Energy BI 101, Report Authoring Instruments

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That is my final weblog submit in 2021. I want you all an exquisite break and a cheerful new 12 months.

Within the first submit of my Energy BI 101 collection, we learnt that Energy BI is an information platform containing numerous instruments and companies. We additionally defined the presently obtainable subscriptions throughout the Energy BI platform. The main focus of the second submit of this collection is on what we should always be taught to attain our objectives extra effectively. On this submit, we give attention to the reporting instruments obtainable to us in response to our subscription plan. From this submit onwards, we focus on extra particular facets of the Energy BI platform.

We learnt thus far that Energy BI is not only a reporting device to construct refined stories; it’s certainly a platform supplying a variety of options from information preparation, information modelling and information visualization to contribute to an organisation’s information evaluation journey in some ways equivalent to sharing datasets, stories, and dashboards. All of those are attainable provided that we take the proper steps in constructing our Energy BI ecosystem. However, it is extremely true that Energy BI provides us the flexibleness to create professional-looking and attention-grabbing visualisations offering simple to know insights round a topic. Probably the most famend device inside Energy BI is Energy BI Desktop, however it isn’t the one device obtainable to us to create stories. Apart from, Energy BI Desktop stories should not essentially the perfect reply to all enterprise necessities. In actual fact, the enterprise necessities outline the Energy BI structure that helps these necessities. Based mostly on the structure, organisations determine to amass a sure subscription plan, and primarily based on the subscription plan, we have now numerous reporting instruments obtainable to us. At this level, you may ask, “properly, what structure helps my organisation requires?”. Let’s reply that query in a future weblog submit.

For the aim of this weblog submit, it is sufficient to know what reporting instruments can be found underneath which subscription plans. Let’s get began.

Reporting instruments obtainable in Energy BI

As talked about earlier, there are numerous reporting instruments obtainable to us. Let’s first see what reporting instruments can be found to us whatever the subscription plans. Then we are going to have a look at the subscription plans supporting these instruments.

Energy BI Service

Energy BI Service is a SaaS (Software program as a Service) providing from Microsoft within the cloud. The customers inside an organisation, relying on their entry rights, might create stories straight in Energy BI Service. The customers can even securely share and distribute these stories. Whereas creating or modifying stories is feasible in Energy BI Service, it’s strongly really useful to keep away from this technique for a number of causes. The obvious one is that the modifications we make to a report might quickly get overwritten by another person that republishes the identical report from Energy BI Desktop. Verify this weblog submit from SQLChick to see why you need to keep away from creating or modifying stories straight from Energy BI Service. The stories are downloadable in PBIX format. 

You possibly can entry Energy BI Service right here.

Energy BI Desktop

It’s a desktop utility constructed for information preparation, information modelling and information visualisation. When you wish to find out about information modelling with Energy BI, take a look at my guide right here. We will use Energy BI Desktop to connect with greater than 250 completely different information sources, making ready, remodeling and cleaning that information and at lastly visualising the info. Energy BI Desktop is the predominant and most famed report authoring device obtainable within the Energy BI platform. It has many extra functionalities and is extra versatile than Energy BI Service. For example, organising Role Level Security (RLS) just isn’t obtainable in Energy BI Service. The file format of the stories created in Energy BI Desktop is PBIX. 

Obtain Energy BI Desktop from right here.

Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated)

Paginated stories aka pixel-perfect stories are formatted in a option to match completely on a web page. That report web page may later be printed. We’ve actual management over web page formatting to show our information in tables or charts. The stories should not as interactive because the stories created in Energy BI Desktop.

Paginated stories are primarily based on RDL know-how which is commonplace report format in SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). The device for growing a paginated report within the Energy BI ecosystem is Energy BI Report Builder. The stories file sort is RDL. We will presently publish Paginated stories solely to a Workspace that’s backed with both a Premium Per User (PPU) or a Premium Capability. 

Obtain Energy BI Report Builder from right here.

