Understanding Power BI Report Server

Power BI Report Server is a superset of SQL Server 2017 Reporting Services that allows organizations to use Power BI technology and report design tools in an on-premises deployment.

It includes all the features of Reporting Services (center), plus the ability to host and share Power BI Desktop reports (top). The product will most likely interest organizations that want to use Power BI Desktop to create new reports but still have a requirement to host traditional Reporting Services reports and content. The product is deployed and managed like SQL Server Reporting Services and can be used in place of a Reporting Services implementation; however, Power BI Report Server brings additional licensing and servicing requirements.

Power BI Report Server will receive frequent updates (likely three times per year), and it is managed by a Modern support life-cycle policy, which means customers must be on the latest versions to be eligible for Microsoft product support. Power BI Report Server versions will have short support periods, currently planned for 12 months, which means customers will have to update the software at least once a year.