Difference between a report and a dashboard in Power BI

Question

Mahesh Chand · Answer

A Dashboard shows you data in a chart and table format where you can see KPIs and other data right away and a lot more on demand. A report could be a different or same representation of data in a downloadable form (Excel, PDF etc).

Eliana Blake · Answer

Absolutely, I'd be happy to explain the key differences between a report and a dashboard in Power BI to help clarify their distinct roles and functionalities. In Power BI, a report is a detailed collection of visualizations (charts, graphs, tables) that are based on datasets. Reports contain multiple pages, each presenting insights and analyses derived from the underlying data. Users can interact with the visuals in a report, apply filters, drill down into specific details, and customize the view according to their needs. Reports are typically more detailed and provide in-depth analysis for users to explore and derive insights from the data. On the other hand, a dashboard in Power BI is a high-level overview of the most important insights and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) extracted from the underlying data. Dashboards are designed to provide a quick snapshot of the data, allowing users to monitor the overall health of the data or business at a glance. Dashboards often contain a combination of visuals from multiple reports or datasets, providing a consolidated view of the essential metrics. They are more focused on providing a summary view rather than detailed analysis. To give you a clearer idea, let's consider an example: - A report in Power BI might contain detailed sales performance metrics by region, product category, and time period, allowing users to analyze trends and patterns in sales data. - A dashboard in Power BI could then utilize key visuals from the sales report, such as total revenue, top-selling products, and sales growth rate, to present a concise view of overall sales performance in a single screen. Reports are usually more comprehensive and are ideal for deep dives into data analysis, while dashboards offer a quick, visually appealing way to monitor key metrics and trends. I hope this explanation helps differentiate between reports and dashboards in Power BI. Let me know if you have any further questions or if you'd like me to provide more examples or information!