Power BI Web: Benefits, Uses, and Best Practices

One of the strengths of the Power BI Web is its accessibility. This is because the Power BI Web application is cloud-based. You do need internet access, though. You do not need internet access for data visualizations already published on the web.

Power BI is a great option if you do not have Power BI installed on a device. You can still access your already published visualizations.

Power BI Web features make it a powerful tool for data visualization and analysis. You can share your Power BI Web reports with others and collaborate in real-time.

In this article, we define Power BI and the Power BI Web app. We then compare Power BI Desktop and Web. Eventually, we will learn how to create charts on Power BI Web and answer some FAQs.

Table of Content:

1. What is a Power BI Web App?
2. Why is Power BI Web Application So Important?
3. Power BI Desktop App vs. Web App
4. How to Embed Power BI into the Website?
5. Power BI Web Data Source
6. How to Use Power BI on the Web?
7. Benefits of Using Power BI On Web
8. Tips for Using Power BI On Web
9. Power BI on Web – FAQs
10. Wrap Up

What is a Power BI Web App?

Definition: Power BI Web Application is a cloud-based business intelligence platform. It allows users to create, view, and share interactive reports and dashboards with data from various sources. You can connect to different data sets, transform and model the data, and create visualizations.

Additionally, it has collaboration and sharing capabilities. This allows users to publish and distribute reports to colleagues or clients.

Power BI Web App is accessible from any web browser, including Power BI For Mac, making it convenient and accessible for users to access their data and dashboards from anywhere, anytime.

Why is Power BI Web Application So Important?

Power BI Web Application is essential for real-time data analysis, seamless collaboration, and easy accessibility. It enables users to share interactive dashboards, supports cloud integration for up-to-date insights, and ensures strong security. With its scalability and advanced visualizations, it’s a powerful tool for data-driven decision-making.

Power BI Desktop App vs. Web App

Power BI offers two main applications: The Power BI Desktop App and the Power BI Web version.

Power BI Desktop is a desktop application installed locally on a computer. The Power BI Web App is a web-based application accessed through a browser.

Here’s a comparison between the two:

• Data Modeling

The Power BI Desktop App is more powerful and flexible than the Power BI Web.

On the desktop version, you can create relationships between tables and calculate columns and measures. You can also use DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) to create complex calculations.

Power BI web version’s data modeling capabilities are more limited. You can create relationships between tables, but you cannot create calculated columns or measures. You can also use DAX. The functionality, however, is more limited than in the Power BI Desktop App.

• Data sources

The Power BI Desktop App supports a wider range of data sources. You access data from a variety of sources, including:

• relational databases,
• cloud-based data sources,
• and Excel files.

Power BI Web supports a narrower range of data sources. You can connect to relational databases and cloud-based data sources, but you cannot connect to Excel files.

• Accessibility

The Power BI Desktop App can only be accessed from a computer.

Power BI Web is a cloud-based application. It does not require installation on your PC.  It can be accessed from any device with an internet connection.

Some of the devices that you can use to access the Power BI Web App include:

• Desktop computers
• Laptops
• Mobile devices

Download the Power BI app from the App Store or Google Play on mobile devices. The Power BI app provides a more optimized experience for viewing reports on mobile devices.

• Licensing

The Power BI Desktop App is free for personal use. You need to purchase a Power BI Pro license for business use. A Power BI Pro license costs \$10 per user per month.

On the other hand, the Power BI Web App is free for personal and business use.

• Collaboration

The Power BI Desktop App is more limited. You can share reports with others, but you cannot collaborate on data modeling or report creation.

The Power BI Web App allows for more collaboration. You can collaborate with others on data modeling and report creation.

A Note on Power BI Service

Power BI Web App and Power BI Web Service are not the same. Power BI Web App is a web-based application for Power BI reports and dashboards.  Power BI Web Service is a cloud-based service that hosts and delivers Power BI reports and dashboards.

Power BI Web App is a free tool for both personal and business use. Power BI Web Service is a paid service. It is available in three different capacities: free, pro, and premium.

How to Embed Power BI into the Website?

Step 1: Publish Your Power BI Report

Open Power BI, navigate to your report and publish it to the Power BI service. Ensure the report is saved in a workspace that allows web embedding.

Step 2: Get the Embed Code

In Power BI Service, open the report, click on File > Embed Report > Publish to Web (Public), or use the Embed for Your Organization option for restricted access. Copy the generated embed code or URL.

Step 3: Add the Code to Your Website

Paste the embed code into your website’s HTML using a <iframe> tag. Adjust the height and width as needed to fit your layout.

Step 4: Configure Access and Permissions

Ensure the report’s access settings align with your security needs. If embedding within a private portal, use Power BI Embedded with authentication settings.

Step 5: Test and Optimize

Preview the embedded report on different devices to check responsiveness. Optimize performance by limiting large datasets and unnecessary visuals.

Power BI Web Data Source

The Power BI Web Data Source allows users to connect to and import data from web pages, APIs, and other online sources directly into Power BI. This feature is useful for retrieving real-time or periodically updated data for analysis and visualization.

Key Features of Power BI Web Data Source:

1. Connect to Web Pages – Extract tables and structured data from websites.
2. API Integration – Pull data from REST APIs using JSON or XML formats.
3. Dynamic Parameters – Use parameters to customize web queries dynamically.
4. Data Transformation – Clean and shape imported web data using Power Query.
5. Scheduled Refresh – Automate updates for web-based datasets.

How to Use Power BI on the Web?

In this section, we learn how to create charts for different Power BI projects’ data visualization using Power BI Report Builder.

Stage 1: Logging in to Power BI

• Log in to Power BI.
• Enter your email. Click the “Submit” button.

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

• Choose whether to stay signed in.

• You’ll be redirected to the Power BI home screen.

