Power BI reports and dashboards are both essential components of the Power BI ecosystem, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. Here are the key differences between Power BI reports and dashboards:
- Purpose: A Power BI report is primarily designed for in-depth data analysis and reporting. It allows users to create detailed and interactive data visualizations, explore data, and gain insights into specific datasets.
- Structure: Reports are composed of multiple pages or canvases, each containing one or more data visualizations (charts, tables, maps, etc.), text, images, and other elements. Users can design reports with a focus on providing a comprehensive view of a dataset or a specific aspect of it.
- Interactivity: Power BI reports offer a high degree of interactivity. Users can interact with visualizations by selecting data points, applying filters, drilling down into details, and cross-filtering visuals to analyze data from different perspectives.
- Data Exploration: Reports are suitable for in-depth data exploration. Users can access a wide range of data visuals and perform detailed analysis to answer specific questions or investigate trends and anomalies.
- Sharing: Power BI reports can be shared with others through the Power BI service. Users can collaborate on reports, leave comments, and work together on data analysis projects. Reports can also be embedded in other applications or websites.
- Data Model: Reports are typically associated with a specific data model that defines tables, relationships, calculated columns, and measures. Users can create and modify the data model within Power BI Desktop.
- Purpose: A Power BI dashboard is designed for providing a high-level overview of key metrics and insights. Dashboards are meant to be concise, focused, and easily digestible, allowing users to monitor critical data at a glance.
- Structure: Dashboards are composed of tiles, which can include individual visuals, reports, images, text, and web content. Tiles are arranged on the dashboard canvas to create a visually appealing and informative layout.
- Interactivity: Dashboards offer limited interactivity compared to reports. Users can interact with tiles to apply filters and see details within a specific visual or report, but the primary purpose is to present summarized information.
- Data Exploration: Dashboards are not intended for in-depth data exploration. Instead, they serve as a launchpad to provide quick access to more detailed information available in associated reports.
- Sharing: Power BI dashboards can be shared with others through the Power BI service. Users can share dashboards with specific individuals or groups, and viewers can interact with the tiles. However, the underlying reports are where detailed analysis occurs.
- Data Model: Dashboards do not have their own data model. They are typically associated with one or more reports, and the data displayed in tiles is sourced from the reports' data models.
