As you work with Power BI, it's likely that you'll create some dashboards to use regularly. By creating Power BI templates, you can simplify your workflow and ensure consistency in your reports. These templates allow you to import different data sources and automatically recreate your charts and formats in a new, dynamic dashboard. Power BI models can thus save a lot of time. But it might not be the same for creating a template. Instead of spending endless hours designing, there's the option to download attractive Power BI templates. The question arises: where can you find these models, available online? Is it possible to customize them? Or again, how to create your own template starting from an existing template? Let's see all the answers in this article.
Creating reports in Power BI can be a beautiful, artistic, and enjoyable process. However, it can get overwhelming when you focus on the aesthetic aspect and adding more visual elements. Some users had the clever idea of replicating the layouts of their favorite reports, probably leading to the initial use of templates.
Power BI templates are derived from existing report templates, offering a starting point for creating your reports. They also serve as an effective way to ensure consistency between your reports. A Power BI report template (or report layout, as it's sometimes called) consists of:
Essentially, a template includes all the components of the original template with the exception of the data itself. On the backstory, the report layout is saved as a PBIT file, unlike the PBIX format used by Power BI Desktop reports that include data.
In Power BI (service), a template application is a type of content that integrates various dashboards and reports into a unified package. These template applications can contain one or more dashboards along with several reports, all conveniently grouped together.
The new Power BI template apps allow Power BI partners to create apps with little or no programming and distribute them to any Power BI user. This article provides an overview of the available Power BI templates and where to find them.
As a Power BI partner, you curate a set of pre-built content for your customers and release it yourself for their use.
Create template applications that allow your customers to connect and distribute within their accounts. Leveraging their industry experience, they can unlock data in a user-friendly format for business stakeholders.
Upload a template application to the Partner Center. These apps then become publicly accessible through the Power BI Apps Marketplace and the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace. Later in the article, an overview of the process for creating public template apps will be provided.
Power BI template applications provide immediate insights to both Power BI Pro users and Power BI Premium users through pre-built dashboards and reports that connect seamlessly to live data sources. The Power BI Apps marketplace hosts a wide range of these apps, providing users with different options to enhance their analytical skills.
A primary reason for distributing a file without data is security concerns: when there is uncertainty about who could access the file, it is prudent to share it without including the data. This way, only those who have authorized access to the data source will be able to view the reports.
Another situation in which Power BI templates prove advantageous is when a user must enter parameters each time the report is launched. This is especially useful if a file is linked to multiple databases that share the same data structure. In these scenarios, asking users to specify the database name before accessing the report helps them to remain aware of the data source they are using.
Another benefit of saving files in the Power BI template format is the reduction in size. A 'pbit' file, which contains only metadata, is significantly smaller than a 'pbix' file, which holds all the report data. This difference in size is due to the fact that the 'pbix' file includes detailed report data, while the 'pbit' file keeps only the metadata necessary for the reports.
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There are numerous Power BI templates, both for reports and dashboards, and it is possible to find them online and on the Microsoft Appsource. Below, we will show which are the best templates offered by Power BI, how to install them and how to save a Power BI page as a template or create a template starting from an existing template.
Discover free Power BI templates that include simple instructions for connecting your data. Visit the Microsoft Power BI gallery to find the model that fits your needs and start using them to improve productivity, save time and reduce effort.
You will also find the links to download them.
This Power BI template provides complete visibility into the Azure Backup data model and the relationships between key metrics. This capability provides great flexibility for creating customized dashboards and reports.
Azure Backup reports provide detailed views for storage, jobs, and backup assets. These views can be filtered by time and other parameters crucial to your business.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
The template app is designed to facilitate quick connections to your Project Web App tenant in Office 365, allowing for the download and visual exploration of diverse data. It has 13 pages of detailed reports that allow you to monitor and analyze all the critical aspects of your projects, portfolios and resources.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
The integration of Power BI with Salesforce allows sales, marketing, and business professionals to fluidly view Salesforce data within the Power BI environment, improving data visualization capabilities across various departments.
The Power BI template includes three separate report pages: Report, Overview, and Sales Tunnel. It offers flexibility for customization with different fields based on your needs.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
This Power BI template makes it easy to effortlessly view your Facebook page analytics within Power BI, requiring only a few clicks to set up. It offers extensive customization capabilities with more than 50 different dimensions, subdivisions, and metrics. Using this template allows you to better address the specific needs of your business related to Facebook pages.
This tool provides comprehensive analysis for both page-level and post-level interactions, including metrics such as reactions to posts, net likes, comments, positive feedback, and viral rays. It allows you to create an Insights dashboard and generate detailed Power BI reports, which can be easily shared across your organization.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
For agencies that manage Meta ads on multiple customers, this Power BI template represents a comprehensive resource. It provides a unified view of the effectiveness of ads, allowing precise monitoring and optimization of campaigns. The dashboard provides an overview of each customer, detailed insights into campaign performance, metrics by ad set and ad effectiveness, and analysis of trends over time.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
This comprehensive template uses Google Analytics data to conduct in-depth analysis on various metrics, including page views, user statistics, event counts, sessions, engagement, conversions, most visited pages, and trends in traffic sources over time.
It takes advantage of the latest Power BI features, including Field Parameters, SVG graphics for matrix tables, dynamic format strings, new KPI cards, button slicers, and other advanced features.
