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Home > Blog > Power BI

Power BI Dashboards vs Reports: A Comprehensive Guide

Whether to work with a Power BI report or dashboard can be a dilemma. You do not want to get your audience overwhelmed with details and bored. On the other hand, you do not want to gloss over important details.

Power BI dashboard vs report

And if you compare the Power BI dashboard vs. report it has similar features and also serves the same purpose. The two are used for data visualization and analysis. Moreover, you can use the same visualizations on the pair.

Power BI dashboard vs. report is usually used to present detailed analyses. They showcase in-depth insights for your audience.

Power BI dashboards, on the other hand, come in handy when monitoring and tracking key metrics. They exhibit a high-level overview for your audience.

So, which one should you choose? Your audience, main objective, and type of data should be your main guides.

In this article, we look at the Power BI dashboard vs. the report. We also define each of them. Eventually, we’ll learn how to create a report and dashboard in Power BI. We conclude by answering some FAQs. Let’s dive right in.

Table of Content:

  1. Power BI Dashboard: Overview
    1. What is Power BI Dashboard?
    2. Purpose of Using Power BI Dashboards
    3. Key Features of a Power BI Dashboard
  2. Power BI Reports: Overview
    1. What is Power BI Report?
    2. Purpose of Using Power BI Reports
    3. Key Features of a Power BI Report
  3. Report vs Dashboard: Samples
  4. Power BI Dashboard vs. Report: Key Similarities & Differences
    1. Key Similarities
    2. Key Differences
  5. Power BI Reporting: Complete Method
  6. Power BI Dashboard: Complete Method
  7. Power BI Dashboard vs. Report: Benefits
  8. FAQs About Power BI Report vs. Dashboard
  9. Wrap Up

Power BI Dashboard: Overview

What is Power BI Dashboard?

Definition: Power BI dashboards are a visual presentation of key performance indicators (KPIs). It provides a high-level overview of the data at a glance.

Dashboards are useful when you want to monitor and track key metrics. They are used to present data to executives and other decision-makers. They are summaries of important information.

With Power BI dashboards, you can consolidate data from various sources. You can also monitor your KPIs in real time. This helps you quickly identify areas that need attention or improvement.

Purpose of Using Power BI Dashboards

  • The purpose of using Power BI dashboards is to provide a high-level overview of KPIs and data insights.
  • You can also use Power BI dashboards to show real-time insights into business operations, performance, and trends.

Key Features of a Power BI Dashboard

The key features of a Power BI dashboard include:

  • Tiles

Tiles are the building blocks of a dashboard. They display data visualizations, such as charts, tables, and maps.

  • Real-time data

Dashboards display data in real-time. This allows users to monitor performance and KPIs as they change.

  • Customizable layouts

You can customize the layout, theme, and style of the dashboard to match your branding.

Power BI Reports: Overview

What is Power BI Report?

Definition: Compared to a Power BI dashboard, a Power BI report is more detailed. It provides a more granular view of data. Your audience can focus on specific details and explore the data in greater depth.

Reports in Power BI For Mac or Windows help present detailed information and analysis to your audience. They are dynamic and updated based on underlying data changes.

Purpose of Using Power BI Reports

  • Power BI reports are mainly used to garner insights.
  • Let’s look at an example. A team can use a Power BI report to garner insights from disparate data sets.

To do this, they will need to use Power BI to:

  • Transform, clean, and connect disparate data sets,
  • Create a data model.
  • Create data visualizations for the data like charts and graphs.
  • Create a Power BI report, and add the data visualizations.

Key Features of a Power BI Report

In this section, we look at the Power BI report’s key features.

  • Templates

    • Power BI report templates are pre-designed, customizable layouts. You can use them for your Power BI report design.
    • You can create your custom template from scratch if you already have Power BI report ideas.

Templates include:

    • pre-configured visuals.
    • page layouts.
    • themes.

You can also add other elements during report template creation. For example, query definitions, data model definitions, visuals, pages, and other visual components.

  • Data Filtering

Power BI reports also support data filtering, including features like Power BI cross-filter direction. This enables you to only show what’s important, allowing for more targeted insights and a clearer view of your data.

  • Power BI Report Builder

Empower your data storytelling and unleash insights with precision and ease using the versatile tools and features of Power BI Report Builder.

  • Publishing to the Web

You can directly publish reports on the web. Power BI also lets you edit, refresh, and update published visuals on the web.

