What is Power BI Embedded?

  • Article

Power BI Embedded is intended to simplify how ISVs and developers use Power BI capabilities. Power BI Embedded simplifies Power BI capabilities by helping you quickly add stunning visuals, reports, and dashboards to your apps. Similar to apps built on Azure use services like Machine Learning and IoT. By enabling easy-to-navigate data exploration in their apps, ISVs allow their customers to make quick, informed decisions in context.

In May 2017, we announced the convergence of the Power BI and Power BI Embedded services. The convergence delivered one API surface, a consistent set of capabilities and access to the latest features across both services. Additionally, we introduced a capacity-based pricing model, simplifying how Power BI is consumed.

With Power BI Embedded, ISVs and developers have added flexibility in how they embed intelligence in their apps using the Power BI APIs. ISVs and developers can take advantage of minimized development efforts to achieve faster time to market and differentiate themselves by infusing Microsoft’s world-class analytics engine in their app. Equally, developers can spend time focusing on their solution to meet customer demands, instead of developing visual analytics features. Additionally, Power BI Embedded enables you to work within the familiar development environments - Visual Studio and Azure - you already use.

Do you have an existing app with embedded Power BI content using Power BI Premium? If you are an ISV or developer delivering apps or an organization using them, no action is needed. You and your customers can continue using these apps without interruption. If you have an existing app built on Power BI Workspace Collections and are interested in taking advantage of the converged API surface and the new capacity-based Azure SKUs, visit documentation for migration guidance.

Comparing Power BI Embedded with Power BI Premium

Power BI Embedded is for independent software vendors (ISVs) and for developers who build applications for their customers. It can be used as a third-party business intelligence service that enables you to visualize application data, rather than building that service yourself. Power BI Embedded is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) analytics solution, where developers can embed reports and dashboards into an application for their customers. Power BI Premium is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) analytics solution that gives your organization a single view of their most critical business data.

Power BI Embedded is a pay-as-you-go feature, while Power BI Premium requires a monthly fee. You can view this video to learn more about how they compare.

Easy-to-use tools

Power BI Embedded allows you to focus on what you do best: building great apps. You can manage and develop with Power BI Embedded using tools and skills you already have.

  • The Azure portal: A web-based application for managing all Azure services
  • Visual Studio Code: a free, downloadable, open source, code editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux that supports extensions
  • Power BI Desktop: a free, downloadable tool to create rich, interactive reports with visual analytics

Using the REST API, Power BI Embedded allows developing with any language.

Engage with the Power BI engineering team

Next steps

See the pricing page for capacity node details.

To create a Power BI Embedded capacity, see Create Power BI Embedded capacity in the Azure portal

To begin embedding your Power BI content, see How to embed your Power BI dashboards, reports and tiles.