Power BI Web: How to publish a report online

Leveraging the capabilities of Power BI Web allows you to publish and share interactive reports online, transforming data into useful information for a wide audience of users. This guide offers an in-depth exploration of how to use Power BI Web for all your reporting needs. We'll discuss the key benefits of publishing online, compare Power BI Embedded with Publish to Web, and address important security and privacy issues. If you use Power BI on a daily basis, you'll find here the tools you need to improve data sharing through engaging and interactive reports.

What you'll find in this article

  • What is a Power BI report
  • Power BI Publish to Web: What's it all about?
  • Power BI Web: the advantages of publishing reports online
  • What's the difference between Power BI Embedded and Publish to Web
  • How to publish a report online in Power BI
  • Power BI Web: reflections on security and privacy
  • Power BI Web: customize published reports
Power BI Web: How to publish a report online

What is a Power BI report

A Power BI report transforms data into interactive visual formats, allowing for in-depth analysis and simplification of the interpretation of complex information. Users can create dynamic dashboards and reports, customizing them with different visual tools such as charts, charts and tables to effectively communicate their results.

These reports also support integration with numerous data sources, such as databases, spreadsheets, and online services, thus increasing their versatility and utility.

Power BI reports provide users with the tools to investigate and analyze data in detail, discover patterns and trends, and make informed decisions based on insights from the data.

To manage the many visual elements and contents within the reports, it is effective to divide them over several pages or cards. Each section can host unique views, tables, and interactive components. Users can use buttons and bookmarks to easily switch between pages, allowing them to focus on different segments of data individually.

A useful method for simplifying your reports is progressive disclosure. Initially, it presents only the necessary information and allows users to click on the buttons to reveal more detailed visualizations. Not only does this technique keep the report tidy, but it also provides a more app-like experience for the user.

The reports are designed to manage complex data models, allowing the use of advanced analytical techniques. Users can create custom measures, build calculated columns, and apply DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) to perform detailed calculations. This capability ensures that the visualizations are efficient and high-performance.

Reports generally focus on historical data to provide a broader understanding of existing trends. As a result, regular data updates are often necessary. Power BI addresses this need with its scheduled update feature, which ensures that report data is automatically updated at set intervals.

Overview of a report in Power BI

What's the difference between a dashboard and a report in Power BI

A Power BI report integrates multiple visual elements, tables, and data representations to provide detailed insights and facilitate an extensive analysis of a specific dataset. This configuration allows users to explore the data in depth. Instead, a Power BI dashboard consolidates key information from various reports on a single page, offering a concise summary of key indicators and trends for a quick and comprehensive view.

The reports are designed for detailed analysis and extensive customization, allowing for in-depth data exploration. The dashboards, on the other hand, offer a summary of the main indicators and trends, ideal for quick decisions. Essentially, the main distinction between the two lies in their level of detail and their respective presentation objectives.

Overview of a dashboard in Power BI

Power BI Publish to Web: What's it all about?

Power BI's “Publish to the Web” feature, integrated into the Power BI service, allows users to share interactive reports and dashboards on various online platforms, including websites, blogs and social media. This tool allows organizations to spread their insights, improve data-based decisions, and reach a wide audience with their narratives.

Publishing and sharing reports on the web is completely free. In fact, Power BI Publish, available at no cost, allows users to distribute Power BI content on the Web, improving user interaction and supporting effective collaboration and management of reports and dashboards. Users with Power BI Premium capabilities can benefit from improved performance and greater scalability.

Power BI Publish provides several benefits, such as effortless sharing, attractive visualizations, and the ability to engage a large audience. As an administrator, you can manage access by limiting the visibility of content only to authorized users through the link provided.

Publish to Web in Power BI

Power BI Web: the advantages of publishing reports online

Integrating a Power BI report into your web application offers a number of advantages. Below, we'll explore how this integration can improve your business, improving accessibility to data and strengthening collaboration and sharing capabilities. We'll review the main benefits of integrating Power BI reports on the web.

Improve data accessibility

Embedding a Power BI report into a web application significantly improves data accessibility. This integration eliminates the need for additional software or tools, allowing users to easily access and interact with data directly within the application.

To achieve this result, simply create a report in Power BI and publish it to the Power BI Service. After configuring the embed settings and obtaining the embed code, simply add the embed code to the web application.

The integration of the Power BI report into the web application allows users to access and interact directly with the data, greatly improving their convenience and ease of use.

Improving the user experience

Improving the user experience is critical when integrating a Power BI report on the web.

