That is my final weblog submit in 2021. I want you all an exquisite break and a contented new yr.

Within the first submit of my Energy BI 101 collection, we learnt that Energy BI is an information platform containing varied instruments and providers. We additionally defined the at the moment accessible subscriptions throughout the Energy BI platform. The main focus of the second submit of this collection is on what we should always study to realize our targets extra effectively. On this submit, we give attention to the reporting instruments accessible to us in line with our subscription plan. From this submit onwards, we talk about extra particular points of the Energy BI platform.

We learnt up to now that Energy BI is not only a reporting device to construct subtle stories; it’s certainly a platform supplying a variety of options from knowledge preparation, knowledge modelling and knowledge visualization to contribute to an organisation’s knowledge evaluation journey in some ways resembling sharing datasets, stories, and dashboards. All of those are doable provided that we take the right steps in constructing our Energy BI ecosystem. However, it is rather true that Energy BI offers us the flexibleness to create professional-looking and crowd pleasing visualisations offering straightforward 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 accessible to us to create stories. Moreover, Energy BI Desktop stories should not essentially the very best reply to all enterprise necessities. Actually, the enterprise necessities outline the Energy BI structure that helps these necessities. Based mostly on the structure, organisations determine to accumulate a sure subscription plan, and primarily based on the subscription plan, we have now varied reporting instruments accessible to us. At this level, you would possibly 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 accessible in Energy BI

As talked about earlier, there are numerous reporting instruments accessible to us. Let’s first see what reporting instruments can be found to us whatever the subscription plans. Then we are going to take 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 immediately 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 helpful to keep away from this methodology for a number of causes. The obvious one is that the adjustments we make to a report might quickly get overwritten by another person that republishes the identical report from Energy BI Desktop. Examine this weblog submit from SQLChick to see why you must keep away from creating or modifying stories immediately from Energy BI Service. The stories are downloadable in PBIX format. 

You’ll be able to entry Energy BI Service right here.

Energy BI Desktop

It’s a desktop utility constructed for knowledge preparation, knowledge modelling and knowledge visualisation. In the event you prefer to study knowledge modelling with Energy BI, try my guide right here. We will use Energy BI Desktop to hook up with greater than 250 completely different knowledge sources, getting ready, remodeling and cleaning that knowledge and at lastly visualising the info. Energy BI Desktop is the predominant and most famous report authoring device accessible within the Energy BI platform. It has many extra functionalities and is extra versatile than Energy BI Service. For example, establishing Role Level Security (RLS) will not be accessible 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 approach to match completely on a web page. That report web page would possibly later be printed. We have now precise management over web page formatting to show our knowledge 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 expertise which is normal report format in SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). The device for creating a paginated report within the Energy BI ecosystem is Energy BI Report Builder. The stories file sort is RDL. We will at the moment 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 working 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 normally 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 absolutely 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 an incredible spreadsheet software program with many analytical capabilities. Certainly, Excel is one probably the most extensively used software program each accountant has of their toolbox. It’s strong, versatile and really highly effective in knowledge visualisation and knowledge evaluation. With Microsoft Excel, we are able to hook up with many various knowledge sources (identical to Energy BI Desktop). We will use Energy Question for Excel to load knowledge into workbooks, remodel and mix that knowledge and cargo it into an information mannequin accessible in Energy Pivot. We will additionally construct an information mannequin in Energy Pivot. Microsoft Excel gives 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 knowledge 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 folks.

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

Strive Excel without spending a dime 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 possibly can deploy the stories to an on-premises Energy BI Report Server however with Energy BI Report Builder you possibly can at the moment 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 Providers (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 Providers 2016. It’s possible you’ll ask “how Cellular Report Writer is said to Energy BI?“. The reply is that we are able to create Reporting Providers 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 units.

Obtain Cellular Report Writer from right here.

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

Energy BI Subscriptions and their Supported Reporting Instruments

Some of the vital choices each organisation ought to make is to provide you with 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 temporary clarification of at the moment accessible subscriptions and their accessible 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 surprise 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 hook up 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 are able to…

1. Click on on the Extra Choices button on a report or a dataset
2. Click on Analyse in Excel

3. 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

The above course of downloads an Excel file linked to the underlying dataset. You’ll be able to open the Excel file and begin creating your stories.

Connecting to Energy BI Datasets and creating stories in Excel

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

1. Open Excel and login to your M365 account

2. Click on the Knowledge tab
3. Click on the Get Knowledge button
4. Click on From Energy BI Dataset
5. You require to cross your Energy BI credentials, then you possibly can choose the specified dataset to hook up with

Word

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 resembling 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 meaning we get devoted sources and gives larger scale and efficiency for Energy BI. The Energy BI Premium capability allows extra customers throughout the organisation to get probably the most out of all accessible 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 resembling 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 growth firms who wish 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 loads of 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’ll be able to take a look at an Embedded capability without spending a dime. Learn this submit to learn the way. Study 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 resembling Tableau through XMLA endpoints
• Energy BI Desktop Optimised for Report Server (RS) (Solely accessible in A4 SKU and above)

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