Power BI Dashboard vs Report: Key Differences Explained

Microsoft Power BI is a set of tools that transforms unrelated sources of information into coherent, visually appealing, and interactive insights. Power BI enables your team to create unique dashboards that offer everyone in the organization real-time data that is easy to understand.

Its ability to integrate with other Microsoft services and so many different types of data sources has made it one of the most popular visualization products. Users can input data from various popular sources, such as webpages, PDFs, spreadsheets, CSV files, and SharePoint, and create dashboards and reports for further analysis.

When it comes to dashboards and reports, people often think of them as interchangeable data visualization tools, particularly those from an Excel background. It's an understandable mistake because if you spend a lot of time in Excel, you're used to creating an interactive experience filled with data, bar charts, column charts, line charts, KPIs, and cards all on one page. However, there is an essential distinction between these two items in Power BI, as they serve unique purposes.

In this article, we will explore the functionalities, strengths, and best use cases of Power BI Dashboards and Reports, shedding light on how they complement each other in delivering comprehensive data insights.

What is a Power BI Report?

A Power BI report is a highly interactive and customizable in-depth analysis tool that can span multiple pages, each containing as many visuals (charts, graphs, tables, and maps) as you want. They’re interactive representations of data insights, allowing users to analyze data by exploring visual elements.

For example, you can click on a data point in a bar chart to affect a line chart on the same page. Users can apply filters and slicers to customize the view of the data and focus on specific areas of interest. Reports can connect to live data sources or be scheduled to refresh automatically, so you always have up-to-date data available. It's also important to note that you use Power BI Desktop to generate reports.

Use Cases and Benefits of Power BI Reports

Any team that needs to analyze and present data can use Power BI reports. Sales and marketing can analyze sales data, track performance against targets, identify trends, and provide insights into customer behavior. Financial teams can monitor budgets, forecast revenues, and generate financial statements. Human resources can use it to analyze employee data, track recruitment metrics, and assess training program effectiveness. The list goes on.

Overall, Power BI reports are great for making data-driven decisions. You can easily share them across departments for easy collaboration, and because data is in an easy-to-understand format, all stakeholders can digest the information.

What is a Power BI Dashboard?

On the other hand, a Power BI dashboard is quite different. In terms of Power BI, a dashboard is a high-level, non-interactive overview of the information presented on a single page. This visualization tool presents the key metrics you want to track without the detailed analysis you get from reports.

To create a dashboard, build a report in Power BI Desktop and publish it to the Power BI service. From there, you can pin visuals from your report to a dashboard and link them back to specific pages in the report.

Use Cases and Benefits of Power BI Dashboard

Dashboards are great for quick views and summaries, not detailed analysis. For that reason, they are ideal for executives and decision-makers who need a high-level overview of key performance indicators (KPIs) without delving into the details. Focusing on the most critical data points allows for quick, data-driven decisions.

In a sales environment, teams can monitor sales performance in real-time, tracking total sales, revenue targets, lead conversions, and customer acquisition costs on a dashboard. Customer service teams can monitor metrics like response times, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction scores, so if service levels are not meeting customer expectations, they can notice and make improvements.

Dashboards reduce information overload and simplify decision-making by highlighting only the most critical data. Dashboards are intuitive and easy to use, so users can customize them without extensive technical knowledge.

Key Differences Between Dashboards and Reports

While reports in Power BI allow for deep, interactive analysis with multiple pages of visuals, dashboards provide a concise, high-level overview of your key metrics on a single page.

