app. This applies to all the roles in the workspace (Administrators, Members, and Collaborators). However, to modify the app, users must have at least the Contributor role.
The second group consists of the end users of the app, for whom the reports have been created. These users can be further divided into distinct groups known as the app's Audience.
These audiences can access different reports within the same workspace through the same app. With the current update, each app can have up to 25 separate audiences.
One of the strengths of Power BI is the intuitiveness of its interface, so being able to create a Power BI App that reflects this aspect is of vital importance.
For this reason, it is necessary to spend a few moments on what are the tips to know before creating a Power BI App and what key steps to follow to obtain an optimal app.
Understanding your audience and your goals is critical when designing a Power BI App. This approach ensures that the app meets the unique needs and expectations of the users it is intended for.
Review your audience and identify who will interact with your app and determine their specific needs.
Set your goals, clearly defining what you intend to achieve with your app, whether it's improving data visualization or simplifying data analysis procedures.
Organize your audience and group your target users based on their roles, functions, or departments to better adapt the app to their specific needs.
Align objectives with audience segments, but make sure your objectives align with the specific needs and preferences of each audience segment.
Collecting feedback regularly is crucial. Actively seek input from your users to gather information and make changes to the app, ensuring that it continues to meet their evolving needs.
A survey reveals that companies that align their objectives with the needs of the public are 2.4 times more likely to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction.
To effectively organize and improve your content while developing a Power BI App, follow these guidelines.
Evaluating and refining your Power BI App is essential to ensure its effectiveness and ease of use. Follow these steps to thoroughly test and improve your application:
By following these steps, you'll ensure that your Power BI App is thoroughly tested, easy to use, and can effectively meet the needs of your target audience.
Power BI apps are not just a tool, but a transformative solution for business intelligence professionals. They simplify access to data, improve personalization, and promote secure collaboration, making them essential for any organization committed to harnessing data for strategic advantage.
The real strength of Power BI Apps lies in their ability to consolidate multiple reports and dashboards into a single intuitive interface. This eliminates the hassle of managing multiple windows and remembering disparate report locations, allowing users to focus on extracting meaningful information from the data.
The Power BI Workspace Apps provide a centralized hub where users can access all published content without having to switch between multiple windows. This simplified approach makes it easier for end users to locate, access, and use all relevant reports from one convenient location, rather than remembering the individual names and locations of each report.
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Power BI apps, based on the content of our article.
A Power BI app is a collection of dashboards and reports that are bundled together. It is designed to provide a comprehensive view of data, tailored for a specific audience or purpose.
To create a Power BI app, you first need to design and publish your reports and dashboards in Power BI service. Then, you can package these reports and dashboards into an app, which can be distributed to users.
Power BI apps provide a structured way to share data insights with users, offering a centralized place for accessing reports and dashboards. They ensure consistency and make it easier to manage and update shared content.
Users can access Power BI apps through the Power BI service. They can be invited to use the app via email or can find it in their organization's app gallery if it has been shared with them.
Yes, Power BI apps can be customized to fit the specific needs of the audience. Creators can select which dashboards and reports to include, control access permissions, and design the app's layout to enhance user experience.
Yes, Power BI apps can be updated after publication. Changes to reports and dashboards can be published to the app, and users will see the updated content the next time they access it.
To create a Power BI app, you need to have a Power BI Pro license or be part of a Power BI Premium capacity. Additionally, you should have permissions to publish content to the Power BI service.
Sharing a Power BI app involves publishing the app and then providing access to specific users or groups within your organization. You can control who has access to the app and manage permissions through the Power BI service.
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