With Power BI dashboards, you can provide users with a consolidated view of business data, tailored for their specific needs. You can share dashboards and their related reports to give others access to your analysis, findings, and business insights. Sharing is the most straightforward method to distribute content to users. You control access to your dashboard but the recipients can interact with the dashboards and reports.
Sharing a Power BI Dashboard
To share a Power BI dashboard, follow these steps:
- In Power BI service, open the dashboard you want to share.
- Click on the Share icon in the upper-right corner of the dashboard.
- In the Share Dashboard pane that appears, enter the email addresses of the people, security groups, or distribution lists you want to share with.
- Choose whether recipients can share the dashboard and its related reports (this option is checked by default).
- Add a personal message if needed, then click Share.
Power BI Sharing permissions
Sharing permissions in Power BI are straightforward:
- “Can share”: Allows users to share the dashboard and its related reports with other users.
- “Cannot share”: Prevents the users from sharing the dashboard or any reports based on the dataset.
Limitations of Sharing a Power BI Dashboard
While sharing is the most straightforward method to distribute content, it comes with some limitations:
- You share dashboards through email invites. The recipients need to have the same email domains as the one in the Power BI tenant.
- Can’t share with external users unless they are added to your Azure Active Directory.
- The recipients can’t edit any content. They can only interact with it.
Alternative way: Publish to Web
An alternative way to share a Power BI dashboard is to publish it to the web. This allows you to create a public URL that can be accessed by anyone that has the link. Keep in mind that publishing to the web doesn’t provide any security or restrictions on who can view the report. It’s only recommended for non-sensitive data.
To publish to the web, follow these steps:
- Open a report in the Power BI service (app.powerbi.com).
- From the File menu, select Publish to web.
- Review the content on the dialog, and select Create embed code.
- Power BI creates an embed code that you can give to others, or that you can use to embed the report into a website, blog post, or social media.
Being able to share Power BI dashboards is crucial for App Makers to disseminate key business insights efficiently. Remember, the method chosen for sharing will depend on your audience and the sensitivity of the data. In every case, always ensure you’re following your organization’s data governance policies and practices.
Practice Test
True or False: You can share a Power BI dashboard with anyone, even if they do not have a Power BI account.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: To view a shared Power BI dashboard, the recipient needs to have a Power BI account.
Multiple select: Which of the following are options for sharing a Power BI dashboard?
- a) Share with individuals
- b) Share with an entire organization
- c) Share on social media
- d) Share with external clients
Answer: a, b, d
Explanation: Power BI dashboards can be shared with individuals, within an entire organization, and with external clients via a direct link or email. Sharing on social media is not a built in feature of Power BI.
Single Select: What permission does a user need to share a Power BI dashboard?
- a) Viewer
- b) Contributor
- c) Admin
- d) Owner
Answer: d) Owner
Explanation: Only the Owner of the dashboard has the permission to share a Power BI dashboard.
True or False: Once shared, a Power BI dashboard cannot be unshared.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: A Power BI dashboard can be unshared at any time by changing the sharing permissions.
True or False: You can embed a Power BI report in Microsoft Teams.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Power BI reports can be embedded in Microsoft Teams for easier collaboration and sharing.
Multiple select: Sharing a Power BI dashboard allows the recipients to:
- a) View the dashboard
- b) Edit the dashboard
- c) Download the dashboard data
- d) Filter the dashboard data
Answer: a, d
Explanation: Sharing a Power BI dashboard allows recipients to view and filter the dashboard data but does not give them permissions to edit the dashboard or download data.
True or false: Power BI dashboards cannot be accessed on mobile devices.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Power BI dashboards can be accessed on mobile devices through the Power BI mobile app.
Single select: Which of the following options cannot be used to share Power BI dashboards?
- a) Via email
- b) Through embedding in a website
- c) Direct link
- d) Print out
Answer: d) Print out
Explanation: While sharing through emails, embedding in a website, and direct link are possible, you cannot share a Power BI dashboard through a print out.
True or false: Read-only colleagues can share the Power BI content they can access.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Only the report authors or Power BI admins can share Power BI content; read-only users cannot share.
Single Select: What does it mean to “Publish to Web” in Power BI?
