Power BI for Report Server: Key Insights and Strategies

The Power BI Report Server is the one technology that makes everything in the Power BI report work.

In this guide, you’ll discover what the Power BI Report Server is, why it is used, features of the Power BI reporting server, and how to use it.

Table of Contents:

1. What is a Power BI Report Server?
2. What are the Features of the Power BI Reporting Server?
3. How to Install the Power BI Report Server?
4. How to Use the Microsoft Power BI Report Server?
5. How to Deploy a Report on the Power BI Report Server?
6. How to Visualize Data Using Power BI?
7. What are the Advantages of the Power BI Report Server?
8. What are the Limitations of the Power BI Report Server?
9. Wrap Up

First…

What is a Power BI Report Server?

Without a Power BI Report Server, it would be impossible to host Power BI reports. It’s an on-premises report server used in hosting Power BI reports. The reports are hosted on the on-premises report server, and users can access them using a web portal.

Since the report server is built with SQL Server Reporting Service‘s (SSRS) architecture, it can host mobile reports, paginated reports, and KPIs. You can access reports on the report server using a mobile device, web browser, or email.

What are the Features of the Power BI Reporting Server?

Here are some important features of the Power BI reporting server.

• It supports an on-premises report server. This way, users can share reports and collaborate with others using the on-premises report server. You can also deploy and use paginated reports (.rdl), mobile reports (.rsmobile), and KPIs.
• Users can connect from their Power BI Mobile. The report server is supported by Android, mobile platforms, iOS, and Windows.
• Users who host their Power BI reports on the on-premises server get about `100 more custom visuals added to the default ones.
• Reports hosted on the Report Server can be exported to a CSV format file.
• Users can easily access and interact with reports on the on-premises report server from a web platform. They can apply actions like tooltips, data exploration, cross-filtering, slicers, and much more.

How to Install the Power BI Report Server?

During the installation process, there will be no need for a SQL Server Database Engine server. However, you’ll need one to configure the reporting services. But that happens after installation.

Here are the steps to help you install the Power BI report server.

• Locate the PowerBIReportServer.exe and launch the installer. After that, select “Install Power BI Report Server.”

• Choose your preferred edition and select “Next.”

• You can opt for the Evaluation or Developer edition.

Alternatively, you can enter the product key you received from the Power BI service or the Volume License Service Center.

• Read and agree to the license terms and conditions. After that, select “Next.”

• A Database Engine is needed for storing the report server database. To only install the report server, select “Next.”

• Choose the install location for the report server. Next, click “Install” to continue.

The default path is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Power BI Report Server.

• After setting up, launch the Reporting Services Configuration Manager by selecting “Configure Report Server.”

Configure your Report Server

After selecting the “Configure Report Server” in the setup, the Reporting Services Configuration Manager will be displayed on your screen. You’ll have to create a report server database to complete the initial configuration of Reporting Services. A SQL Server Database server is needed during this setup.

How to Use the Microsoft Power BI Report Server?

• Installation and Setup: To install the Power BI Report Server, you’ll have to set up the Power BI Report Server on the organization’s server infrastructure. That involves installing the software and configuring it according to the network requirements.
• Creating Reports: The Power BI Desktop is typically used for designing reports. The tool enables you to create visualizations, define relationships between data elements, and connect to multiple data sources.
• Publishing Reports: After the creation of your reports, you can publish them directly to the Power BI Report Server. This makes your reports accessible for consumption by relevant stakeholders in the organization.
• Managing Reports: You can control who views, edits, or publishes reports. You can also schedule data refreshes to ascertain that the reports display up-to-date information.
• Accessing Reports: The web portal can be used to access reports. With the web portal, users can view and interact with reports via their mobile devices or desktop computers.

How to Deploy a Report on the Power BI Report Server?

To deploy a report on the Power BI report server, you’ll have to either:

• Publish a Power BI report to the report server
• Use Power BI Desktop Report server edition.

1. Publish a Power BI report to the report server

To do that, you’ll have to open the browser with the administrator role and type the web portal URL.

The window below will be displayed. After that, click the upload button.

Choose your preferred Power BI report, and click “Open.”

The uploaded report will be similar to the one below.

The uploaded report will be displayed on the Power BI Report Server.

2. Use Power BI Desktop Report server edition

• Set up the URL to the report server
• Navigate to the File menu
• Choose Power BI Report Server from Open.

A window will display where you’ll enter the web portal URL from the step of configuring the report server.

After deploying successfully, you’ll see a message with the link to the report.

At this point, you’ll see the uploaded report on the Power BI report server.

How to Visualize Data Using Power BI?

Stage 1: Logging in to Power BI

• Log in to Power BI.
• Enter your email address and click the “Submit” button.

• You are redirected to your Microsoft account.
• Enter your password and click “Sign in“.

• You can choose whether to stay signed in.

• Once done, the Power BI home screen will open.

