That is my final weblog put up in 2021. I want you all a beautiful break and a cheerful new yr.
Within the first put up of my Energy BI 101 collection, we learnt that Energy BI is a knowledge platform containing numerous instruments and providers. We additionally defined the at present out there subscriptions throughout the Energy BI platform. The main target of the second put up of this collection is on what we should always be taught to attain our objectives extra effectively. On this put up, we deal with the reporting instruments out there to us in response to our subscription plan. From this put up onwards, we talk about extra particular features of the Energy BI platform.
We learnt to date that Energy BI is not only a reporting software to construct subtle studies; 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 comparable to sharing datasets, studies, and dashboards. All of those are attainable provided that we take the right 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 grasp insights round a topic. Probably the most famend software inside Energy BI is Energy BI Desktop, however it isn’t the one software out there to us to create studies. Apart from, Energy BI Desktop studies will not be essentially the very best reply to all enterprise necessities. In truth, the enterprise necessities outline the Energy BI structure that helps these necessities. Primarily based on the structure, organisations resolve to accumulate a sure subscription plan, and based mostly on the subscription plan, we now have numerous reporting instruments out there to us. At this level, you would possibly ask, “effectively, what structure helps my organisation requires?”. Let’s reply that query in a future weblog put up.
For the aim of this weblog put up, it is sufficient to know what reporting instruments can be found below which subscription plans. Let’s get began.
Reporting instruments out there in Energy BI
As talked about earlier, there are numerous reporting instruments out there to us. Let’s first see what reporting instruments can be found to us whatever the subscription plans. Then we’ll 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 studies straight in Energy BI Service. The customers may also securely share and distribute these studies. Whereas creating or modifying studies is feasible in Energy BI Service, it’s strongly beneficial to keep away from this methodology 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. Test this weblog put up from SQLChick to see why it’s best to keep away from creating or modifying studies straight from Energy BI Service. The studies are downloadable in PBIX format.
You possibly can entry Energy BI Service right here.
Energy BI Desktop
It’s a desktop software constructed for knowledge preparation, knowledge modelling and knowledge visualisation. For those who wish to study knowledge modelling with Energy BI, take a look at my ebook 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 information. Energy BI Desktop is the predominant and most famed report authoring software out there 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) isn’t out there in Energy BI Service. The file format of the studies created in Energy BI Desktop is PBIX.
Obtain Energy BI Desktop from right here.
Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated)
Paginated studies aka pixel-perfect studies are formatted in a method to match completely on a web page. That report web page would possibly later be printed. Now we have precise management over web page formatting to show our knowledge in tables or charts. The studies will not be as interactive because the studies created in Energy BI Desktop.
Paginated studies are based mostly on RDL expertise which is commonplace report format in SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). The software for growing a paginated report within the Energy BI ecosystem is Energy BI Report Builder. The studies file kind is RDL. We will at present publish Paginated studies 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 now have a PBIRS up and operating inside our organisation and we require to publish Energy BI studies to PBIRS, then we might want to create our studies 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 studies 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 studies in Energy BI Desktop RS ensures that the studies are absolutely purposeful 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. Unquestionably, Excel is one essentially 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 connect with many various knowledge sources (similar to Energy BI Desktop). We will use Energy Question for Excel to load knowledge into workbooks, rework and mix that knowledge and cargo it into a knowledge mannequin out there in Energy Pivot. We will additionally construct a knowledge mannequin in Energy Pivot. Microsoft Excel offers a sturdy 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 studies as a workbook, then we’ll get a full Excel expertise inside Energy BI Service simply line how the Excel On-line works. In distinction, if we publish the information mannequin from Excel as a dataset then the datasets created in Excel, similar 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, will also be used to create studies in Energy BI Service or Energy BI Desktop.
Attempt Excel totally free from right here.
Report Builder
Report Builder is also called SQL Server Report Builder. It’s a stand-alone report authoring software put in on our PC. We will create paginated studies within the Report Builder and deploy the studies 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 studies to an on-premises Energy BI Report Server however with Energy BI Report Builder you possibly can at present publish the studies to a Premium Workspace in Energy BI Service.
Obtain Report Builder from right here.
Cell Report Writer (aka DataZen)
Microsoft SQL Server Cell Report Writer is a report authoring software for SQL Server 2016 Reporting Companies (SSRS) and above. Cell Report Writer’s authentic 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. You might ask “how Cell Report Writer is said to Energy BI?“. The reply is that we are able to create Reporting Companies cellular studies utilizing the Cell Report Writer and deploy these studies right into a Energy BI Report Server. The studies constructed with Cell Report Writer are optimized for consumption in cellular gadgets.
Obtain Cell 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
One of the essential selections 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 mix of them.
Here’s a very temporary rationalization of at present out there subscriptions and their out there 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 studies in Energy BI Desktop and publish them to the Energy BI Service.
Accessible 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 below 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 studies in Excel
You might 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 now have the previous two choices to hook up with and create studies in Excel on high of present Energy BI studies and datasets on the Energy BI Service.
Analyse in Excel
This feature is accessible from the Energy BI Service on high of the prevailing studies or datasets on the Energy BI Service itself. After we login to the service, if we now have permission, we are able to…
- Click on on the Extra Choices button on a report or a dataset
- Click on Analyse in Excel
- 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 related to the underlying dataset. You possibly can open the Excel file and begin creating your studies.
Connecting to Energy BI Datasets and creating studies in Excel
On this situation, we join from Excel to the datasets out there to us on the Energy BI Service. The next steps clarify how to take action:
- Open Excel and login to your M365 account
- Click on the Information tab
- Click on the Get Information button
- Click on From Energy BI Dataset
- You require to go 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 connect 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 consumer. Learn extra about PPU and its options right here. The next reporting instruments can be found to us when we now have a PPU subscription:
- Energy BI Desktop
- Energy BI Service (creating studies functionality)
- Microsoft Excel
- Analyse in Excel
- Connecting to Energy BI datasets and studies from Excel
- Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated studies)
- Thirdpatry reporting instruments comparable 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 assets and affords higher 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 out there 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 now have a Premium capability:
- Energy BI Desktop
- Energy BI Service (creating studies functionality)
- Microsoft Excel
- Analyse in Excel
- Connecting to Energy BI datasets and studies from Excel
- Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated studies)
- Thirdpatry reporting instruments comparable to Tableau through XMLA endpoints
- Energy BI Desktop Optimised for Report Server (RS)
- Report Builder
- Cell 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. You might 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 lots of Premium functionalities can be found in Embedded capability as effectively like the flexibility to make use of XMLA endpoints over each Embedded and Premium capacities. You possibly can check an Embedded capability totally free. Learn this put up to learn the way. Be taught extra about Energy BI Embedded right here. The next reporting instruments can be found to us when we now have an Embedded capability:
- Energy BI Desktop
- Energy BI Service (creating studies functionality)
- Microsoft Excel
- Analyse in Excel
- Connecting to Energy BI datasets and studies from Excel
- Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated studies)
- Thirdpatry reporting instruments comparable to Tableau through XMLA endpoints
- Energy BI Desktop Optimised for Report Server (RS) (Solely out there in A4 SKU and above)
Right here you go. Now you may have a greater understanding of the reporting instruments out there on the Energy BI ecosystem and when you should utilize them. In case you have any feedback, please share it with us within the feedback part beneath.
