Power BI is one of the most powerful business intelligence tools offered by Microsoft, allowing users to visualize and share insights from their data. As organizations become more data-driven, the need to share these insights with stakeholders, customers, or partners increases. Embedding Power BI into portals is an effective way to provide access to these interactive reports and dashboards without requiring users to have direct access to Power BI.
Embedding Power BI into a web portal or a customer-facing application helps organizations extend the power of data analysis beyond internal teams to external users. This article will explore how to embed Power BI reports and dashboards into portals, the technical aspects of doing so, and best practices to ensure a smooth user experience and high-level security.
1. Why Embed Power BI into Portals?
Organizations embed Power BI for several reasons:
- Data Sharing: Instead of sending reports manually or via email, embedding allows dynamic, real-time data sharing with authorized users, whether they are employees, partners, or customers.
- Interactivity: By embedding Power BI, users can interact with the data, explore different views, and drill down into reports to gain deeper insights.
- Streamlined User Experience: Embedding Power BI directly into a portal allows users to access the data without having to switch between different platforms or log into Power BI separately.
- Custom Branding: When embedding Power BI into a portal, you can ensure that the portal’s look and feel aligns with your brand. You can control the user interface (UI) to integrate seamlessly with your portal’s design.
- Access Control: You can implement role-based access control (RBAC) and permission settings to ensure users only see data that is relevant to them.
2. Different Approaches to Embedding Power BI into Portals
There are several methods for embedding Power BI into a portal. The right method depends on the target audience and security requirements. Microsoft provides a few different approaches to integrate Power BI reports, each with its own set of benefits.
a. Power BI Embedded for Customer-Facing Apps
Power BI Embedded is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering from Microsoft designed for independent software vendors (ISVs) and developers who want to embed Power BI content into their applications or portals. This method allows for a seamless user experience, where the end-users do not need to have a Power BI Pro license.
The main features of Power BI Embedded include:
- Interactive Reports: Customers can explore and interact with reports without leaving the portal.
- No Power BI License Needed for End Users: Unlike the Power BI Service or Power BI Pro, Power BI Embedded does not require users to have a Power BI Pro license to access embedded content.
- Customizable: It provides the flexibility to customize the look and feel of the reports according to your portal’s design.
- Security: It allows you to manage security through the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication and control who can access what content based on their role or subscription.
b. Power BI Service (App) Embedding
If your organization uses the Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com) for managing reports and dashboards, you can embed them into a portal. This method is suitable when you want to share reports with a broader audience while leveraging existing Power BI workspaces.
Key points about Power BI Service embedding:
- Embedding for Internal Users: If users within your organization are already using Power BI, you can share dashboards and reports with them directly using the Power BI Service.
- Power BI Pro Licenses: Embedding via Power BI Service requires users to have Power BI Pro licenses to view shared content unless the content is hosted in a Power BI Premium workspace.
- Security with Row-Level Security (RLS): Power BI’s Row-Level Security (RLS) can be used to ensure that users see only the data that they are permitted to access, based on their credentials and roles.
c. Publish to Web (Not Recommended for Sensitive Data)
Power BI offers an option called Publish to Web, where reports and dashboards can be published to the web and embedded as an iframe. This method is easy to use but is not recommended for embedding sensitive or confidential information since the data becomes publicly available once published.
d. Embedding Using Power BI REST API
Power BI provides a REST API to programmatically embed reports, dashboards, and tiles. This is more suitable for developers who need to have greater control over the embedding process, such as custom authentication and advanced features. This method can be used for both internal and external users and provides flexibility in terms of user authentication and session management.
3. Steps to Embed Power BI into a Portal
The process of embedding Power BI into a portal can be broken down into several steps. We will discuss the steps for embedding reports using Power BI Embedded.
a. Set Up Power BI Workspace and Content
Before embedding any Power BI content, the first step is to create the reports and dashboards that you want to share with your portal users.