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

• Click on the “Create” option on the left-side menu.
• Select ”Paste or manually enter data“.

• We’ll use the following data for this example.

Locations	Revenue	Profit & Cost	Details	Amount
North America	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Sales	132000
North America	Revenue	Expenses	Salaries	159000
North America	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Marketing	170000
North America	Revenue	Profit	Tax	182000
North America	Revenue	Profit	Profit After Tax	834000
International	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Sales	162000
International	Revenue	Expenses	Salaries	158000
International	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Marketing	145000
International	Revenue	Profit	Tax	171000
International	Revenue	Profit	Profit After Tax	753000
Middle East	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Sales	155000

• Paste the above data table into the “Power Query” window.
• Select the “Create a dataset only” option.

• Click on the “Data Hub” option on the left-side menu.
• Power BI populates the data set list. (If you have not created a data set, refer to the Error! Reference source not found section.)

• 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“.

• 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 in 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 “Fields” next to “Visualizations.”

• • Locations
  • Revenue
  • Profit & Cost
  • Details
  • Amount

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

Stage 5: Activate your ChartExpo Trial or Apply a Subscription Key

• Select the ChartExpo visual. You should see three 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,
  • Type in your email under the section titled “Trial Mode”.
  • This should be the email address that you used to subscribe to the ChartExpo add-in. It is where your ChartExpo license key will be sent.
  • Ensure that your email address is valid.
  • Click “Enable Trial“. You’ll get a 7-day trial.

• • You should receive a welcome email from ChartExpo.
  • If you do not find the email in your inbox, kindly check your spam folder as well.
  • The Sankey Diagram you create under the 7-day trial contains the ChartExpo watermark (see below).

• 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“.

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

• To add colors, expand the “Level Colors” properties and select a color.
• Do this to change the color of each node.
• All changes are automatically saved.

• Your final visualization will look like the one below.

Insights

• Level 1 shows North America as a major contributor of revenue. It stands at $1.48M making up 35% of the total. The Middle East generated the least amount of revenue, making up 1% of the total.
• The company’s total revenue was $4.22M, as seen in level 2.
• At level 3, Profit and Cost, company expenses were $1.45M, with $2.78M being the profit.
• At level 4, Details, the taxes amounted to $504K.
• Expenses were divided into three nodes: sales, salaries, and marketing. The cost of sales was $449K, salaries were $483K, and marketing was $514K.

Benefits of Using Power BI On Web

1. Accessibility Anywhere – Access dashboards and reports from any device with an internet connection.
2. Real-Time Data Updates – Automatically refreshes data from cloud-based sources.
3. Collaboration & Sharing – Easily share reports with colleagues and control access permissions.
4. No Installation Required – Use Power BI directly in a browser without installing software.
5. Seamless Integration – Connects with cloud services like Azure, Google Analytics, and online databases.
6. Scheduled Data Refresh – Automates data updates to keep reports current.
7. Enhanced Security – Built-in compliance and role-based access control for data protection.

Tips for Using Power BI On Web

1. Enable Auto Refresh for Up-to-Date Data

Schedule automatic data refreshes in Power BI to ensure your reports and dashboards always reflect the most current data without manual intervention. This is especially useful for real-time reporting and keeping stakeholders informed with the latest updates.

2. Optimize Report Performance

To improve report performance, focus on using filters, aggregations, and summarized data. Reducing the amount of raw data that needs to be loaded at once can significantly enhance speed and responsiveness. Additionally, consider optimizing your data model by reducing columns and rows that are not necessary.

3. Utilize Row-Level Security (RLS)

Implement Row-Level Security (RLS) to restrict access to specific data based on a user’s role or permissions. This ensures that sensitive data is only visible to authorized users, which is essential for compliance and protection of sensitive information in shared reports.

4. Pin Key Visuals to Dashboards

Pin important visuals, such as key metrics or trends, to custom dashboards to keep essential information at your fingertips. This allows for a quick overview and easy access to your most critical data without having to navigate through multiple reports.

5. Leverage Power BI’s Mobile View

Make sure your reports are optimized for mobile devices by using Power BI’s mobile view. This ensures that your reports look great and are easy to navigate on smartphones and tablets, providing a seamless experience for users on the go. Consider testing on different devices to ensure compatibility.

Power BI on Web – FAQs

Can I use Power BI on the Web?

Yes, the Power BI Web App allows you to use Power BI online. You can access your Power BI reports dashboards, and data visualizations through a web browser.

This makes it possible to interact with your data from any location with an internet connection. Users can also exchange Power BI content and interact with other users.

Does Power BI have a web app?

Power BI has a cool web tool called the Power BI Service. It’s like a cloud-based hub you can visit in your web browser. This lets you easily share, team up, and show off your Power BI reports and dashboards.

You can play with interactive dashboards, keep your data up to date with scheduled refreshes, and even ask questions in plain English thanks to its natural language feature. Plus, it buddies up with the Power BI mobile app.

It’s not just fun; it’s safe too, with security features, connections to Microsoft 365, and all the tools for smooth teamwork with your data!

Wrap-Up

We have looked at the Power BI web app as a part of the Power BI suite. Power BI Web is a powerful tool that can be used to analyze and visualize data from anywhere.

We have also learned about its key features and functions.

Some of Power BI Web’s features include:

• Connection to a variety of data sources
• The ability to create and edit data visualizations like reports and dashboards
• Sharing reports and dashboards with others.
• The ability to collaborate on reports and dashboards with others

We then compared Power BI Web to Power BI Desktop. Power BI Web outshines its desktop counterpart in that it is free for personal and business use. It is also accessible anywhere and easier to use.

We also differentiated between Power BI Web and Power BI Service.

We hope that you are now ready to include Power BI Web in your data visualization arsenal.