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.

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.

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.

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.

• You will be redirected to your Microsoft account.
• Enter your password and click “Sign in”.

• You can choose to stay signed in or not.

• 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”.

• Click on “Excel”.
• Add an Excel file.

• 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).

• 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”.

• You should see the Report Canvas screen as shown below:

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.

• The following menu opens:
• Select the “Get more visuals” option.

• 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.

• Click the highlighted “Add” button.

• Power BI will add the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” in the visualization panel as shown below.

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:

• 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.

• You’ll be asked for a ChartExpo license key or email address.

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.

• Select the middle icon, “Format visual”. The visual properties will be populated as shown below.

• If you are a new user:

1. • 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.

• You should receive a welcome email from ChartExpo.
• The Sankey Diagram you create under the 7-day trial contains the ChartExpo watermark (see below).

• If you have obtained a license key:

1. • 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”.

• Your Sankey Diagram should now be ready (see below). Note that it does not have a watermark.

• 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.

• Your final chart will look like below.

• Click on “+” to add another page to the Power BI report.

• Your final report will look as below.

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.

• Select the dashboard in which to pin the Sankey chart.
• Click on the “Pin” button.

• Your final dashboard will look like the one below.

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.