Report vs Dashboard: Samples

Dashboard Sample

Leverage a Power BI KPI dashboard to efficiently track and visualize key performance indicators. This customizable tool helps you monitor essential metrics, analyze trends, and gain actionable insights to drive business decisions and performance improvements.

sankey chart in powe -bi

Report Sample

Utilize a web traffic analysis tool to monitor and interpret website performance metrics. This tool helps track visitor behavior, analyze traffic sources, and measure key performance indicators, providing valuable insights to enhance user engagement and optimize your online strategy. For instance, a data reporting example might involve presenting these metrics in a dashboard to visualize trends and make data-driven decisions more effectively.

sankey chart in powe -bi

Power BI Dashboard vs. Report: Key Similarities & Differences

Power BI dashboard vs. report are both components of the Power BI business intelligence (BI) service provided by Microsoft. While they share some similarities, they serve distinct purposes and have key differences.

Keep in mind that a dashboard serves as the central hub for obtaining an up-to-the-minute, unified perspective on business performance’ perfect for swift insights and continuous monitoring.

In contrast, reports are crafted for thorough, interactive analysis, empowering you to delve deep into data and address intricate business queries effectively.

Here are the key similarities and dissimilarities between Power BI dashboards and reports:

Power BI Dashboard vs. Report: Key Similarities

  1. Data Visualization:

    • Both dashboards and reports are used for visualizing and presenting data in a comprehensible manner.
    • They leverage a variety of visual elements such as charts, graphs, tables, and maps to convey insights.
  2. Data Connection:

    • Dashboards and reports can connect to various data sources, including databases, Excel files, cloud services, and more, using Power BI connectors.
    • They allow users to import, transform, and load data to create meaningful visualizations.
  3. Interactivity:

    • Both components provide interactive features, allowing users to explore and analyze data dynamically.
    • Users can filter, drill down, and interact with visual elements to gain deeper insights.
  4. Sharing and Collaboration:

    • Dashboards and reports can be shared with others within an organization or externally, fostering collaboration.
    • They support collaboration features such as comments and annotations.
  5. Real-time Data:

    • Both can be configured to display real-time data, enabling users to monitor live updates and changes.

Power BI Dashboard vs. Report: Key Differences

  1. Purpose:

    • Dashboard: Designed for high-level, at-a-glance insights. Dashboards provide a consolidated view of key metrics and KPIs.
    • Report: Offers a more detailed and comprehensive analysis of data. Reports are typically used for in-depth exploration and understanding.
  2. Layout:

    • Dashboard: Typically consists of a single-page layout with multiple visualizations arranged in a dashboard canvas.
    • Report: Can have multiple pages, each containing a set of related visualizations. Reports allow for more detailed and structured layouts.
  3. Interactivity Depth:

    • Dashboard: Offers limited interactivity. Users can interact with visualizations, but the depth of analysis is often restricted.
    • Report: Provides more extensive interactivity. Users can create complex interactions, use slicers, and define parameters for a deeper analysis.
  4. Drillthrough:

    • Dashboard: Limited drill-through capabilities, usually offering a more summarized view.
    • Report: Supports detailed drillthrough functionality, allowing users to navigate to more detailed information within the report.
  5. Data Model:

    • Dashboard: Relies on the underlying data model created in a report or dataset.
    • Report: Involves the creation of a detailed data model, including relationships between tables, measures, and calculated columns.

While Power BI dashboards and reports share common features for data visualization and analysis, they serve different purposes and cater to distinct user needs. Dashboards are ideal for high-level overviews, while reports provide more in-depth and detailed insights. Often, they are used together in a cohesive BI strategy to provide a complete data analysis and reporting solution.

Power BI Reporting: Complete Method

The Power BI dashboard vs. report differences will get even clearer with Power BI report examples.

In this section, we use an add-in or Power BI visual from AppSource to create our report. This add-in is the Sankey Diagram by ChartExpo.

We’ll divide the steps into several stages.

Stage 1: Logging in to Power BI

  • Login to Power BI Web Service.
  • Enter your email address and click the “Submit” button.
submit button
  • You will be redirected to your Microsoft account.
  • Enter your password and click “Sign in”.
enter password to Power BI
  • You can choose to stay signed in or not.
Login to Power BI
  • You’ll then be redirected to the Power BI home screen.

Stage 2: Adding a data set for your report

  • Click on the “Create” button.
  • Click on “these options”.
Create a dataset only
  • Click on “Excel”.
  • Add an Excel file.
enter data
  • We’ll use the following two data sets to create our report.

