Microsoft Power BI
by Microsoft · Embedded BI
Self-service dashboards with native connectors for Dynamics 365 and other ERPs.
- Works with
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, SAP, Oracle
- Deployment
- Cloud, On-premises (Report Server)
- Company size
- SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise
- Pricing
- Per-user/month
- Founded
- 1975
- Headquarters
- Redmond, Washington, United States
Overview
Microsoft Power BI is a business intelligence and self-service analytics platform that lets users connect to data sources, model and transform data, and build interactive reports and dashboards. It is part of the Microsoft Power Platform and is tightly integrated with the broader Microsoft ecosystem, including Excel, Microsoft 365, Teams, Azure, and Dynamics 365. Power BI is also a workload within Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft's unified analytics SaaS platform.
For ERP analytics, Power BI provides native connectors for Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and Business Central, plus connectors and certified content for SAP HANA, SAP BW, Oracle, and many databases. Reports can be authored in Power BI Desktop and published to the Power BI service for sharing, scheduled refresh, and governed distribution. Power BI Embedded and the embedding APIs allow ISVs and enterprises to surface dashboards inside their own applications and portals.
The platform combines a tabular data model (VueModel/VertiPaq engine) with the DAX expression language and Power Query (M) for data transformation. Recent releases add generative-AI assistance through Copilot for report creation, narrative summaries, and natural-language Q&A over governed semantic models.
Screenshots & demo
Demo video from the vendor's YouTube channel. Screenshots sourced from Microsoft.
Features & capabilities
Dashboards & Visualization
Interactive report authoring and consumption.
- Drag-and-drop report canvas in Power BI Desktop
- Large built-in visual library plus AppSource custom visuals
- Interactive cross-filtering and drill-through between visuals
- Bookmarks, drill-down hierarchies, and report tooltips
- Dashboards and apps in the Power BI service for distribution
- Mobile-optimized report layouts
Data Modeling & Transformation
Semantic modeling and query layer.
- In-memory VertiPaq columnar engine for tabular models
- DAX language for calculated columns, measures, and KPIs
- Power Query (M) for ETL-style data shaping
- Relationships, hierarchies, and role-based row-level security
- Reusable shared semantic models (datasets)
- Calculation groups and field parameters
Connectivity & Refresh
Broad source connectivity for ERP and database data.
- Native connectors for Dynamics 365 Finance, Operations, and Business Central
- Connectors for SAP HANA and SAP BW
- DirectQuery and Import storage modes plus Composite models
- On-premises data gateway for hybrid sources
- Scheduled and incremental data refresh
- Connectors for Azure, SQL, Oracle, and 100+ sources
AI & Augmented Analytics
Generative and ML-assisted insight.
- Copilot for report generation and DAX assistance
- Natural-language Q&A over semantic models
- Quick Insights and automated insight detection
- Key influencers and decomposition tree visuals
- Smart narratives for auto-generated text summaries
- Anomaly detection on time series
Embedding & Developer Tools
Embed analytics into applications.
- Power BI Embedded (Azure capacity) for ISV scenarios
- Embed-for-your-organization and embed-for-your-customers APIs
- REST APIs and JavaScript client library
- Row-level security pass-through for multi-tenant embedding
- Embedding in Teams, SharePoint, and Power Apps
Governance & Administration
Enterprise governance and lifecycle.
- Workspaces, deployment pipelines, and environment promotion
- Sensitivity labels and Microsoft Purview information protection
- Endorsement (certified/promoted datasets) and lineage view
- Usage metrics and audit logging
- Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) authentication and access control
Common use cases
- Finance teams building P&L, balance-sheet, and cash-flow dashboards on Dynamics 365 data
- Operations reporting across SAP and non-SAP sources in one model
- Self-service exploration for business users via shared semantic models
- Executive KPI dashboards distributed through Teams and mobile
- ISVs embedding customer-facing analytics into SaaS applications
- Supply-chain and inventory monitoring with scheduled refresh
- Ad-hoc natural-language Q&A for non-technical staff
Strengths & considerations
Strengths
- Deep native integration with Microsoft 365, Teams, Azure, and Dynamics 365
- Low entry price with free desktop authoring and per-user licensing
- Workload within Microsoft Fabric for unified data engineering and BI
- Very large ecosystem of custom visuals and community content
Considerations
- Premium/Fabric capacity and gateways add cost and administration for large deployments
- DAX has a steep learning curve for advanced modeling
ERP integrations
Built-in Power BI reports ship with Business Central
Pricing
Power BI Desktop is free. Sharing requires Pro or Premium Per User; large-scale capacity is sold via Microsoft Fabric capacities and Power BI Embedded (Azure). Prices vary by region and have been subject to change. Get an independent shortlist with pricing guidance below.
Technical & security
- Hosting
- SaaS (multi-tenant) on Azure; Power BI Report Server available on-premises
- Data residency
- US, EU, UK, APAC
- Compliance
- SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR
- Mobile app
- Yes
- Languages
- English, and 40+ supported languages
About the vendor
- Founded
- 1975
- Headquarters
- Redmond, Washington, United States
- Employees
- ~220,000 (Microsoft total)
- Ownership
- Public (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Alternatives to Microsoft Power BI in Embedded BI
Microsoft Power BI — frequently asked questions
Does Power BI connect natively to Dynamics 365?
Yes. Power BI provides native connectors for Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and for Business Central, and Business Central ships with built-in Power BI reports.
Can Power BI be embedded in a custom application?
Yes. Power BI Embedded (an Azure capacity) and the embedding REST/JavaScript APIs let ISVs and enterprises embed reports and dashboards into their own apps and portals.
What is the relationship between Power BI and Microsoft Fabric?
Power BI is the BI workload within Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft's unified SaaS analytics platform that also includes data engineering, data warehousing, and real-time analytics.
Evaluating Embedded BI?
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