Lesson 35 Power BI Service: How to Share and Automate Reports Like a Pro

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Now that you’ve built an interactive dashboard, the next step is sharing and automating your reports using Power BI Service.

By the end of this guide, you’ll learn:

• ✅ How to publish Power BI reports to the cloud.
• ✅ How to share dashboards with stakeholders.
• ✅ How to schedule automatic data refresh.
• ✅ How to set up row-level security (RLS) for data protection.

1️⃣ What is Power BI Service?

Power BI Service (also called Power BI Online) is a cloud-based platform where you can:

✔️ Publish reports and dashboards.

✔️ Share insights with your team.

✔️ Schedule automatic data refresh.

✔️ Embed reports into websites or apps.

✔️ Apply security controls for data access.

📌 Difference Between Power BI Desktop & Power BI Service:

🔹 Power BI Desktop is used for report creation.

🔹 Power BI Service is used for sharing and automation.

2️⃣ Publishing Reports to Power BI Service

🔹 Step 1: Sign in to Power BI Service

• 1️⃣ Go to https://app.powerbi.com
• 2️⃣ Sign in with your Microsoft account.
• 3️⃣ If you don’t have an account, create one for free.

🔹 Step 2: Publish Your Report from Power BI Desktop

• 1️⃣ Open your Power BI report in Power BI Desktop.
• 2️⃣ Click File > Publish > Power BI Service.
• 3️⃣ Choose a workspace and click Publish.
• 4️⃣ Once published, go to Power BI Service to view it online.

🚀 Tip: Use Power BI Pro for advanced sharing and collaboration.

3️⃣ Sharing Reports & Dashboards

🔹 Share a Report with Specific Users

• 1️⃣ Open the report in Power BI Service.
• 2️⃣ Click Share at the top right.
• 3️⃣ Enter the email addresses of your team members.
• 4️⃣ Set permissions (View or Edit).
• 5️⃣ Click Send – they will receive an email invitation!

📌 Who Can View Your Report?

✔️ Users with Power BI Pro can view shared reports.

✔️ Free users need a Power BI Premium workspace.

🔹 Embed Reports in a Website or App

• 1️⃣ Click File > Embed Report.
• 2️⃣ Choose Embed in SharePoint Online or Publish to Web.
• 3️⃣ Copy the embed link and paste it into your website or app.

🚀 Tip: Use SharePoint integration for company-wide access!

4️⃣ Automating Data Refresh in Power BI

By default, Power BI does not refresh your data automatically. You need to schedule refreshes to get the latest insights.

🔹 Step 1: Connect to a Data Source

Power BI Service supports:

✔️ Cloud sources (OneDrive, SharePoint, Azure).

✔️ On-premise sources (SQL Server, Excel, CSV).

🔹 Step 2: Set Up Automatic Refresh

• 1️⃣ In Power BI Service, open your report.
• 2️⃣ Click Dataset > Settings.
• 3️⃣ Go to Scheduled Refresh and turn it ON.
• 4️⃣ Choose refresh frequency (Daily, Weekly, Hourly).
• 5️⃣ Click Apply.

🚀 Tip: For on-premise data, install the Power BI Gateway to refresh from local databases!

5️⃣ Row-Level Security (RLS) – Restrict Data Access

🔹 Why Use RLS?

If you have multiple users accessing the same report but should see different data, use Row-Level Security (RLS).

🔹 Step 1: Create Roles in Power BI Desktop

• 1️⃣ Go to Modeling > Manage Roles.
• 2️⃣ Click Create New Role.
• 3️⃣ Enter a DAX filter to restrict data.

📌 Example: Show Only Sales for a Specific Region

DAX

[Region] = "North"

• 4️⃣ Save the role and publish the report.

🔹 Step 2: Assign Users in Power BI Service

• 1️⃣ Go to Power BI Service > Security.
• 2️⃣ Assign users to their respective roles.
• 3️⃣ Now, each user will only see the data relevant to them!

🚀 Tip: RLS works best for large organizations with multiple departments.

6️⃣ Power BI Alerts & Notifications

Set up alerts for key metrics to get automatic notifications when data changes.

🔹 How to Create an Alert?

• 1️⃣ Open your Power BI Dashboard.
• 2️⃣ Click the ellipsis (…) on a KPI visual.
• 3️⃣ Select Manage Alerts.
• 4️⃣ Set a threshold (e.g., Sales > $10,000).
• 5️⃣ Choose email or mobile notifications.

🚀 Tip: Use alerts for critical business metrics like revenue, stock levels, and performance KPIs!

7️⃣ Conclusion: Why Power BI Service is a Game-Changer

Power BI Service helps you:

• ✅ Share reports securely with teams and clients.
• ✅ Schedule data refresh for real-time insights.
• ✅ Control access with Row-Level Security.
• ✅ Embed reports into websites and apps.
• ✅ Set up alerts for automatic notifications.

Now, your reports are not just static visuals – they are automated, interactive, and always up to date!

🚀 What’s Next?

📌 In the next blog, you’ll learn:

• ✅ How to create Power BI Dashboards with AI & Machine Learning.
• ✅ How to use Power BI Mobile for real-time access on the go.
• ✅ Advanced performance optimization techniques.

Stay tuned to Virvijay.com for more expert Power BI tips! 💡

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