First data set

Earnings Source Revenue Expenses Departments Categories Amount
Providing services Revenue Expenses Managerial Training Sessions 10000
Providing services Revenue Expenses Managerial Office rental 16000
Providing services Revenue Expenses Managerial Wages 9400
Providing services Revenue Expenses Commercial Wages 11300
Sales of products Revenue Expenses Commercial Travel allowance 10000
Sales of products Revenue Expenses Commercial Advertising 12000
Sales of products Revenue Expenses Production Material Payment 25000
Sales of products Revenue Expenses Production Loan Payment 8500
Sales of products Revenue Expenses Production Wages 19500
Loans Revenue Gross Profit Taxes 11000
Loans Revenue Gross Profit Net Profit 13000

Second data set

Starting Point Platforms View product & details Add to Cart Cart Status Ending Point Traffic
External Ad Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Clear Cart Exit 20177
External Ad Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Checkout Purchase 26674
External Ad Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Click on another product Purchase 11616
External Ad Mobile App View product & details Exit 21965
External Link Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Clear Cart Exit 24979
External Link Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Checkout Purchase 6684
External Link Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Click on another product Purchase 12829
External Link Mobile App View product & details Exit 27434
Direct Search Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Clear Cart Exit 11281
Direct Search Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Checkout Purchase 8102
Direct Search Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Click on another product Purchase 22124
Direct Search Mobile App View product & details Exit 6305
Organic Search Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Clear Cart Exit 11376
Organic Search Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Checkout Purchase 12751
Organic Search Mobile App View product & details Add to Cart Click on another product Purchase 25429
Organic Search Mobile App View product & details Exit 7034
External Ad Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Clear Cart Exit 13854
External Ad Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Checkout Purchase 6357
External Ad Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Click on another product Purchase 20156
External Ad Official Website View product & details Exit 25474
External Link Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Clear Cart Exit 17788
External Link Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Checkout Purchase 9670
External Link Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Click on another product Purchase 13131
External Link Official Website View product & details Exit 11169
Direct Search Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Clear Cart Exit 5747
Direct Search Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Checkout Purchase 11817
Direct Search Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Click on another product Purchase 26562
Direct Search Official Website View product & details Exit 8389
Organic Search Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Clear Cart Exit 28670
Organic Search Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Checkout Purchase 11015
Organic Search Official Website View product & details Add to Cart Click on another product Purchase 18522
Organic Search Official Website View product & details Exit 8023
  • Click on the “Data Hub” option on the left-side menu.
  • Power BI populates the data sets list. (If you have not created a data set refer to the Error! Reference source not found section).
Data Hub
  • Once you choose the data set you want to use to create your Sankey Diagram, Power BI populates the screen as shown below.
  • The data set and its fields are shown on the right side. The middle area shows report and data set options.
  • Click on the “Create a report” dropdown.
  • Select “Start from scratch”.
create report in power bi
  • You should see the Report Canvas screen as shown below:
Report Canvas

Stage 3: Adding the Power BI Sankey Diagram Extension by ChartExpo

  • To finish creating our Sankey Diagram, we’ll use an add-in or Power BI visual from AppSource.
  • Navigate to the Power BI Visualizations panel. It’s on the right side of your Power BI dashboard.
  • Click the ellipsis (…) highlighted above to import the Power BI Sankey Diagram extension by ChartExpo.
Power BI visual from
  • The following menu opens:
  • Select the “Get more visuals” option.
Get more visuals
  • The following window opens.
  • Enter “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” in the highlighted search box.
  • You should see the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” as shown in the image below.
Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo
  • Click the highlighted “Add” button.
create Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo
  • Power BI will add the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” in the visualization panel as shown below.
icon in the visualization panel

Stage 4: Drawing a Sankey Diagram with ChartExpo’s Power BI extension

    • Select the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” icon in the visualization panel. The following window opens on the report section of your dashboard:
select fields
  • You can resize the visual as needed.
  • Navigate to the right side of your Power BI dashboard. You should see the “Fields” next to “Visualizations”.
  • You’ll select the fields to use in your Sankey Chart here. The ChartExpo visual needs to be selected though.
select fields
  • You’ll be asked for a ChartExpo license key or email address.
ChartExpo license key

