Power BI Cloud Org Apps: A New Era in Workspace Content Distribution

The latest preview feature from Microsoft Power BI, Org Apps, brings a revolutionary approach to distributing content within organizations. With the ability to create multiple apps per workspace, customize layouts, and enhance user experiences, Org Apps elevate how Power BI supports collaboration and content sharing. Here’s everything you need to know about Org Apps, their features, and how they fit into the future of Power BI.

What Are Org Apps?

Org Apps are an evolution of Power BI workspace apps, reimagined for Microsoft Fabric. These apps allow you to build tailored experiences for different user groups while maintaining secure content distribution. They address the limitations of traditional apps by enabling multiple apps per workspace and incorporating new item types like notebooks and real-time dashboards.

With Org Apps, managing and sharing items such as reports is as seamless as managing other item types in Power BI.

Key Features of Org Apps

1. Multiple Apps per Workspace

A significant upgrade, Org Apps allow multiple apps within a single workspace. This flexibility eliminates the need to duplicate content across workspaces, making it easier to cater to unique audiences without redundancy.

• Example: Create separate Org Apps for executive dashboards, team-level analytics, and cross-functional reports within one workspace.

2. Enhanced Customization Options

Org Apps bring several options to personalize the user experience:

• Custom Navigation: Choose from expanded, collapsed, or no navigation menus based on user needs.
• Landing Pages: Add an overview page as a landing spot to describe app content and its purpose.
• Custom Branding: Align apps with your organization’s branding using custom colors, logos, and themes.
• Preview and Save: See changes in real-time with a preview feature before saving.

These features enable organizations to create apps that are visually appealing and aligned with their internal branding guidelines.

3. Automatic Access Propagation and Revocation

Managing access is simpler than ever:

• Propagation: Granting access to an Org App automatically extends permissions to underlying datasets and semantic models, even across workspaces.
• Revocation: Removing access to an Org App also revokes access to linked datasets, ensuring no lingering permissions.

This automation reduces manual effort and ensures secure access management.

Use Cases for Org Apps

1. Department-Specific Dashboards: Create tailored apps for finance, sales, and operations, each with its own reports, branding, and layout.
2. Real-Time Monitoring: Integrate real-time dashboards for operations teams to monitor KPIs.
3. Executive Summaries: Build apps with a focus on high-level insights for leadership.