Energy BI Desktop Optimised for Report Server (RS)

Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) is an on-premises server able to rendering Energy BI report recordsdata (PBIX). If we have now a PBIRS up and operating inside our organisation and we require to publish Energy BI stories to PBIRS, then we might want to create our stories in a particular version of Energy BI Desktop which is optimised for PBIRS. This version is completely different from Energy BI Desktop, which we often use to create and publish our stories to Energy BI Service. For example, Energy BI Desktop RS doesn’t embody the preview options we used to see in Energy BI Desktop till these options are launched. Constructing stories in Energy BI Desktop RS ensures that the stories are totally practical after being deployed to our PBIRS. We will set up Energy BI Desktop and Energy BI Desktop RS side-by-side on the identical machine. 

Obtain Energy BI Desktop RS from right here.

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is a tremendous spreadsheet software program with many analytical capabilities. Surely, Excel is one essentially the most extensively used software program each accountant has of their toolbox. It’s sturdy, versatile and really highly effective in information visualisation and information evaluation. With Microsoft Excel, we will hook up with many various information sources (identical to Energy BI Desktop). We will use Energy Question for Excel to load information into workbooks, remodel and mix that information and cargo it into an information mannequin obtainable in Energy Pivot. We will additionally construct an information mannequin in Energy Pivot. Microsoft Excel offers a strong reporting expertise. We will publish the Excel recordsdata to Energy BI Service in two methods:

  • Publishing Excel as an Excel workbook
  • Publishing Excel information mannequin as a dataset

If we choose to publish the Excel stories as a workbook, then we are going to get a full Excel expertise inside Energy BI Service simply line how the Excel On-line works. In distinction, if we publish the info mannequin from Excel as a dataset then the datasets created in Excel, identical to every other datasets in Energy BI Service, can be found to authorised individuals.

The Excel datasets, like different printed datasets in Energy BI Service, can be used to create stories in Energy BI Service or Energy BI Desktop. 

Attempt Excel at no cost from right here.

Report Builder

Report Builder is also called SQL Server Report Builder. It’s a stand-alone report authoring device put in on our PC. We will create paginated stories within the Report Builder and deploy the stories to a Energy BI Report Server occasion. Report Builder is similar to Energy BI Report Builder. The distinction between the 2 is that with Report Builder you may deploy the stories to an on-premises Energy BI Report Server however with Energy BI Report Builder you may presently publish the stories to a Premium Workspace in Energy BI Service.

Obtain Report Builder from right here.

Cellular Report Writer (aka DataZen)

Microsoft SQL Server Cellular Report Writer is a report authoring device for SQL Server 2016 Reporting Companies (SSRS) and above. Cellular Report Writer’s unique title is DataZen which was initially launched in 2013 and bought by Microsoft in 2014. Microsoft built-in DataZen into SQL Server Reporting Companies 2016. It’s possible you’ll ask “how Cellular Report Writer is said to Energy BI?“. The reply is that we will create Reporting Companies cell stories utilizing the Cellular Report Writer and deploy these stories right into a Energy BI Report Server. The stories constructed with Cellular Report Writer are optimized for consumption in cell gadgets.

Obtain Cellular Report Writer from right here.

Now that we all know all our reporting choices within the Energy BI ecosystem, let’s learn how these reporting instruments are supported on completely different subscription plans.

Energy BI Subscriptions and their Supported Reporting Instruments

One of the crucial necessary selections each organisation ought to make is to give you an structure that helps the organisation’s analytical necessities. Relying on the structure, it’s possible you’ll require one of many following subscription plans or a mixture of them.

Here’s a very transient clarification of presently obtainable subscriptions and their obtainable reporting instruments.

Energy BI Free

Because the title resembles, that is the free providing from Microsoft. We don’t require to subscribe or pay something to create our stories in Energy BI Desktop and publish them to the Energy BI Service.

Obtainable reporting instruments:

  • Energy BI Desktop
  • Energy BI Service (creating report functionality)

Energy BI Professional

Energy BI Professional is the primary subscription tier providing from Microsoft. The next reporting instruments can be found underneath the Energy BI Professional:

  • Energy BI Desktop
  • Energy BI Service (creating report functionality)
  • Microsoft Excel
    • Analyse in Excel
    • Connecting to Energy BI Datasets and creating stories in Excel

It’s possible you’ll marvel how the Analyse in Excel and Connecting to Energy BI Datasets are completely different. Right here is the reply, relying on our permissions, we have now the previous two choices to connect with and create stories in Excel on high of present Energy BI stories and datasets on the Energy BI Service.

