Updated: July 15, 2020 (September 28, 2015)

Power BI Receives Major Overhaul

Andrew analyzes and writes about Microsoft's data management, business intelligence, and machine learning solutions, as well as aspects of licensing... more

A new release of the Power BI service removes dependency on SharePoint Online and Excel and delivers a new Web portal and mobile applications. Power BI is a Microsoft-hosted business intelligence (BI) service for sharing refreshable Web-based reports with users more timely and securely than distributing reports by e-mail. The new release simplifies distribution of preconfigured reports and a free design tool and a free tier of service could expand the user base. However, organizations will likely require the paid tier, and existing customers will need to migrate to the new release by the end of 2015.

Power BI Overview

The Microsoft-hosted Power BI service is an Internet-based platform for sharing refreshable reports with users. For most organizations, the service is likely less expensive to deploy than a remotely accessible on-premises BI solution. The latest service has two tiers: a limited free tier, Power BI, and a paid professional tier, Power BI Pro. The service is available as a stand-alone offering but is also included in higher Office 365 plans. (For information on tiers, see the sidebar “Power BI Packaging“.)

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