PowerBI report load time SLAs

[MadhavB]

Hi All - I am looking for guidance in defining SLAs for report load times and factors that have to be accounted like detail table visuals having different SLAs and trend charts having different SLAs. Also, would like to understand how capacity planning is done to finalize PowerBI PPU SKU type

[Anonymous]

Hi, @MadhavB 

From my understanding, there are several factors to consider when defining SLAs for report load time and capacity planning for PowerBI. For example, the complexity of the report design, the amount of data retrieved by the report, the way the report retrieves the data, and the number of users that the SKU can handle are all important factors to consider Microsoft Learn provides a detailed guide on capacity planning for PowerBI Premium's paged reports, which includes information on how to view the capacity and SKU tables and how to plan for capacity There is also a Power BI Capacity Load Assessment tool to help you understand how much user load the capacity can handle Additionally, there is a capacity planning guide for Power BI Reporting Servers, which provides the results of extensive load test performances on Reporting Servers sharing a variety of workloads

Related links:
Paginated reports capacity planning for Power BI Premium - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Power BI embedded analytics assess load for capacity planning. - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Capacity planning guidance for Power BI Report Server - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards,
Yang
Community Support Team

If there is any post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. Thanks a lot!

How to get your questions answered quickly --  How to provide sample data in the Power BI Forum

[MadhavB]

Hello @Anonymous - Thank you so much for the quick help. Actually my question had two parts and your response greatly helps in capacity planning part of my question. Could you also guide me on any standard SLAs that typically we have for PowerBI reports in terms of load times? Like, do we have 5 seconds or 7 seconds or 10 seconds of load times? Do load times depend on how much data is shown on report visuals (table visual with transaction level details for example) or they just depend on datasize of the model / PBI shared dataset against which the query runs? What are acceptable load times from end user experience perspective? I believe these SLAs, user base (max count of users accesing reports) and size of the shared dataset will drive the capaicty / SKU.  Thank you again for the detailed response provided by you. 

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi, @MadhavB 

Defining SLAs for Power BI report load times is an important aspect of ensuring a good user experience. Here are some considerations for setting these SLAs.

Report complexity, Load times may vary depending on the complexity of the report. Detailed table visual objects with many rows and columns may take longer to load than trend charts with aggregated data. It is common to set different SLAs for different types of visual objects.

Data Model Size, The size of the Power BI dataset may affect load time. Larger datasets may take more time to process and render visual objects.

User Expectations, It is critical to understand the expectations of end users. Some users may be more tolerant of longer load times for complex reports, while others may want fast access to data.

Performance Best Practices, Implementing best practices such as using aggregation, optimizing DAX queries, and reducing the number of visual objects on a report can help reduce load times.

1. There is no one-size-fits-all answer for standard SLAs, as it depends on the factors mentioned above. However, a common benchmark for interactive reports is to aim for a load time of 10 seconds or less. For more complex reports, load times may be longer, but be sure to set expectations with your users accordingly.

2. The amount of data displayed on the report visual object and the size of the dataset can affect load time (if the computer is under-configured, the DAX statement is complex, and the amount of data on the visual object is too large, the content displayed on the report visual object will load slowly or not even load)

Best Regards,
Yang
Community Support Team

If there is any post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. Thanks a lot!

How to get your questions answered quickly --  How to provide sample data in the Power BI Forum

[David_E]

To follow up on the original posters question - once you have established what you SLAs are - how do you measure them for the reports, and track performance, get notified when they are missed, etc?  I have looked at the "Report usage Metricds Report" and while it doesn't seem to show End User Experience metrics.  Could you recommend a good way to find where that data is recorded and surface it?