In its free version, this Power BI template offers a six-month Google Analytics data update interval.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
This Power BI template for Google Search Console helps you effectively visualize your Search Console data.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
This Power BI template specifically designed for Instagram provides valuable insights into the content of your Instagram profile. It allows you to analyze your posts based on views and interactions, allowing you to refine your social media strategy. Share this detailed report with your team to make informed decisions and effectively improve your online presence.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
Use this Power BI template for LinkedIn Ads to easily view the data of your LinkedIn advertising campaigns within Power BI. This report visualizes dimensions and metrics such as campaigns, clicks, impressions, expenses, CPC, CPM, likes, reactions and total engagement, allowing a complete analysis and optimization of advertising efforts on LinkedIn.
Click here to download it from Microsoft's AppSource.
Learn more about template apps, how they connect seamlessly to various services essential to business operations. Customize the pre-build dashboards and reports within the template app to align them perfectly with your organization's specific requirements.
To configure, customize, and share a template app, you need a Power BI Pro subscription and permission to install template apps within your organization's Power BI environment.
Let's see below how to install a Power BI template.
Navigate to the Power BI service navigation bar, click on 'Apps' and then select 'Get app'. In the Power BI app marketplace, choose 'Template apps' to browse all the available templates listed on AppSource.
Explore the template app you need by browsing or using the search box to filter the results. Enter keywords from the name of the app or select a category such as finance, analytics, or marketing to identify the specific template that interests you.
Once you have located the desired template app, click on it to view the details. On the template app offer page, select 'Get Now' to start the installation process.
Choose 'Install' in the dialog box that appears to proceed. This action will install the app along with a corresponding workspace containing all the components necessary for customization. When the installation completes successfully, you'll receive a notification stating that your new app is ready to be used.
If you try to install an app using an installation link not found on AppSource, a confirmation dialog box will appear for validation. To install an app template not available on AppSource, you'll need to obtain appropriate permissions from your administrator. See the app template configurations in the Power BI administrative portal for more guidance.
Now that you have downloaded the template, you can connect it with your data.
Click 'Go to the app'. This will open the app with sample data. Next, click on the 'Connect your data' link in the banner at the top of the page.
Clicking on this link will open the parameters dialog box, allowing you to change the data source from sample data to your personal data source. You may then encounter the authentication method dialog box, where you may need to redefine your settings. Consult the documentation provided with the template app you're installing for specific instructions and details.
After completing the connection dialogs, the connection process will begin. A banner will alert you that the data is being updated, and during this time you will continue to see the sample data.
The report data is automatically updated daily by default, unless you have chosen to disable this option while logging in. You can also establish your update schedule to ensure that the report data stays up to date according to your needs.
From time to time, the creators of template apps release improved versions through AppSource, a direct link, or both. If you initially downloaded the template app from AppSource, you'll be notified of a new version of the template app in two ways:
If you initially purchased the app through a direct link instead of AppSource, the only way to be informed of the availability of a new version is to contact the author of the template app directly.
Once a template app is installed, it includes both the app itself and the corresponding workspace. If you want to uninstall the template app, you have two options available.
To completely remove a template app and its associated workspace, follow these steps: Go to the app tab on the apps page, click the trash can icon, and then select 'Delete' in the dialog box that appears.
Deactivating the template app removes its public visibility but keeps the associated workspace. This option is useful if you have made customizations that you want to keep. To deactivate the template app and keep its associated workspace, follow these steps:
You can save a Power BI Desktop page report as a template, or you can also create your own templates from existing templates that you created or downloaded. The templates in these reports use the file extension. PBIT, unlike Power BI Desktop reports that use the .PBIX extension.
Performing this operation is very simple, let's see how to do it.
Click File > Export > Power BI template in the menu. This action will open a window where you can enter a description for the template. Once you click OK, you will be asked to choose a file location to save the .PBIT template file.
That is what it is. The Power BI report template is generated and saved in the location specified with the .PBIT extension.
Adopting Power BI templates is an efficient method for optimizing the production of reports and dashboards, improving both effectiveness and consistency. These templates allow you to easily reproduce layouts and visualizations that have already been tested, saving valuable time and ensuring that reports maintain a uniform and professional appearance. Therefore, it is advantageous to familiarize yourself with these tools, select from the various options available online, and know how to install them properly.
The wide range of Power BI templates available on platforms such as Microsoft AppSource offers preconfigured solutions for various needs, ranging from marketing to financial management, from monitoring IT performance to project management.
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Power BI templates, based on the content of our article.
Power BI templates are pre-designed report layouts that include the report pages, visuals, data model schema, and queries. They ensure consistency and save time by allowing users to recreate reports without including the actual data.
A template app in Power BI integrates multiple dashboards and reports into a unified package, providing pre-built content that can be customized and distributed to any Power BI user.
To create a template, save the report layout as a PBIT file, which includes all components except the data, ensuring security and reducing file size.
In Power BI service, navigate to 'Apps', select 'Get app', choose a template from the Power BI app marketplace, and follow the prompts to install and connect it with your data.
Templates are beneficial for Data Analysts, Business Intelligence Analysts, Financial Analysts, Data Scientists, Reporting Specialists, IT Managers, Operations Managers, Marketing Analysts, Sales Analysts, and Project Managers.
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