Forum Discussion
How To Decide which workspace Type suites best
May I have guidance know based on what criteria/check list can I decide which workspace [Pro/Premium] will work best.
And why doesnt Pro workspaces have connection Links like Premium workspace
Screenshort of premium workspace connection link
To decide between Pro and Premium workspaces in Power BI, here’s a clear checklist to guide your choice and also explain why Pro workspaces don’t show connection links like Premium ones.
Checklist to Decide Between Pro vs Premium Workspaces
Criteria
Choose Pro Workspace
Choose Premium Workspace
User License
All users have Power BI Pro licenses
You want to support Free users (Premium capacity covers them)
Data Volume
Moderate datasets (less than 1 GB per dataset)
Large datasets (up to 400 GB in Premium Gen2)
Concurrency
Limited concurrent usage is acceptable
Need high concurrency and performance at scale
Auto ML & AI Features
Not available
Available in Premium
Paginated Reports
Not supported
Supported in Premium
Incremental Refresh
Limited
Fully supported
Deployment Pipelines
Not available
Supported in Premium
API & Dataflow Performance
Limited
Enhanced performance
Workload Isolation
Not supported
Yes (dedicated capacity allows isolation by workload)
Usage Metric / Audit Logs
Basic
Advanced usage metrics and centralized logging
Connectivity (XMLA endpoint / Direct Workspace connection)
Not available
Available (needed for tools like SSMS, ALM Toolkit, Tabular Editor)
Cost
Lower (pay per user)
Higher (capacity-based pricing)
8 Replies
To decide between Pro and Premium workspaces in Power BI, here’s a clear checklist to guide your choice and also explain why Pro workspaces don’t show connection links like Premium ones.
Checklist to Decide Between Pro vs Premium Workspaces
Criteria
Choose Pro Workspace
Choose Premium Workspace
User License
All users have Power BI Pro licenses
You want to support Free users (Premium capacity covers them)
Data Volume
Moderate datasets (less than 1 GB per dataset)
Large datasets (up to 400 GB in Premium Gen2)
Concurrency
Limited concurrent usage is acceptable
Need high concurrency and performance at scale
Auto ML & AI Features
Not available
Available in Premium
Paginated Reports
Not supported
Supported in Premium
Incremental Refresh
Limited
Fully supported
Deployment Pipelines
Not available
Supported in Premium
API & Dataflow Performance
Limited
Enhanced performance
Workload Isolation
Not supported
Yes (dedicated capacity allows isolation by workload)
Usage Metric / Audit Logs
Basic
Advanced usage metrics and centralized logging
Connectivity (XMLA endpoint / Direct Workspace connection)
Not available
Available (needed for tools like SSMS, ALM Toolkit, Tabular Editor)
Cost
Lower (pay per user)
Higher (capacity-based pricing)
This is Perfect, Thank You very much for the details.
I have a follow up question how should I determine the Data Volume ?Check Dataset Size:
- Go to Workspace > Datasets.
- Click "..." > Settings to see dataset size.
Use Desktop Estimation:
- In Power BI Desktop, save the file.
- Check the .pbix file size (compressed, gives rough idea).
Use DAX Studio (Advanced):
- Connect your model → Use View Metrics → See size per table/column.
General Guideline:
Dataset Size
Suggestion
< 1 GB
Pro is fine
1–10 GB
Premium (for performance)
10–400 GB
Premium Gen2 required
han_rj Server Conenction Strings are only available in Premium / Premium per User workspaces. Please check the below chart and conclude which workspace option suit your needs.
Thank You
