Export report to separate PDF for each value of a filter using paginated reports

[oliviaccc]

Hello everyone,

My team lead has shared me with a Power BI report and its underlying semantic model published on our Power BI workspace. My task is to create paginated reports from this existing Power BI report so that we can export project-specific information into individual PDFs. Before I proceed, I would like clarification on a few points:

1. The current Power BI report consists of three pages, each containing a table that is governed by one overall multi-select filter. For instance, selecting two different projects filters data, displaying information for both projects within the same table in each page. When exporting as a PDF, it generates a single document. With paginated reports, is it possible to select multiple projects and export separate PDFs for each one in bulk, with each PDF exclusively presenting the data for an individual project?

2. Assuming the above requirement is feasible, I aim to ensure that the paginated reports mirror the Power BI report's design and layout. Is there a way to directly replicate the Power BI report design into a paginated report, or must I reconstruct the entire design from scratch?

I appreciate any guidance or insights you can provide.

Thank you.

[KiranHosakote]

Hi @oliviaccc 

If you are open to third-party solutions, see if BI Helper https://bihelper.tech works for you.

BI Helper is a popular and easy to use SaaS application that generates and emails user-specific PDFs (with filters and slicers applied). It only needs a Power BI Pro license, and doesn't require Power Automate or any other component. 

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi @oliviaccc ,

After my testing, the Power BI service or Report Builder itself does not fulfill your first requirement. Perhaps you could try using Power Automate. Use Power Automate to iterate over your list of projects, setting the parameter for each iteration, and exporting the report to PDF. 
Export paginated reports with Power Automate - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Direct replication of design from a Power BI report to a paginated report isn't available as a one-click solution. Paginated reports and Power BI reports use different engines and design tools. Power BI reports use Power BI Desktop and Paginated reports use Power BI Report Builder. However, you can achieve a similar look and feel by manually designing your paginated report in Power BI Report Builder.
Tutorial: Create a paginated report and upload it to the Power BI service - Power BI | Microsoft Lea...
Power BI Paginated Reports in a Day course - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards,
Dino Tao
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[oliviaccc]

Hi Dino,

Thank for your reply. I tried to use Power Automate "Export to file for Power BI Reports", but I got error:

"error": {

    "code": "InvalidRequest",

    "message": "Report requested for export is not on dedicated capacity"

  }
I am wondering if this is because of my Power BI and Power Automate License. My subscription include Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft Fabric (Free) and Microsoft Power Automate Free. Thank you so much.

[Anonymous]

Hi @oliviaccc ,

Please check whether you have Power BI Premium license and with A4/P1-A6/P3 SKUs capacity.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/collaborate-share/service-automate-paginated-integration#... 
And about Power BI Premium and SKU you can find information here:
What is Power BI Premium? - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards,
Dino Tao
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[oliviaccc]

Hi @Anonymous,

I check my License, seems I only have Power BI Pro License.

Olivia