Energy BI 101, Report Authoring Instruments

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

Within the first submit of my Energy BI 101 sequence, we learnt that Energy BI is an information platform containing numerous instruments and providers. We additionally defined the presently accessible subscriptions throughout the Energy BI platform. The main focus of the second submit of this sequence 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 based on our subscription plan. From this submit onwards, we talk about extra particular facets of the Energy BI platform.

We learnt thus far that Energy BI isn’t just a reporting software to construct subtle reviews; 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 similar to sharing datasets, reviews, 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 crowd pleasing visualisations offering simple to know insights round a topic. Essentially the most famend software inside Energy BI is Energy BI Desktop, however it’s not the one software accessible to us to create reviews. Apart from, Energy BI Desktop reviews aren’t essentially the very best reply to all enterprise necessities. The truth is, the enterprise necessities outline the Energy BI structure that helps these necessities. Primarily based on the structure, organisations determine to accumulate a sure subscription plan, and primarily based on the subscription plan, we’ve numerous reporting instruments accessible to us. At this level, you may ask, “nicely, 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 beneath 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 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, could create reviews straight in Energy BI Service. The customers can even securely share and distribute these reviews. Whereas creating or enhancing reviews 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 could quickly get overwritten by another person that republishes the identical report from Energy BI Desktop. Test this weblog submit from SQLChick to see why it’s best to keep away from creating or enhancing reviews straight from Energy BI Service. The reviews are downloadable in PBIX format. 

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

Energy BI Desktop

It’s a desktop software constructed for information preparation, information modelling and information visualisation. When you wish to study information modelling with Energy BI, try my e book right here. We are able to use Energy BI Desktop to connect with greater than 250 completely different information sources, making ready, reworking and cleaning that information and at lastly visualising the information. Energy BI Desktop is the predominant and most famed report authoring software accessible within the Energy BI platform. It has many extra functionalities and is extra versatile than Energy BI Service. As an example, organising Role Level Security (RLS) shouldn’t be accessible in Energy BI Service. The file format of the reviews created in Energy BI Desktop is PBIX. 

Obtain Energy BI Desktop from right here.

Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated)

Paginated reviews aka pixel-perfect reviews 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 reviews aren’t as interactive because the reviews created in Energy BI Desktop.

Paginated reviews are primarily based on RDL expertise which is normal 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 reviews file sort is RDL. We are able to presently publish Paginated reviews 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 information (PBIX). If we’ve a PBIRS up and operating inside our organisation and we require to publish Energy BI reviews to PBIRS, then we might want to create our reviews 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 reviews to Energy BI Service. As an 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 reviews in Energy BI Desktop RS ensures that the reviews are totally practical after being deployed to our PBIRS. We are able to 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. For sure, 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 information visualisation and information evaluation. With Microsoft Excel, we are able to connect with many various information sources (similar to Energy BI Desktop). We are able to use Energy Question for Excel to load information into workbooks, rework and mix that information and cargo it into an information mannequin accessible in Energy Pivot. We are able to additionally construct an information mannequin in Energy Pivot. Microsoft Excel gives a sturdy reporting expertise. We are able to publish the Excel information 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 reviews 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 information mannequin from Excel as a dataset then the datasets created in Excel, similar to another datasets in Energy BI Service, can be found to authorised individuals.

The Excel datasets, like different printed datasets in Energy BI Service, may also be used to create reviews in Energy BI Service or Energy BI Desktop. 

Strive 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 software put in on our PC. We are able to create paginated reviews within the Report Builder and deploy the reviews 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 reviews to an on-premises Energy BI Report Server however with Energy BI Report Builder you may presently publish the reviews 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 Providers (SSRS) and above. Cell Report Writer’s authentic identify is DataZen which was initially launched in 2013 and purchased by Microsoft in 2014. Microsoft built-in DataZen into SQL Server Reporting Providers 2016. You might ask “how Cell Report Writer is said to Energy BI?“. The reply is that we are able to create Reporting Providers cell reviews utilizing the Cell Report Writer and deploy these reviews right into a Energy BI Report Server. The reviews constructed with Cell Report Writer are optimized for consumption in cell 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 how these reporting instruments are supported on completely different subscription plans.

Energy BI Subscriptions and their Supported Reporting Instruments

Probably the most 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 presently accessible subscriptions and their accessible reporting instruments.

Energy BI Free

Because the identify resembles, that is the free providing from Microsoft. We don’t require to subscribe or pay something to create our reviews 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 beneath 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 reviews in Excel

You might 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’ve the previous two choices to connect with and create reviews in Excel on prime of current Energy BI reviews and datasets on the Energy BI Service.

Analyse in Excel

This selection is accessible from the Energy BI Service on prime of the prevailing reviews or datasets on the Energy BI Service itself. After we login to the service, if we’ve 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 related to the underlying dataset. You’ll be able to open the Excel file and begin creating your reviews.

Connecting to Energy BI Datasets and creating reviews in Excel

On this state of affairs, 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 go your Energy BI credentials, then you may choose the specified dataset to connect with

Be aware

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 person. Learn extra about PPU and its options right here. The next reporting instruments can be found to us when we’ve a PPU subscription:

• Energy BI Desktop
• Energy BI Service (creating reviews functionality)
• Microsoft Excel
  • Analyse in Excel
  • Connecting to Energy BI datasets and reviews from Excel
• Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated reviews)
• Thirdpatry reporting instruments similar to Tableau by way of XMLA endpoints

Energy BI Premium Capability

Energy BI Premium is an enterprise-grade BI providing within the Energy BI ecosystem. It is a capacity-based subscription meaning we get devoted sources and affords better 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 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’ve a Premium capability:

• Energy BI Desktop
• Energy BI Service (creating reviews functionality)
• Microsoft Excel
  • Analyse in Excel
  • Connecting to Energy BI datasets and reviews from Excel
• Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated reviews)
• Thirdpatry reporting instruments similar to Tableau by way of 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 growth corporations 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 a number of Premium functionalities can be found in Embedded capability as nicely like the flexibility to make use of XMLA endpoints over each Embedded and Premium capacities. You’ll be able to check an Embedded capability at no cost. Learn this submit to learn how. Study extra about Energy BI Embedded right here. The next reporting instruments can be found to us when we’ve an Embedded capability:

• Energy BI Desktop
• Energy BI Service (creating reviews functionality)
• Microsoft Excel
  • Analyse in Excel
  • Connecting to Energy BI datasets and reviews from Excel
• Energy BI Report Builder (Paginated reviews)
• Thirdpatry reporting instruments similar to Tableau by way of XMLA endpoints
• Energy BI Desktop Optimised for Report Server (RS) (Solely accessible in A4 SKU and above)

Right here you go. Now you could have a greater understanding of the reporting instruments accessible 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 under.