- a) Share the dashboard with specific individuals via email
- b) Embed the dashboard on a public website
- c) Share the dashboard on social media
- d) Print the dashboard
Answer: b) Embed the dashboard on a public website
Explanation: The “Publish to Web” option allows you to create a public link to your dashboard which can be embedded on a website. This dashboard will be accessible to anyone with the link.
True or False: You can share a Power BI dashboard with groups in your organization.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Power BI has the functionality that allows you to share dashboards and reports with groups in your organization.
Multiple Select: In order to share a Power BI dashboard externally, which of the following are needed?
- a) The external user must have a Power BI Pro license.
- b) The external user must have a Microsoft account.
- c) The external user must be granted access by the admin.
- d) The external user must have the Power BI Desktop version.
Answer: a, b, c
Explanation: For an external user to view a shared Power BI dashboard, they need to have a Power BI Pro license, a Microsoft account, and they must be granted access by the admin. They do not need to have the Power BI Desktop version.
True or False: Power BI dashboards can be embedded in a SharePoint Online site.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Power BI reports can be embedded into SharePoint Online with the Power BI web part.
Single select: Which license is needed to share dashboards and collaborate with colleagues in Power BI?
- a) Power BI free
- b) Power BI Pro
- c) Power BI Premium
- d) No license is needed
Answer: b) Power BI Pro
Explanation: To share dashboards and collaborate with colleagues, a Power BI Pro license is needed.
True or False: When you share a dashboard, the recipients can see the underlying dataset.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: When you share a dashboard, the recipients can see the dashboard and reports, but they cannot see the underlying dataset.
Interview Questions
What is the function of a Power BI dashboard?
A Power BI dashboard is a single-page, often called a canvas, that uses visualizations, reports, and other data to tell a story. It is highly customizable and can pull in data from a variety of sources.
What is the main difference between Power BI reports and Power BI dashboards?
A Power BI report is a multi-perspective view into a dataset, with visuals representing different findings and insights from that dataset. A Power BI dashboard, on the other hand, is a collection of visuals, reports, and other data that provide a consolidated view of business data.
How can you share a Power BI dashboard?
You can share a Power BI dashboard by selecting the “Share” icon from the upper-right corner of the dashboard, entering the email addresses of the recipients, and then selecting “Share”.
Can you share Power BI dashboards with people outside of your organization?
Yes, you can share Power BI dashboards with people outside your organization by publishing to the web, through email, or by creating an embed code for a website.
Can you schedule automatic refreshes of your Power BI dashboard data?
Yes, you can schedule automatic refreshes of your Power BI dashboard data. You can set up the refresh frequency in the dataset settings.
What is the purpose of ‘Pin Live Page’ in Power BI?
Pin Live Page allows you to add an entire report page to the Power BI dashboard as a single tile. It maintains a live connection to the underlying report.
What are Power BI data blocks?
Power BI data blocks are visualization elements that represent your data on a dashboard. Data blocks can be charts, graphs, maps or other types of visual representation.
How can you ensure the security of your Power BI dashboards while sharing?
You can ensure the security of your Power BI dashboards while sharing by assigning appropriate access permissions to users, using row-level security, and not enabling ‘Publish to web’ if the data is sensitive.
Can users modify a shared Power BI dashboard?
No, users cannot modify a shared Power BI dashboard. They can only interact with it. However, the dashboard owner can grant them permission to reshare.
How can you export data from a Power BI dashboard?
You can export data from a Power BI dashboard by selecting ‘More options (…)’, and then selecting ‘Export data’. The data is exported in .csv format.
Can you embed a Power BI dashboard in a SharePoint site?
Yes, you can embed a Power BI dashboard in a SharePoint site using the Power BI web part.
What is the maximum data refresh frequency for Power BI Pro users?
For Power BI Pro users, the maximum data refresh frequency is 8 times per day.
Can you create a dashboard in Power BI without creating a report?
No, you cannot create a dashboard in Power BI without creating a report. A dashboard is a collection of visuals, reports and other data.
Can you use Power BI dashboards on mobile devices?
Yes, you can use Power BI dashboards on mobile devices. Power BI has a mobile app for iOS and Android devices.
Can you apply filters to Power BI dashboards?
No, you cannot apply filters to Power BI dashboards. However, you can apply filters to the reports that are pinned to the dashboard.
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