Getting started/licensing

[Markzolotoy]

I have been out of this product for a while and want to have the latest infomation on the above. Here is what I want. I want to have a cloud based service that the users can use to get their paginated and mobile reports, data visualizations, and more from anywhere. The data is going to be on their prems or some customers might have data in the cloud. But for now, it's on-prem. currently, customers buy a software from us and install it on-prem servers. The product already has SSRS reports which they run without SSRS server. I am thinking to migrate reports part to a cloud service. Power BI seems like a good choice. I need to know how I get started evaluating the technology and creating some near real world demo if company doesn't have any means to provide me wtih an appropriate licence. Pease help me to understand what would it take for me to get started with what I am describing. 

Thanks

[v-diye-msft]

Hi @Markzolotoy 

If the above posts help, please kindly mark it as a answer to help others find it more quickly. thanks!

If not, please kindly elaborate more.

[Greg_Deckler]

@Markzolotoy Generally with embedded you create your own web app so nobody needs anything other than a web browser. There is no need for an "app", I'm not sure what you mean by that really. And yes with embedded it all runs in the cloud as far as Powet BI is concerned.

[Markzolotoy]

@Greg_Deckler, What I meant by "app" was that today customers run SSRS reports from within the software they are buying from my company. They cannot get these any other way. One of many reasons to go cloud is to give the customers an ability to get the reports and other visuals on devices that are not running the software, phones for example. Is that possible going with an embedded solution?

[Greg_Deckler]

@Markzolotoy Yes, any website will work with embedded.

[Markzolotoy]

@Greg_Deckler I am reading this:

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Power-Query/Do-I-need-a-power-Bi-premium-licence-to-embed-power-BI-...

and very confused.

[Greg_Deckler · Accepted solution]

@Markzolotoy That's an internal application (inward facing for your internal employees) Embedded licensing terms of service prohibit that deployment method for internal users. Embedded is meant for ISV's building applications for external users (users outside of their organization). This is why the post you refer to is titled: Do I need a power Bi premium licence to embed power BI reports into an internal application? Emphasis added.

Yes, you will need 1 Pro license to essentially "share" the embedded report content. 

I feel all of this was very clearly explained in Power BI Licensing in Pictures - Updated. 

Embedded is a usage based option for Power BI and is specifically designed for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to allow Power BI reports and visuals to be embedded in custom, external facing web applications. Publishers require a Pro license at $9.99/month and capacity starts at $1/hour. There are six A SKU's and they get progressively more expensive. Each level essentially doubles the price of the previous level and tops out at the A6 SKU for around $32/hour. The terms of service for Embedded dictate that this is only for viewing outside of one’s organization and cannot be used for internal viewing of reports. In other words, this is not intended to be a low cost way to share reports and not require a Pro license for everyone. 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/embedded/embed-paginated-reports-customers

[Markzolotoy]

@Greg_Deckler I see. I think I am starting understanding the embedded concept. Let me make sure I am heading into the right direction. Customers will be installing our software on prem as they do today. They will see reports and other visuals within our applications not even knowig it's a totally new technology. Ok, fine. But what about phones and and other small devices to see the reports? we do not have a mobile version of our application. Will the customers be able to navigate to these reports on the cloud? 

Thanks

[Greg_Deckler]

@Markzolotoy You would likely want to build a responsive web site for mobile access to the reports or a simple native mobile application that basically just displays the reports. The reports are in the cloud and are available but you need something to present them to customers.

[Greg_Deckler]

@Markzolotoy Sounds like you want Premium which provides cloud-based paginated reports (SSRS). 

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Community-Blog/Power-BI-Licensing-in-Pictures-Updated/ba-p/1291304

[Markzolotoy]

@ Greg_Deckler. Is there a way of trying Premium, free or paid?

Thanks

[Greg_Deckler]

@Markzolotoy I believe that Premium is billed monthly so you can try it for a month and then turn it off if you don't like it. Now, they just announced Per User Premium at Ignite but I do not believe the price has been set yet. But I would expect that to be released soon so you may want to wait for that to it. Then you could try it out for a very low cost per month.

[Markzolotoy]

@Greg_Deckler, I am still missing the "big" idea. So, for me, the developer (actually for my company) it will cost 60 thousands a year to publish 10 reports and let customers running these reports from the cloud instead of on prem? What is it going to cost to one customer? Will it make any difference if I migrate/redesign these reports in Power BI?

Thanks

[Greg_Deckler]

@Markzolotoy So you could also use Power BI Embedded:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/embedded/embed-paginated-reports-customers

Sorry, should have thought of this before. Embedded is a premium SKU so you can publish paginated reports via it. A SKU's are pretty inexpensive to start/test. An A1 is $1/hour so that's like $720/month if you run it 24/7. You can spin it up and spin it down however to save money.

[Markzolotoy]

@Greg_Deckler, Ok, I can have Power BI visuals built into in my appication, but these visuals are still running from the cloud, right? Also the users will need to have the app to run these reports because they are using apps data, correct? So, what is the advantage here besides the cost? Just a different reporting technology that is going to be transparent to users anyway? dont take me wrong, I am not crtisizng, just trying to get to the bottom of the matter. And with the Premium, customers will not have to pay anything, it's my company who will be charging them for the cloud service?