Stage 2: Creating a Data Set and Selecting the Data Set to Use in Your Chart

• Go to the left-side menu and click the “Create” button.
• Select “Paste or manually enter data“.

• We’ll use the sample data below for this example.

Country	Revenue Stream	Revenue (in $)
USA	Digital Advertising Revenue	39,620,000
USA	Event Marketing Revenue	10,670,000
USA	Content Marketing Revenue	5,580,000
USA	Print & Outdoor Revenue	455,270
UK	Digital Advertising Revenue	40,710,000
UK	Event Marketing Revenue	24,770,000
UK	Content Marketing Revenue	6,330,000
UK	Print & Outdoor Revenue	552,190
DNK	Digital Advertising Revenue	47,040,000
DNK	Event Marketing Revenue	29,070,000
DNK	Content Marketing Revenue	7,740,000
DNK	Print & Outdoor Revenue	600,690
DNK	Media Relations Revenue	106,430
AUS	Digital Advertising Revenue	53,790,000
AUS	Event Marketing Revenue	38,530,000
AUS	Content Marketing Revenue	6,590,000
AUS	Print & Outdoor Revenue	9,040,000
AUS	Media Relations Revenue	6,130,000
FR	Digital Advertising Revenue	57,860,000
FR	Event Marketing Revenue	50,450,000
FR	Content Marketing Revenue	3,560,000
FR	Print & Outdoor Revenue	18,790,000
FR	Media Relations Revenue	15,460,000
IND	Digital Advertising Revenue	60,470,000
IND	Event Marketing Revenue	63,200,000
IND	Content Marketing Revenue	2,080,000
IND	Print & Outdoor Revenue	29,500,000
IND	Media Relations Revenue	30,020,000

• Paste the data table into the “Power Query” window. Next, choose the “Create a dataset only” option.

• Navigate to the left-side menu, and click the “Data Hub” option. After that, Power BI will populate the data set list. If a data set has not been created, you’ll get an error message. Next, click “Create report.”

• To see the chart metrics, click “Expand All.” You can also check the dimensions and metrics.

• Click “Get more visuals,” and search “ChartExpo.” After that, you’ll have to select “Comparison Bar Chart.”

• Click “Add.”

• You’ll see the Comparison Bar Chart in the visuals list.

• At this point, you’ll have to click the License Settings and add the key. After that, the comparison bar chart will be displayed on the screen.

• Here’s what the Comparison Bar Chart will look like.

Insights

Here are three insights you’ll get from the comparison bar chart.

• The country with the highest total revenue is India. They’re followed by France, Australia, and Denmark.
• Digital Advertising is a significant revenue contributor in most countries. However, the leading revenue contributor in India is Event Marketing.
• Media Relations revenue stream is absent in countries like the US and the UK.

What are the Advantages of the Power BI Report Server?

Here are four advantages of the Power BI report server.

• On-premises Deployment: It helps in keeping reports and data within the organization’s network for enhanced compliance and security.
• Versatile Reporting: Supports paginated reports, KPIs, mobile reports, and Power BI reports, and also caters to diverse reporting needs.
• Customizable and Branded Portal: You can tailor the web portal to align with the user interface and organizational branding preferences.
• Scheduled Data Refresh: It comes with automated data refreshes that ascertain that reports display up-to-date information.

What are the Limitations of the Power BI Report Server?

• On-Premises Only: Since it’s limited to on-premises deployment, it lacks the scalability and accessibility of cloud-based solutions.
• Feature Lag: It may lag behind the Power BI service in receiving updates and new features.
• Infrastructure Requirements: It requires dedicated IT resources and server infrastructure for maintenance, updates, and installation.
• Limited Sharing Options: When compared to the Power BI service, you’ll notice that it’s more challenging to share reports externally or with users outside the network.

FAQs

How to Publish a Power BI Report on the Report Server?

Create a report in the Power BI Desktop. After that, click “File” > “Publish” > “To Power BI Report Server,” input the server URL, and authenticate to publish.

How to Connect the Power BI Desktop to the Report Server?

Here are steps to connect the Power BI desktop to the report server:

• Open your Power BI Desktop
• Click “File” > “Open” > “Report Server.”
• Input the Report Server URL, and authenticate to access reports stored on the server.

Wrap Up

Power BI Report Server, the on-premises reporting solution by Microsoft enables organizations to manage and host Power BI reports, mobile reports, and paginated reports within an infrastructure.

With the Power BI for Report Server, you’ll have seamless integration with existing Microsoft technologies like Power BI Desktop and SQL Server. The Microsoft Power BI report server can be used for:

• Installation and Setup
• Creating reports
• Publishing reports
• Managing reports
• Accessing reports
• Customization and branding
• Maintenance and monitoring.

The Power BI for Report Server helps in the seamless integration of existing Microsoft technologies like SQL Server and Power BI Desktop. Following the steps in this guide will help you get the most out of Power BI, and also create more engaging, and interactive visualizations.