How to Automate Monthly Power BI Report Delivery as a PowerPoint Attachment via Email

[Anonymous]

Hello Power BI Community,

I'm looking to automate the monthly delivery of a 'Monthly Management Report' from Power BI, ideally as a PowerPoint (.pptx) file attached to an email sent to our management team.

Context:

• The report is currently created in Power BI Service and manually shared with key stakeholders.
• I’m using Power BI Pro and have access to Power Automate but am open to other tools if necessary.

Goal:

• Export the report to PowerPoint format automatically on the first of each month.
• Send the exported PowerPoint as an attachment in an automated email to a specific distribution list.

Questions:

1. What’s the best approach to automate PowerPoint export and email distribution for a Power BI report?
2. Are there limitations or licensing requirements I should be aware of for setting up this automation?
3. If PowerPoint export isn’t possible, what are alternative solutions to achieve similar functionality?

Thank you for your help and insights!

[shafiz_p]

Hi @Anonymous 

Automating the delivery of your Power BI report as a PowerPoint attachment via email can be efficiently achieved using Power Automate. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you set this up:

Steps to Automate Power BI Report Delivery

1. Ensure you have a Power BI Pro license.
2. Access to Power Automate.
3. Your Power BI workspace should be backed by a reserved capacity (Premium per user or Premium capacity).
4. Sign in to Power Automate and select Create > Scheduled cloud flow.
5. Name your flow and set it to run on the first of each month.
6. Add a new step and search for "Power BI". Select "Export to File for Power BI Reports".
7. Configure the Export to File action:
   • Select your Workspace and Report.
   • Choose PowerPoint (.pptx) as the export format.
   • Optionally, specify pages or bookmarks if you need specific parts of the report.
8. Send the Exported File via Email:

• Add another step and search for Outlook. Select Send an email (V2).
• Configure the email action:
  • Enter the "To" field with your distribution list.
  • Fill in the "Subject" and "Body" of the email.
  • In Attachments Name, enter a name for your attachment (e.g., Monthly Management Report.pptx).
  • In Attachment Content, select "File Content" from the previous step.
• Save your flow and run a test to ensure everything works as expected.

1.  

Here is the image of the flow:

You can use power bi desktop to develop flows. All the process from login to power bi, exporting and saving to harddisk and send email can be automate. You just need to trigger execution manually every month.

Hope this helps!!

If this solved your problem, please accept it as a solution and a kudos!!

Best Regards,
Shahariar Hafiz

[Anonymous]

Many thanks.Very well strucured reply.

[dataflip · Accepted solution]

Question 1 - 

Answer:- The best way to automate PowerPoint export and email delivery for Power BI reports is to set up a workflow that exports your report as a PowerPoint file and then emails it to recipients here are the add-ons):

Install the Power BI export:

First make sure your Power BI report is published to the Power BI application.
Use Power Automate as a workflow for exporting Power BI reports to PowerPoint. Power Automate has a connector for Power BI that allows you to export reports in PDF or PPT format.
Create a Powerful Automatic Flow:

Start the flow: Use a custom trigger to automate the export at a specific time (e.g. weekly or monthly).
Add an export step: Use the Power BI action in Power Automate called “Export to File” for the Power BI report. Select the relevant workspace, select the report, and display the format as a PowerPoint.
Save File: Save exported PowerPoint files in a specific folder or in OneDrive/SharePoint for easy access and future automation steps.
Configure an email address:

Once exported, add the email action to the flow. Use the “Send an Email” or “Send an Email with Options” step in Power Automate to attach the exported PowerPoint file.
Define recipients, email subject line, and body language. You can also use dynamic fields to edit messages with data or report dates.
Experiments and Conclusions:

Run the flow manually a few times to make sure it works as expected, and confirm that the exported file matches the email.
After viewing, configure the flow to run on its scheduled schedule.
This approach is more efficient and reduces manual effort, ensuring timely and consistent reporting.

Question 2: Are there limitations or licensing requirements I should be aware of for setting up this automation?

