To all you future dashboard dynamos out there, are you ready to take your Power BI skills to the next level? Today, I’m delving into the practical steps of moving from creating your own Power BI reports for personal use to sharing them with your organisation.
Welcome to the Iamdata Solutions Asset Management Newsletter - 1 September 2023
The Scenario
You’ve been quietly working away building your own Power BI reports in Power BI Desktop to help you with your own day-to-day tasks, when somebody sees what you’ve been doing and exclaims, “Hey! That looks great! How did you do that? That report would be really helpful to me in my work - how can I get a copy?!” 📊📈
The Power BI Journey - From Crafting Personal Power BI Reports To Sharing Your Expertise with your organisation.
Let's navigate this journey with a focus on functionality and efficiency.
Building a Strong Foundation
To start, create your Power BI report using Power BI Desktop. Connect to your data sources, may they be Excel sheets, SQL databases, or any other reservoirs of information. Your Power BI report will serve as the basis for your future shared version.
Crafting Informative Reports
Rather than just presenting raw data, structure your report to tell a clear story. Arrange visuals like graphs and charts thoughtfully, emphasising key insights. Use visuals that suit the data and provide clarity – simple visuals often work best. Some tips for designing your Power BI canvas can be found here: https://www.iamdata.solutions/post/power-bi-designing-your-power-bi-canvas
Practical Design Choices
While aesthetics matter, they don't need to be flashy. Choose a theme that's professional and fits your organisation's style. Make sure fonts and colours are readable and consistent. Clean design fosters better communication.
Enabling User Interaction
Enhance the report's utility by adding interactive elements. Utilise Power BI features like slicers and filters, allowing users to explore data on their own. This empowers users to find answers without needing you to recreate the report for every query.
Sharing and Collaborating
When teams are working together, it's really important for everyone to have access to the same documents so they can easily work together. In Power BI workspaces, teams share the ownership and management of their dashboards, reports, datasets, and workbooks. Sometimes, people organise these workspaces based on how their organisation is structured, or they make them for specific projects they're working on. Some organisations even use different workspaces to keep various versions of reports or dashboards.
Now, these workspaces have roles that decide what your coworkers can do. You can use these roles to figure out who can manage the workspace, edit and share content, or just see what's there.
Workspaces are a better option for collaborating compared to ‘My Workspace’ because they let multiple people own and update the content. So, if you and your team want to make changes or give others access, it can be very easy. ‘My Workspace’ is more for individuals or one-time personal content.
Let's say you have built your Power BI report and you want to share it with your colleagues. How should you go about it? There are a few options available to you and it will depend on a few things:
If your colleagues need to keep the report current or access everything in the workspace, just add them as Members or Contributors.
If your colleagues only need to check out the content in the workspace, add them as Viewers.
If they just need to see that specific report and not everything else in the workspace, you can share the report link or give them direct access.
And if the report works better when seen along with other related reports or dashboards that you want to share with many colleagues, then creating an ‘app’ is probably your best bet.
(Note: I’ll delve deeper into exploring these options in a later blog)
Sharing via Power BI Service
When you're ready to share, move your report to the Power BI service. This cloud platform allows easy access and collaboration. This step bridges the gap between a personal report and a shared resource.
The Power BI Service
Sharing your Power BI report via the Power BI Service is a pivotal step in making your insights accessible to others within your organisation. The Power BI Service is a cloud-based platform where you can publish, share, and collaborate on Power BI reports.
Here's how you can share your report via the Power BI Service:
Step 1: Publish Your Report
Save Your Report. Before publishing, ensure you've saved your Power BI report in Power BI Desktop.
Click on the 'Publish' button on the top ribbon.
Step 2: Configure Sharing Settings
Open Your Report. Once your report is uploaded, open it by clicking on its title in the workspace.
Share with Specific Users. For sharing within your organisation, click on 'Share'. Here you can enter the email addresses of specific people or groups within your organisation who should have access to the report.
Step 3: Set Permissions
Choose Access Level. For each user or group, you can choose their access level: 'View' - they can see the report but not make changes or 'Edit' - they can make changes to the report.
Include a Message. Optionally, you can include a message to explain why you're sharing the report and provide some context.
Step 4: Sharing Options
Direct Sharing. You can share the report directly with individuals by entering their email addresses.
Share with a Group. If you have groups already set up in your organisation, you can share the report with an entire group.
Copy Link. You can also generate a link that you can send to others. The link will provide access based on the permissions you've set.
Step 5: Confirm and Send
Confirm Settings. Double-check the email addresses, access levels, and message before proceeding.
Send Invitation. Click the "Share" button to send the invitation to the selected users or groups.
And that's it! Your Power BI report is now accessible via the Power BI Service to those you've shared it with. As you continue working with your report, remember that you can always update sharing settings and permissions if needed. Sharing via the Power BI Service empowers you to collaborate seamlessly and ensure that your insights reach the right audience within your organisation.
Ensuring Data Security
As the report's owner, you can manage who has access to it. Set up permissions so that only authorised individuals can view or edit the report. Data security is a priority, especially when sharing sensitive information.
Distributing Thoughtfully
Instead of simply sending links, consider embedding the report in dashboards or emails. This facilitates seamless access for users. Practical distribution ensures the report is easily available without overwhelming recipients.
Embracing Continuous Improvement
Your shared report isn't static. Encourage feedback from users. Incorporate suggestions and iterate on the report's design and content. This iterative approach ensures that the report remains useful and relevant over time.
The journey from personal Power BI usage to enterprise sharing is a methodical process. My advice is to embrace simplicity and functionality, focusing on practicality rather than extravagance.
Hopefully, these steps have been useful to you, and you will be able to successfully transition from a lone data explorer to a collaborative asset within your organisation.
One more tip, keep in mind that data sharing is about effective communication and value - Let's make data work for everyone! 📊🔗
Power BI Licencing Requirements
To share your Power BI reports with others in your organisation, you typically need a Power BI Pro or Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) license. The specific licensing requirements can vary depending on the sharing method and the features you want to use. Here's a breakdown of the relevant licenses:
Power BI Pro License:
The Power BI Pro license is designed for individual users who need to create, publish, and share reports within their organisation. With a Power BI Pro license, you can:
Share reports and dashboards with other Power BI Pro users within your organisation.
Collaborate and work on shared content together.
Share reports using the Power BI Service, allowing others to view, interact with, and explore your reports.
Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) License:
Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) is an alternative licensing option that offers some premium features to individual users without requiring the organisation to purchase a full Power BI Premium capacity. With a Power BI PPU license, you can:
Share reports and dashboards with users who have a free Power BI license (no need for them to have Power BI Pro licenses).
Enjoy some premium features, like AI capabilities and paginated reports, that are typically available only with full Power BI Premium capacity.
It's important to note Microsoft is updating and upgrading Power BI frequently, so it’s work keeping in mind that licensing terms and features may change over time. I recommend you refer to the official Power BI licensing documentation or contact Microsoft directly for the most up-to-date information based on your organisation's needs.
I have worked on many different projects with my Local Government clients, from designing and developing Power BI Reports, to building SQL Server databases for spatial data, to managing and maintaining the GIS and the Asset Management systems. If you'd like to discuss how we might work together, then please email Jill at ➡️ jill.singleton@iamdata.solutions
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