Power BI Workspaces vs. Apps: Which Is Best for Your Organization?

Power BI’s dynamic data architecture offers impressive flexibility, particularly when it comes to publishing reports. In this blog, we’ll explore why publishing your Power BI content as an app can be highly advantageous for enterprise solutions. While it’s not mandatory to use apps, they provide significant benefits and can often be the better choice compared to just using workspaces.

Why Publish Your Power BI Reports as Apps?

As of publishing this article (September 2024), Power BI apps can only be published from a single workspace. This means that you can’t bundle reports from multiple workspaces into one app. However, the advantages of using apps to distribute your Power BI content are clear:

1. Efficient Content Packaging and Distribution Apps allow you to package and distribute Power BI reports, dashboards, and semantic models efficiently. Instead of sharing individual reports from a workspace, you can bundle related content into a cohesive app. This makes it easier for users to access and interact with your data in one place.

2. Tailored Audiences Apps support the creation of multiple audiences. Each audience is essentially a group within the app that can have different access permissions. For example, you could create a specific audience for “Revenue Summary — Managers Only,” ensuring that only managers have access to sensitive reports. This audience-based approach helps control visibility and maintain security.

3. Granular Permission Management Unlike workspaces where you can’t manage permissions at the individual report or content level, apps offer more granular control. You can assign different permissions to each audience group, manage who can view or interact with the content, and even decide who can share or build new content.

4. Smooth Deployment of Changes When working with different environments like development, staging, and production, publishing apps allows you to deploy changes directly to the production environment without disrupting end users. This ensures that any updates or changes are reviewed and finalized before being released. For instance, if a visual looks perfectly aligned in a testing environment but shifts when actual production data is used, you can make necessary adjustments before the final release.

5. Seamless Integration of Development and Reporting Apps helps segregate development from reporting. If you have reports that are still under development or intended for specific release windows, you can manage their availability through apps. This flexibility allows you to control when and how new content is made available to users.

6. Comprehensive Bundling Beyond reports, apps can include dashboards and semantic models. This means you can package a variety of Power BI content types together, providing users with a more integrated and comprehensive experience.

7. Easy Distribution Once your app is ready, you can share it with users in multiple ways: automatic installation, direct links, or via the Power BI app marketplace. This flexibility ensures that your users can easily access the content they need.

Points to Keep in Mind

• Licensing Requirements: If your app’s workspace is not in a Power BI Premium capacity, all users will need either a Power BI Pro or Premium Per User (PPU) license to access it. However, if your workspace is in a Premium or F64/higher Fabric capacity, users within your organization can view the app without needing Pro or PPU licenses. They won’t be able to copy or create new reports from the underlying models, though.

In conclusion, publishing your Power BI reports as apps can streamline content distribution, enhance security, and improve the overall user experience. While it’s not the only option available, leveraging apps for enterprise solutions often provides greater flexibility and control over your Power BI environment.