Stage 5: Activating your ChartExpo Trial or Applying a Subscription Key

  • While the ChartExpo visual is selected, you should see 3 icons below “Build visual” in the Visualizations panel.
Build visual
  • Select the middle icon, “Format visual”. The visual properties will be populated as shown below.
format visual
  • If you are a new user:
    • Enter your email address in the “Email” textbox in the “Trial Mode” section. When you subscribe to the ChartExpo add-in, this is the email address where your ChartExpo License key will be sent.
    • Ensure that your email address is valid.
    • Click “Enable Trial” to activate your 7-day trial.
Enable Trial
  • You should receive a welcome email from ChartExpo.
  • The Sankey Diagram you create under the 7-day trial contains the ChartExpo watermark (see below).
ChartExpo watermark
  • If you have obtained a license key:
    • Enter your license key in the “ChartExpo License Key” textbox in the “License Settings” section (see below).
    • Slide the toggle switch next to “Enable License” to “On”.
License Settings
  • Your Sankey Diagram should now be ready (see below). Note that it does not have a watermark.
sankey chart in power bi
  • For giving colors, expand the “Level Colors” properties and select a color. Do this to change the color of each node.
  • Automatically all changes will be saved.
expand stats
  • Your final chart will look like below.
sankey visual in power bi
  • Click on “+” to add another page to the Power BI report.
sankey graph in power bi
  • Your final report will look as below.
sankey in power bi

Power BI Dashboard: Complete Method

We now learn how to create a dashboard in Power BI. We’ll use the Power BI report we generated to create our Power BI dashboard design.

  • Click on the “Pin” icon at the top of the Sankey chart.
Level Colors
  • Select the dashboard in which to pin the Sankey chart.
  • Click on the “Pin” button.
pin icon
  • Your final dashboard will look like the one below.
sankey chart in powe -bi

You can add more charts to this dashboard according to your needs.

Power BI Dashboard vs. Report: Benefits

Benefits of Dashboard

  • Snapshot Insights: Dashboards give you a quick overview of your key performance indicators and trends at a glance, making it easy to understand how your business is performing.
  • Visual Appeal: They use colorful charts, graphs, and other visuals to present data engagingly, such as cost of living comparisons by city, making it easier for everyone to understand, even if you’re not a data expert.
  • Customization: You can personalize your dashboard to focus on the metrics that matter most to you, giving you the information you need to make decisions that align with your goals.
  • Real-Time Updates: Dashboards update in real-time, so you always have the latest information at your fingertips, allowing you to respond quickly to changes in your business.
  • Actionable Insights: By highlighting trends and patterns, Power BI finance dashboards help you identify opportunities and areas for improvement, empowering you to make informed decisions that drive your business forward.

Benefits of Reports:

  • Detailed Analysis: Reports provide a deeper dive into your data, allowing you to trend analysis and insights in more detail.
  • Comprehensive Information: They offer a complete picture of your data, with the ability to include multiple visuals and tables, giving you a thorough understanding of your business performance.
  • Flexibility: You can customize reports to suit different audiences or purposes, whether it’s for internal analysis, client presentations, or regulatory reporting.
  • Interactivity: Reports are interactive, allowing you to filter and slice your data to focus on specific areas of interest and explore different scenarios.
  • Sharing and Collaboration: You can easily share reports with colleagues or clients, either as interactive online files or in traditional formats like PDF or PowerPoint, facilitating collaboration and decision-making.

Insights

  • Most of your traffic at the starting point came from external ads (146.27k).
  • The mobile app (256.76k) generated more traffic when compared to the website app (236.34k).
  • All the traffic landed on the product page. 377.31k users added to the cart. 115.79k users simply exited after viewing the product.
  • From 377.31k, 133.87k users cleared their carts and exited.
  • 93.07k checked out, & 150.37k clicked on another product.

FAQs About Power BI Report vs. Dashboard

How Do I Convert a Report to a Power BI Dashboard?

Here are the steps that you need to take to convert a report to a Power BI dashboard:

  1. Open a report and select “More options” or the ellipsis (…)
  2. This opens it in the editing view.
  3. Hover over a visualization to reveal the available options.
  4. Click on the pin icon. This allows you to add a visualization.
  5. Choose whether to add the visualization to a new or existing dashboard.

Why are Dashboards Better Than Reports?

Dashboards provide a quick overview of your KPIs and business performance. You can easily consume information at a glance. They are also more interactive when compared to reports. Lastly, you can view real-time data with Power BI dashboards.

Wrap Up

We have explored the Power BI dashboard vs. report in detail. While dashboards and reports are used for data and data visualization, they are not the same.

We have come across major differences. For example, dashboards are single-page views of main KPIs. Reports, on the other hand, are more detailed and have more pages.

You can also view real-time data with dashboards.

We also looked at how to create a Power BI report with ChartExpo’s Sankey diagram add-in. We then used this report to generate Power BI dashboard ideas.

Ultimately, we answered a few FAQs.

We hope that you’ll explore the Sankey diagram add-in for your dashboards and reports.

How much did you enjoy this article?

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