There are different ways to do it, for example through an intuitive and clear interface to navigate. Or by customizing the layout of the report, or through features such as drill-through, filtering and sorting to empower users. A final way is to optimize the report for use on any device.

Update data in real time

Power BI reports that include real-time data updates give users access to the latest and most accurate information available. By integrating these updates, users can make decisions based on the most recent data, improving their experience with last-minute insights and ensuring that information remains constantly current.

Collaboration and sharing

The advanced collaboration and sharing capabilities in Power BI reports can simplify communication and improve decision-making within teams and organizations. To optimize these capabilities, consider the following key steps:

  • Develop a Power BI report with relevant data and visualizations.
  • Upload the report to the Power BI service to allow other users to access it.
  • Adjust embed settings to manage viewer access and interaction options.
  • Create an embed code for your report to integrate into a web application.
  • Embed this code within your web application to provide users with access to the report and its interactive capabilities.

These steps will improve collaborative efforts and facilitate the sharing of insights, helping team members to work together more effectively and make decisions based on data.

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What's the difference between Power BI Embedded and Publish to Web

The levels of security and functionality offered by Power BI Embedded and Publish to Web are different, making them appropriate for different applications and needs.

Below we will analyze these two options to guide you in choosing the most suitable solution based on your security needs, the target audience and the level of customization required.

What is Power BI Embedded

With Power BI Embedded, developers can seamlessly integrate advanced analytical capabilities into their applications, gaining extensive control over security measures and customization capabilities.

Incorporating interactive visualizations and reports into your application ensures a secure and engaging user experience, allowing users to make informed decisions based on data directly within the app's environment.

The comparison between Power BI Embedded and Publish to Web reveals distinctive differences: the former excels in security and personalization, while the latter prioritizes ease of access, albeit with reduced security measures.

Developers using Power BI Embedded can adjust who can view embedded reports and determine what functionality is available. In contrast, Publish to Web is designed for public access and offers limited control over both security and functionality.

When deciding which solution is best for you, it's important to evaluate your security needs, identify your target audience, and consider the degree of personalization required.

Power BI Embedded is ideal for business applications that require high security and extensive control over functionality. In contrast, Publish to Web is better suited for public-facing applications, such as customer-oriented websites, where security and functionality controls are less stringent.

Embed a report into business applications with Power BI Embedded

How to publish a report online in Power BI

Improving the user experience and obtaining valuable insights can be achieved by incorporating interactive data visualizations into a web application. Power BI is a powerful tool for creating these visualizations. In the following section, we'll guide you through the process of embedding a Power BI report on the web, step by step.

We will show the entire process of integrating the Power BI report on the web, from generating the report and configuring the embed settings to inserting the necessary embed code.

1. Create a report in Power BI Desktop

When creating a report in Power BI Desktop, it is essential to comply with certain criteria and pay attention to visual aesthetics. After preparing the report, proceed to click on the 'Publish' button and choose the appropriate workspace where you want to save it.

Once you've verified that the report is visually appealing and accurate, you can upload it to the Power BI Service. This action will make the report accessible online and will allow you to export your data if necessary.

2. Deploy reports to Power BI Service

To publish the report to the Power BI Service, start by selecting the appropriate workspace where you want to publish it. After that, start the upload process by clicking the 'Publish' button in Power BI Desktop. Once the upload is complete, you'll see a confirmation notification stating that the report is now online and accessible.

Next, you can generate the embed code for your report. This code will allow you to integrate and distribute the report on different platforms, such as websites, blogs and social media.

Publishing a report to Power BI Service

3. Generate embed code

Creating the embed code for your report involves the generation of a specific code designed to allow seamless sharing and integration of the report across multiple platforms.

Once you have the embed code, you can insert it into an HTML document, a blog post, or any other platform where you want your report to be visible. This integration makes your report accessible to the public and ready to be shared online.

4. Share the Power BI report on the web

To publish your report on the web, enter the embed code generated in the chosen digital platform. This can be a website, a blog, or a social media feed, allowing your report to be accessible and interactive for your target audience.

Embedding the embed code in the selected platform allows your audience to access the report, interact with it, and analyze the data. Keep in mind that content shared through Power BI Publish to Web is publicly available, so be sure to review the sensitivity of the data and the confidentiality of the report before distribution.

Power BI Web: reflections on security and privacy

When using Power BI Publish to Web, it's crucial to be aware of its security and privacy limitations, as this feature offers limited control over these aspects.

