Power BI in the Power Platform

Introduction to Power BI

Power BI is Microsoft’s business intelligence solution, an integral part of the Power Platform, enabling you to connect, model, and visualize business data from multiple sources. Its architecture includes cloud services, desktop and mobile applications, and a robust connector ecosystem, making it a flexible and powerful platform for creating interactive reports and dashboards.

According to Microsoft documentation, Power BI offers design and publishing tools such as Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service, with advanced collaboration, security, and Microsoft Dataverse integration features. The goal is to deliver a unified and updated vision of business metrics, fostering a data-driven culture.

Main Components of Power BI

• Power BI Desktop: a local design tool for creating data models, reports, and customized visualizations.
• Power BI Service: a cloud portal (app.powerbi.com) for publishing, sharing, and collaborating on BI content.
• Power BI Mobile: a mobile app for accessing reports and dashboards on the go.
• Power BI Report Builder: a desktop application for creating paginated reports similar to SQL Server Reporting Services.
• Power BI Dataflows: ETL processes based on Power Query that allow data transformation and loading from various sources.

Each component plays a specific role in the data lifecycle, from preparation to publication, and consumption by end users.

Integration with Microsoft Dataverse

Power BI can directly connect to Microsoft Dataverse using native connectors and the DirectQuery mode to keep data up-to-date. This integration allows analyzing information stored in Dataverse, such as sales, service, or marketing data, without data duplication.

Thanks to this integration, you can:

• Create analytical reports based on Dataverse data.
• Publish interactive dashboards in model-driven or canvas apps.
• Embed Power BI Tiles directly into Dataverse forms or dashboards.
• Apply Row-Level Security (RLS) to enforce Dataverse security rules in Power BI datasets.

The combination of Dataverse and Power BI enables real-time insights and integrated business solutions where data is not only stored but becomes a strategic asset for governance and planning.

Reports, Dashboards, and Visualizations

In Power BI, reports represent the analytical base composed of pages, charts, and interactive tables. Each report can be published in the cloud service and shared with specific users or groups. Dashboards, on the other hand, are collections of visualizations from one or more reports, providing a synthesized view of business KPIs.

Main visualization types include:

• Bar, line, and area charts for time-based analysis.
• Matrices and tables for detailed data.
• Geographical maps for spatial data visualization.
• KPI indicators and cards for summarized metrics.
• Custom visuals available from Microsoft AppSource.

Dashboards can be embedded in Power Apps, Power Pages, or Power Automate, enabling users to view analytical results directly within business applications and workflows.

Power BI Dataflows and Data Transformation

Dataflows in Power BI provide a cloud-based solution for creating transformation pipelines using Power Query. They allow centralizing ETL transformations and reusing entities across multiple reports or datasets. Each dataflow can connect to Dataverse, SQL Server, Azure Data Lake, or other enterprise data sources.

This approach ensures consistency, traceability, and efficiency in maintaining analytical solutions, saving time and resources.

Power BI Extensibility and Customization

Power BI also provides extensibility capabilities, allowing the creation of custom visuals and automation through the Power BI REST API. Developers can use tools like Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code to build custom components, integrating Power BI with Azure services, Dataverse, and Dynamics 365.

Additionally, Power BI supports integration with Azure Synapse Analytics and Azure Data Lake, enabling large-scale analytics and complex data pipeline scenarios.