Power BI Architecture

1. Data Sources

An important component of Power BI is its vast range of data sources. You can import data from files in your system, cloud-based online data sources or connect directly to live connections. If you import from data on-premise or online services there is a limit of 1 GB. Some commonly used data sources in Power BI are:

• Excel
• Text/CSV
• XML
• JSON
• Oracle Database
• MySQL Database
• PostgreSQL Database
• Azure SQL Database
• Salesforce Report

2. Power BI Desktop

Power BI Desktop is a client-side tool known as a companion development and authoring tool.

This desktop-based software is loaded with tools and functionalities to?connect to data sources, transform data, data modeling and creating reports.

You can download and install Power BI Desktop in your system for free. Using Power BI Desktop features, one can do?data?cleansing, create business metrics and data models, define the relationship between data, define hierarchies, create visuals and publish reports.

3. Power BI Service

Power BI Service is a web-based platform from where you can?share reports made on Power BI Desktop, colla collaborate with other users, and create dashboards.

It is available in three versions:

• Free version
• Pro version
• Premium version

Power BI Service is also known as,?“Power BI.com”,?“Power BI Workspace”,?“Power BI Site”?and?“Power BI Web Portal”. This component also offers advanced features like?natural language Q&A?and?alerts.

4. Power BI Report Server

The Power BI Report Server is similar to the Power BI Service. The only difference between these two is that Power BI Report Server is an on-premise platform. It is used by organizations who do not want to publish their reports on the cloud and are concerned about the security of their data.

Power BI Report Server enables you to create dashboards and share your reports with other users following proper security protocols. To use this service, you need to have a Power BI Premium license.

5. Power BI Gateway

This component is used to connect and access on-premise data in secured networks. Power BI Gateways are generally used in organizations where data is kept in security and watch. Gateways help to extract?out such data through secure channels to Power BI platforms for analysis and reporting.

6. Power BI Mobile

Power BI Mobile is a native Power BI application that runs on iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices. For viewing reports and dashboards, these applications are used.

7. Power BI Embedded

Power BI Embedded offers APIs which are used to embed visuals into custom applications.

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