We're sorry but this app doesn't work properly without JavaScript enabled. Please enable it to continue.

This lesson's interactive features are locked, please to keep using them

Sharing and Publishing Dashboards

Once a dashboard is built, the next step is getting it in front of the right people. Dashboards are meant to be viewed, explored, and used to make decisions. If no one can access them, they don't provide much value.

Power BI Desktop vs. Power BI Service

Power BI Desktop is where you build dashboards (it's what we've been using). Power BI Service is an online app where people can view and interact with them.

A typical workflow looks like this:

  1. Build the report in Power BI Desktop.
  2. Publish it to the Power BI Service.
  3. Share it with others.

Most collaboration happens in the Power BI Service, not in Desktop.

Publishing a Dashboard

To share a dashboard, it must be published. In this course, we're using the free Power BI Desktop version, which is great for building and learning, and unfortunately publishing reports to the Power BI Service requires a paid Power BI account. So we won't be doing it ourselves, but the process is simple if you want to in the future:

  1. Open your report in Power BI Desktop.
  2. Click Publish.
  3. Choose a workspace.

Once published, the report becomes available in the Power BI Service and can be shared with others.

Workspaces and Access

Workspaces are where reports and dashboards live in the Power BI Service. Common access roles include:

  • Viewer: can view and interact with dashboards
  • Member: can edit and publish content
  • Contributor: can update content but with limited permissions

Choosing the right role helps to protect your work while still allowing collaboration.

Most users should be viewers. Editing access should be limited. (Personally, I don't want just anyone to change my dashboards that I've worked hard on.)

Click to play video