- Create Power BI Reports: Start by creating reports and dashboards using Power BI Desktop or the Power BI service. Ensure that you use a data source that provides meaningful insights for your users.
- Publish to Power BI Service: After creating your reports, you need to publish them to the Power BI service (app.powerbi.com). This is where the reports will be hosted and where you can manage access.
- Configure Row-Level Security (RLS): If your data needs to be filtered based on the user’s identity, configure Row-Level Security in the Power BI Service. This ensures that users see data tailored to their permissions.
b. Choose the Embedding Method
Select the appropriate embedding method based on your requirements:
- If you are embedding for internal users (employees or authorized users), embedding via Power BI Service may be the most straightforward approach.
- If you are embedding reports for external users (customers or partners) and you want more control over the user experience, Power BI Embedded is the best choice.
c. Get the Embed Code or Embed Token
Depending on the embedding method chosen, the next step is to retrieve the embed code or token required to display the report within your portal.
- For Power BI Service: Navigate to the Power BI report or dashboard in the Power BI Service and choose the “Embed” option. Here, you will get the embed code that can be placed in your portal.
- For Power BI Embedded: You will need to generate an embed token through the Power BI REST API. This token authorizes access to specific reports or dashboards. Using the Power BI Embedded API, you can create a secure session and generate an embed URL.
d. Integrate Power BI into the Portal
Once you have the embed code or embed token, the next step is to integrate the report or dashboard into the portal.
- Using Iframe: If you are embedding via Power BI Service, you can directly use an
<iframe>HTML tag to embed the report in your portal’s webpage.
<iframe width="800" height="600" src="https://app.powerbi.com/reportEmbed?reportId=xxxx&groupId=xxxx&autoAuth=true&ctid=xxxx" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>
- Using Power BI Embedded API: If you are using Power BI Embedded, you’ll need to use JavaScript to initialize the embed. This involves using the Power BI JavaScript API to load the report in your portal and applying the embed token for security.
powerbi.embed(reportContainer, config);
In the above code, reportContainer is the HTML element that holds the report, and config contains details like the report URL, embed token, and any custom settings.
e. Configure Authentication
Embedding Power BI into a portal requires handling authentication to ensure only authorized users can access the content. There are different approaches based on the embedding method.
- Power BI Service: Users need to authenticate through their Power BI accounts, and you can use Azure Active Directory (AAD) for authentication.
- Power BI Embedded: Use Azure AD for embedding if you’re dealing with a SaaS model or Power BI Service Principal for server-side integration.
f. Test and Deploy
After embedding the Power BI reports into your portal, thoroughly test the integration across different user roles, ensuring that:
- Reports load correctly.
- Authentication is smooth.
- Row-Level Security (RLS) is applied correctly (if configured).
- User experience is optimal on different devices.
Once everything is working properly, you can deploy the portal and make it accessible to the intended audience.
4. Best Practices for Embedding Power BI into Portals
a. Ensure Data Security
When embedding Power BI, security is crucial. Ensure that you are not exposing sensitive data inadvertently. Follow best practices such as:
- Using Row-Level Security (RLS): This allows you to restrict data visibility based on the user’s identity.
- Token Expiry: Embed tokens should be short-lived to limit exposure. Implement token refresh logic to maintain session security.
b. Optimize Performance
Embedded Power BI reports can be resource-intensive, especially when working with large datasets. Optimize performance by:
- Reducing the complexity of the reports.
- Using DirectQuery where possible to reduce data load times.
- Paginate or filter large datasets to ensure that reports load quickly.
c. Provide Customization Options
Ensure that users can customize or interact with the reports in ways that make sense for them. For example, allow them to filter or drill down into the data based on their role or needs.
d. Integrate with Existing Portal Design
Ensure that the embedded Power BI reports align with the look and feel of your portal. Customize the appearance of the embedded reports to match your portal’s theme.