Analyse in Excel

This selection is accessible from the Energy BI Service on high of the prevailing stories or datasets on the Energy BI Service itself. After we login to the service, if we have now permission, we will…

  1. Click on on the Extra Choices button on a report or a dataset
  2. Click on Analyse in Excel
Analyze in Excel capability in Power BI Service
Analyse in Excel functionality in Energy BI Service
  1. If you have already got the newest model of Excel libraries put in in your machine then click on Obtain in any other case click on the I’ve already put in these updates hyperlink. A I’ve the Excel libraries put in on my machine, I click on the hyperlink
Installation of the latest version of Excel libraries required for Analyze in Excel capability in Power BI Service
Downloading Excel file linked to the underlying dataset

The above course of downloads an Excel file linked to the underlying dataset. You possibly can open the Excel file and begin creating your stories.

Connecting to Energy BI Datasets and creating stories in Excel

On this state of affairs, we join from Excel to the datasets obtainable to us on the Energy BI Service. The next steps clarify how to take action:

  1. Open Excel and login to your M365 account
Logging in to M365 account from Excel to connect to Power BI Datasets
Logging in to M365 account from Excel
  1. Click on the Knowledge tab
  2. Click on the Get Knowledge button
  3. Click on From Energy BI Dataset
  4. You require to cross your Energy BI credentials, then you may choose the specified dataset to connect with
Connecting to a Power BI dataset from Excel
Connecting to a Energy BI dataset from Excel

Observe

We require to M365 account to have the ability to use hook up with a Energy BI dataset.

Energy BI Premium Per Consumer (PPU)

The PPU subscription permits organisations to get the premium options by subscribing to a PPU for every person. Learn extra about PPU and its options right here. The next reporting instruments can be found to us when we have now a PPU subscription:

  • Energy BI Desktop
  • Energy BI Service (creating stories functionality)
  • Microsoft Excel
    • Analyse in Excel
    • Connecting to Energy BI datasets and stories from Excel
  • Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated stories)
  • Thirdpatry reporting instruments equivalent to Tableau through XMLA endpoints

Energy BI Premium Capability

Energy BI Premium is an enterprise-grade BI providing within the Energy BI ecosystem. This can be a capacity-based subscription which means we get devoted sources and presents larger scale and efficiency for Energy BI. The Energy BI Premium capability allows extra customers throughout the organisation to get essentially the most out of all obtainable Energy BI contents with higher efficiency. Learn extra about Energy BI Premium capability right here. The next reporting instruments can be found to us when we have now a Premium capability:

  • Energy BI Desktop
  • Energy BI Service (creating stories functionality)
  • Microsoft Excel
    • Analyse in Excel
    • Connecting to Energy BI datasets and stories from Excel
  • Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated stories)
  • Thirdpatry reporting instruments equivalent to Tableau through XMLA endpoints
  • Energy BI Desktop Optimised for Report Server (RS)
  • Report Builder
  • Cellular Report Writer (aka DataZen)

Energy BI Embedded

Energy BI Embedded is one other service providing from Microsoft primarily for software program improvement firms who need to embed Energy BI reporting performance into their purposes. It’s possible you’ll use Energy BI Embedded in your organisation both you’re a software program vendor (ISV) otherwise you’re constructing in home purposes that embody Energy BI reporting performance otherwise you’d like to check some Energy BI Premium Capability functionalities. Sure! That’s proper. Energy BI Embedded capability works similar to Energy BI Premium capability and numerous Premium functionalities can be found in Embedded capability as properly like the power to make use of XMLA endpoints over each Embedded and Premium capacities. You possibly can take a look at an Embedded capability at no cost. Learn this submit to learn howStudy extra about Energy BI Embedded right here. The next reporting instruments can be found to us when we have now an Embedded capability:

  • Energy BI Desktop
  • Energy BI Service (creating stories functionality)
  • Microsoft Excel
    • Analyse in Excel
    • Connecting to Energy BI datasets and stories from Excel
  • Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated stories)
  • Thirdpatry reporting instruments equivalent to Tableau through XMLA endpoints
  • Energy BI Desktop Optimised for Report Server (RS) (Solely obtainable in A4 SKU and above)

Right here you go. Now you have got a greater understanding of the reporting instruments obtainable on the Energy BI ecosystem and when you need to use them. If in case you have any feedback, please share it with us within the feedback part beneath.

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