• Format, customization, and design:
  • Dashboard: Single page with a high-level overview that offers limited customization. Users can rearrange visuals, resize them, and apply basic themes, but the layout options are more constrained.
  • Report: It can be many pages of in-depth analysis and is very customizable. You can adjust visual interactions, set page sizes, apply complex themes, and use custom visuals for more detailed and tailored data presentations.
• Data sources and integration:
  • Dashboard: Built from multiple reports created from multiple data models.
  • Report: Built from only one data model (semantic model); dashboards
• Visualization and interactivity:
  • Dashboard: Users only have a quick glimpse of the data.
  • Report: Allow users to study the data and work with filters more.
• Real-time updates vs. static data:
  • Dashboard: Shows real-time data with live tiles streaming data.
  • Report: Depending on the data source, a report can incorporate Direct Query, which connects to the data rather than loading it. The data is shown with the most up-to-date information when connected. You can schedule reports so that they refresh throughout the day (8x/day for a Pro License; up to 48x/day for a Premium license)
• User accessibility and sharing:
  • Dashboard: Mostly read-only, so if a user clicks a visual, they’re taken to the report for further analysis.
  • Report: Once published to the Power BI Service, it can be in Edit or Reading Mode (only editable by the owner).

When to Use Dashboards vs. Reports

Data analysis can become overwhelming when not appropriately presented, especially for an audience not well-versed in the underlying information. Understanding when to use a dashboard versus a report in Power BI is essential for effectively communicating data insights and meeting the needs of different stakeholders.

Scenarios for Using Power BI Dashboards

• High-Level Overview: Dashboards are great for quickly capturing key performance indicators (KPIs). It's best used more for a quick summary of essential data where you don't need detail.
• Monitoring Key Metrics: Some metrics, like sales figures, customer satisfaction scores, or operational efficiency metrics, need to be tracked in real-time. You can set up a dashboard to provide an up-to-date view for quick assessments.
• Multi-Source Data Aggregation: Consolidating visuals and metrics from multiple reports or datasets into a unified view is particularly helpful when different departments or teams contribute to a broader organizational goal and you want to monitor all relevant metrics in one place.

Scenarios for Using Power BI Reports

• In-Depth Data Analysis: Reports are the go-to tool when you need to explore data in-depth, such as analyzing trends, performing comparisons, or understanding the underlying factors driving specific outcomes. You can break down data from multiple sources, such as sales by region, product line, or timeframe.
• Interactivity and Storytelling: A report is the best choice if the goal is to enable users to interact with the data—such as filtering, drilling down into details, or cross-highlighting between visuals. Reports are also an excellent tool for guiding your audience through a narrative supported by data, as you can include explanatory text and build a logical flow.
• Expert Analysts: Data analysts or team members who require a thorough understanding of the data should use reports. These users often need to manipulate data, apply complex filters, and explore the data in ways that dashboards do not support.

Best Practices for Creating Dashboards and Reports

Tips for designing effective dashboards

1. Keep it simple and avoid using too much info or design elements.
2. Consider your audience and only show the data that will be most helpful.
3. Avoid overwhelming users with too many tiles.
4. Position critical data strategically (e.g., top-left or with visual emphasis)
5. Use the right visual aids to communicate the information. Bar and column charts can be used to compare values, pie charts can be used to view part-to-whole relationships (but only when you have fewer than eight categories), and Gauge charts can display a project's current status as it relates to a goal.

Tips for designing comprehensive reports

1. Remove unnecessary data. Only load it if you're using a column in a visual.
2. When using Excel, don’t pull in more worksheets than necessary; only use data that you need
3. Only create a few calculated tables or columns since these add to the size of the data model and increase the time it takes to refresh the report. Create measures, when possible, as they do not count toward the size of the data model.
4. Create relationships properly. Incorrect relationship setup can cause problems in a report.
5. Make sure you transform the data properly. Bad data can lead to a negative user experience.
6. Don't try to cram too many visuals on one page. Too much information can easily overwhelm a user. Spread it out over multiple pages.

Conclusion

Choosing between a dashboard and a report depends largely on your audience's needs and the level of detail required. Dashboards win when providing a high-level overview and real-time monitoring of critical metrics, while reports show in-depth analysis and data exploration. By understanding the strengths of each tool, you can present your data in the most effective way possible by tailoring it to the specific needs of your users.

If you want to deepen your understanding of Power BI and enhance your skills in creating dashboards and reports, New Horizons offers in-depth training courses on the Power BI platform.

Learn more: Microsoft Power Platform Training Courses