While Power BI Publish to Web provides a simple method for distributing interactive reports to a large audience, it's important to recognize the associated risks. Data shared through Publish to Web can be accessed by anyone with the link, which may raise concerns about sensitive or confidential information.

Publish to Web offers very basic security, making it inappropriate for sharing confidential or sensitive data. This feature exposes all pages of a report to anyone with the link, and there's no way to restrict access to specific pages.

Before opting for Publish to Web, it is essential to carefully review the sensitivity of the data and the report to avoid publicly exposing confidential information.

To ensure the safety and security of your reports when you share them, follow these guidelines:

  • Implement encryption when sharing files.
  • Establish access restrictions for file transfers.
  • Use secure protocols for file transfer.
  • Educate employees on safe sharing practices.
  • Take advantage of secure platforms and channels for storing and transmitting files.
  • Address your organization's file sharing requirements directly.
  • Choose a reliable and secure file sharing solution.
  • Restrict access to files only to authorized personnel.

To minimize the risks of exposing sensitive or confidential data when using Power BI Publish to Web, it's crucial to follow best practices. You could also consider alternatives such as Power BI Embedded, Power BI Apps, or secure access through authentication methods to better manage and protect your data.

Power BI Web: customize published reports

By customizing a published report, you can significantly improve its design and performance, creating a more engaging and intuitive experience for users. Optimizing the report involves adjusting the display modes, resizing the iFrames, and controlling the visible pages.

These adjustments help ensure that the report is well adapted to different devices and screen sizes, and allow you to customize the content to better meet the needs of your target audience.

Improving the visibility of your report on different devices and screen sizes can be achieved by adjusting the display modes and resizing the size of the iFrames. Applying CSS to define the width and height of iFrames helps ensure that your report displays correctly on a variety of devices, offering a smooth and seamless user experience.

In addition, taking advantage of the CSS scaling property allows the iFrame to automatically adapt its size based on the content it contains, improving both the visual aspect and the user's engagement in the presentation.

Because Power BI's 'Publish to Web' feature reveals each page of the report, you need to manage the visibility of these pages carefully. To control which pages are visible, you can generate separate reports for restricted sections or choose alternative sharing methods, such as Power BI Embedded or Power BI Apps. These options offer more precise management of page visibility.

To provide accurate and timely insights, it's critical to keep the report up to date. By configuring scheduled data updates in the Power BI Service and establishing a consistent update schedule, you can ensure that your report is continuously updated with the most recent data.

Conclusions

Power BI Web allows you to publish and share dynamic and interactive reports online, transforming complex data into clear information accessible to a wide audience. In this guide, we've explored the full spectrum of using Power BI Web, from the distinction between reports and dashboards to secure embedding, taking data privacy into account.

One of the key benefits of Power BI Web is its ability to improve data accessibility and user engagement. By embedding reports directly into web applications, you simplify interaction with data, ensuring real-time updates and promoting collaboration. Whether you choose the simple and straightforward Publish to Web feature or the more robust Power BI Embedded feature, the choice will depend on your specific security needs and preferences.

In short, Power BI Web transforms the way you share and interact with data, making it more accessible and engaging, thus improving decision-making through intuitive and visually appealing reports. By integrating Power BI reports on the web, you unlock new possibilities for data-driven insights and collaboration. Use Power BI Web to fully utilize the potential of your data, taking your reporting and teamwork to unprecedented levels.

FAQ on Power BI Publish to Web

What is Power BI Publish to Web?

Power BI Publish to Web is a tool that allows you to publish and share interactive reports online, making data more accessible and engaging for a wide audience of users.

How can I publish a report online with Power BI Publish to Web?

Create the report in Power BI Desktop, publish it on the Power BI Service, generate the embed code, and integrate it into your web platform.

What are the benefits of using Power BI Publish to Web?

Better accessibility to data, real-time updates, improved user experience, and collaboration capabilities.

What's the difference between Power BI Embedded and Publish to Web?

Power BI Embedded offers greater security and customization for businesses, while Publish to Web is more accessible but with limited security controls.

Are there security issues with using Publish to Web in Power BI?

Yes, the data shared through Publish on the Web is publicly accessible to anyone with the link, so it's not suitable for sensitive information.

How can I ensure the security of Power BI Publish to Web reports?

Use the available settings to restrict access to reports published online, or consider using Power BI Embedded for sensitive data.

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Modern Apps

The Modern Apps team specializes in development and integration across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem. We design native applications for Microsoft and Azure platforms, and implement business processes that integrate with and maximize the investment in Microsoft 365.