Exploring different elements of Power BI

To create Power BI Solutions, there are several elements present. These elements help not only what data is being presented, but also how it will appear to those who are consuming it. Those elements are datasets, reports, and dashboards. All elements are organized into workspaces, and they are created in capacities.

Let's know more about these elements in detail.

Capacities

Capacities are a core Power BI element that represents a set of resources used to host and deliver the content of Power BI. Capacities are either shared or dedicated.

A shared capacity is shared with other Microsoft customers, while a dedicated capacity is fully committed to a single customer. Dedicated capacities require a subscription. It should be noted that, by default, workspaces are created on a shared capacity.

Workspaces

Workspaces are like containers for dashboards, reports, datasets, and dataflows in Power BI. There are two types of workspaces: My workspace and workspaces.

-My workspace is the personal workspace for any Power BI customer to work. Only you can have access to your My workspace. You can share dashboards and reports from your My Workspace. If you want to collaborate on dashboards and reports or create an app, then you want to work in a workspace.

-Workspaces are a way for you to work together with other people on Power BI content. You can share dashboards, reports, and datasets with your colleagues, and you can all collaborate on the same content. You can invite other colleagues to your workspaces and collaborate on dashboards, reports and datasets. With one exception, all the workspace members need Power BI Pro licence. Workspaces are not just for collaboration. You can also use workspaces to create, publish, and manage Power BI apps. Apps are a great way to share Power BI content with a wider audience.

So, what is an app? An app is a collection of dashboards and reports built to deliver key metrics to the Power BI consumers in your organization. Apps are interactive, but consumers cannot edit them. App consumers, and colleagues who have access to the apps, do not necessarily need Pro licenses.

Datasets

A dataset is a group of data that you can use to create reports and dashboards in Power BI. You can import a dataset from a file or connect to a live data source. Power BI supports a wide variety of data sources. You can connect to data that is stored in Excel workbooks, on-premises databases, cloud-based databases, and other sources. You can use data flows to create datasets. Data flows are a way to store and manage data that is used in Power BI.a dataset is assigned to a workspace. The workspace is a collection of datasets, reports, and dashboards. You can share datasets with other workspace members by adding them to the same workspace. When you open a workspace, you will see a list of all of the datasets that are associated with it. You can then use these datasets to create reports and dashboards. Datasets that are added to a workspace are available to other workspace members who have the appropriate permissions. For example, if you are the administrator of a workspace, you can see all of the datasets that are in the workspace.

Shared Datasets

Business intelligence is not something that can be implemented by one person. It requires the input and collaboration of many people, including data modelers, report creators, and business users. It is important to have a single, consistent source of data for your organization. This ensures that everyone is working with the same data, which makes it easier to build accurate reports. It is important to make it easy for people to find and use the standardized datasets that have been created. This can be done by creating a central repository for datasets, or by using a data catalog. When data modelers create high-quality datasets, report creators can use them to build accurate reports without having to do a lot of data preparation. This saves time and effort, and it ensures that the reports are accurate. When your organization has consistent data, it is easier to make informed decisions. It also promotes a healthy data culture, which is important for the long-term success of your organization. To consume these shared datasets just choose Power BI datasets when creating your Power BI report.

Reports

A Power BI report is one or more pages of visualizations such as line charts, maps, and other elements. Reports can be created from scratch within Power BI, they can also be imported with dashboards that colleagues share with you, or Power BI can create them when you connect to datasets from Excel, Power BI Desktop, databases, and SaaS applications.

There are two modes to view and interact with reports:

-Reading view: When a report is opened by a user, it is displayed in reading view.

-Editing view: For individuals that have edit permissions, editing view is used to modify the different elements on the report and how they are presented.

When a workspace is opened, associated reports are listed under the Reports tab. Each listed report represents one or more pages of visualizations based on only one of the underlying datasets. To open a report, you have to select it.

When you open an app, you are presented with a dashboard. To access an underlying report, select a dashboard tile (more on tiles later) that was pinned from a report. Keep in mind that not all tiles are pinned from reports, so you may have to click a few tiles to find a report.

By default, the report opens in Reading view. Just select Edit report to open it in Editing view (if you have the necessary permissions).

Dashboard

A dashboard is a single page that can contain multiple elements, such as tiles, widgets, and text. Each tile on a dashboard is a snapshot of a visualization that was created from a dataset. You can pin an entire report page to a dashboard as a single tile. This is a good way to show a lot of information on a single dashboard. There are many ways to add tiles to a dashboard. This overview will only cover a few of the most common methods.

Why do people create dashboards? Here are just some of the reasons:

-To see all information needed to make decisions in one glance.

-To monitor the most important information about your business.

-To ensure all colleagues are on the same page, viewing and using the same information.

-To monitor the health of a business, product, business unit, or marketing campaign, etc.

-To create a personalized view of a larger dashboard and show all the metrics that matter to them.

When you open a workspace, the associated dashboards are listed under the Dashboards tab. To open a dashboard, select it. When you open an app, you will be presented with a dashboard. If you own the dashboard, you will also have edit access to the underlying dataset(s) and reports. If the dashboard was shared with you, you will be able to interact with the dashboard and any underlying reports but will not be able to save any changes.

Template Apps

Power BI template apps are a way for Power BI partners to create and deploy Power BI apps with little or no coding. These apps are a collection of dashboards, reports, and datasets that are packaged together. They can be deployed to any Power BI customer, and they allow customers to connect to the data in a way that is easy to consume.

SWETA SARANGI