Explain Simply | Power BI

Enhancing Power BI App Functionality with Visual Pinning

This guide clarifies the limitations of pinning visuals from reports within Power BI Apps and offers workarounds, emphasizing the use of Power BI Service for effective report management and dashboard integration.

Prompt

We are a large company and many teams produce multiple reports. We are pushing all Teams to use the PowerBi Apps to help make it more user friendly for end users who are now getting flooded with reports.

However… we just noticed that we can’t seem to pin visuals from a report in the PowerBi App. The pin option is not there…

Is this correct… is there a work around here or do we need to rethink the use of PowerBi Apps?

Answer

Understanding Report Pinning in Power BI Apps

Problem Statement

Many teams within your organization produce multiple reports, and you are encouraging the use of Power BI Apps to make it more user-friendly for end users. However, pinning visuals from a report within a Power BI App doesn't seem to be available.

Key Points

Power BI Apps and Visual Pinning:
- Power BI Apps: A feature that allows the grouping of multiple Power BI dashboards and reports into a single app that can be shared with end users.
- Pinning Visuals: The action of saving a specific chart or visual from a report to a dashboard.

Analysis of the Issue

Current Observation: The option to pin a visual from a report in the Power BI App is missing.
Expected Behavior: Users should be able to pin visuals from reports to dashboards for greater flexibility (typically outside app functionality).

Verification

Functionality Limitation:
- Pinning visuals directly from a report within Power BI Apps is indeed not supported by Power BI as of the current updates.
- Pinning visuals is generally performed from inside the Power BI Service, directly from reports and dashboards, not within the confines of an app.

Workarounds and Recommendations

Possible Workarounds:
- Access Reports Outside of Apps: Users can access the same reports directly within the Power BI Service (outside the app) and use the pinning feature there.
- Dashboard Centralization: Create commonly used dashboards outside the app that aggregate key visuals from multiple reports. These dashboards can then be included in the app.
Process:
1. From the Power BI Service:
  - Open the desired report directly from the Power BI workspace (not within the app).
  - Use the pinning option available in the Power BI Service to pin visuals to a dashboard.
2. Including Dashboards in Apps:
  - Once dashboards are created with pinned visuals, include these dashboards in your Power BI App for consolidated access.
Rethinking the Use of Power BI Apps:
- Evaluate whether the user experience and organizational needs require frequent pinning. If pinning is critical and frequent, ensure training on accessing reports directly from the workspace.
- Consider creating a blend of dashboards and apps, leveraging the strengths of both functionalities.

Summary

Pinning visuals directly from within Power BI Apps is not supported.
Use the Power BI Service to pin visuals from reports to dashboards and include these dashboards within the app.
Adjust documentation and training to highlight these processes for end users.

This explanation provides clarity on using Power BI effectively within your organizational structure for a better end-user experience. For further training and resources, consider exploring comprehensive learning modules available on the Enterprise DNA Platform.