Answer:- 

When setting up automation for Power BI, especially when exporting reports or distributing content through Power Automate, there are some key restrictions and licensing requirements to keep in mind:

Power BI Pro or Premium License:

Power BI Pro: Users should access, share and export reports and dashboards within their organization. This applies if the reports are installed in a Pro workspace.
Power BI Premium (per user or capability): Required for advanced automation capabilities, such as using "Export to File for Power BI Reports" in Power Automate, which is required for automated report export to PowerPoint, PDF , or other formats
Power Automat License:

To use Power BI-specific connectors in Power Automate, you will need the Power Automate Per User plan or the Power Automate Premium connectors (some are included with Microsoft 365 plans but require verification).
If you are using advanced automation features, check if these actions include premium connectors, as they may require additional authorization.
Export Restrictions:

Rate Limits: Power BI imposes limits on the number of reports exported per minute and hour in order to avoid system overload. If you exceed these, your shipment may have failed or will be delayed.
File size and complexity: Large or complex reports with detailed views or data may take longer processing times, or in some cases may not export properly
Additional data editing:

Make sure your data set refresh schedule matches your export time, as automatic exports will only display data until the last refresh. The daily refresh rate may be less depending on whether you have a Pro or Premium license.
Ability BI API Restrictions:

The Power BI REST API can be used for extensive automation beyond Power Automate’s built-in actions, however.

Question 3:- If PowerPoint export isn’t possible, what are alternative solutions to achieve similar functionality?

Answer:- 

If exporting Power BI reviews at once to PowerPoint isn't feasible, right here are alternative answers to attain comparable capability:

PDF Export with Power Automate:

Power BI integrates with Power Automate to export reports to PDF format. Set up an automatic workflow in Power Automate that exports the report as a PDF and then emails or saves it to a shared area.
Recipients can view the PDF in a layout much like PowerPoint, and this technique is broadly supported across gadgets.
Embedding Power BI Reports:

Use Power BI’s Embed feature to share interactive reviews via Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or other embedded systems. Users can view and engage with reports at once, offering a dynamic enjoy that PowerPoint exports can’t provide.
This method additionally ensures statistics is up to date in real-time, avoiding the need for common exports.
Publish to Web (Internal Use):

The "Publish to Web" characteristic in Power BI allows you to generate a shareable link that team participants can get entry to while not having individual export documents. Use this method most effective for secure, internal-dealing with reviews due to its accessibility level.
Creating PowerPoint Slides with Screenshots:

For a manual however honest technique, take screenshots of key visuals from the Power BI report and arrange them in PowerPoint. It’s a brief manner to create presentation slides, in particular for custom file sections you need.
Direct Report Sharing inside Power BI:

If your target audience has Power BI licenses, you could share the record immediately in Power BI or create a Power BI App with custom designed document collections. This can replace conventional presentation slides by way of providing stay, interactive information in a centralized vicinity.

[dataflip]

To automate the delivery of a monthly Power BI report as a PowerPoint attachment via email, you can leverage Power BI's Export and Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) to streamline the process. Here’s how to set it up:

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Set up Power BI Report export to PowerPoint

In Power BI Service, ensure that your report is saved and published to a workspace.
Power BI offers an 'Export to PowerPoint' option for static reports, but automating the process monthly requires Power Automation.

2. Create a powerful automated flow.

Go to Power Automate and create a new workflow.
Select Scheduled Flow and configure it to run on the initial day of each month (or your preferred schedule).

3. Include the Power BI Export Action

In your flow, add the 'Export to File for Power BI Reports' action.
Select the Power BI workspace, report, and select PowerPoint as the export format.
Your Power BI report will be used to create a PowerPoint file using this action.

4. Temporarily save the file

Add a Create File action to OneDrive for Business or SharePoint to temporarily store the exported PowerPoint file.
Define the file name and content to store the exported PowerPoint in a specific folder.

5. Send the PowerPoint as an Email Attachment

Adding an Outlook - Send an Email (V2) action is required.
I would appreciate it if you could give me the recipients, subject, and body of the email.
Attach the PowerPoint file by selecting it from the location you saved it in OneDrive or SharePoint.

Additional Tips:
Ensure that you have permissions for Power BI, Power Automate, and any OneDrive or SharePoint locations you use.
If your report requires specific date filters, you can either set them in the Power BI report or pass them dynamically in Power Automate.