1. Power BI Subscriptions
Subscriptions are the simplest option but come with limitations.
- Licensing Requirement:
- Power BI Pro or Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) license is required for both the report creator and the recipients to receive the email subscription.
- If the report is hosted in a Power BI Premium Capacity, only the report creator needs a Pro license. The recipients can be free users if the workspace is in a Premium Capacity.
- Limitations:
- Subscriptions only send static images of the report via email (not full PDF or PowerPoint exports).
- Limited control over report filtering (you can only subscribe to the current view of the report).
2. Power Automate to Export Reports (PDF/PowerPoint)
Power Automate gives you more flexibility to automate exporting and sending reports in PDF or PowerPoint formats.
- Licensing Requirement:
- The user who sets up the flow and runs the export must have a Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) license or the report must be hosted in a Power BI Premium Capacity workspace.
- A Power Automate license is required to build and trigger the flow. Power Automate comes in various plans:
- Power Automate Free (limited functionality, but sufficient for small personal automations).
- Power Automate Per User Plan (starts at $15/user/month) or Per Flow Plan (starts at $500/flow/month).
- Power BI Pro or PPU is required for recipients to access reports unless the workspace is in Premium Capacity, where free users can view the reports.
- Features:
- Allows automated export of PDF or PowerPoint files.
- Can be scheduled weekly or bi-weekly.
- Dynamic filters can be applied for each leader, allowing individualized reports to be sent.
3. Paginated Reports (Optional for Complex Layouts)
Paginated reports offer more precise control over formatting and are best for generating multi-page reports.
- Licensing Requirement:
- Power BI Premium Capacity or Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) license is required to create and use paginated reports.
- Power Automate can be used to automate the export of paginated reports.
- Features:
- Suitable for generating high-quality multi-page PDF reports (e.g., 20-30 pages).
- Paginated reports allow for precise control over page layout, which may be more suitable for your use case.
4. Power BI Premium Capacity
If your organization has large-scale reporting needs or free users need access to the reports, Power BI Premium Capacity is the most flexible option.
- Licensing Requirement:
- Power BI Premium Capacity: Starts at $4,995/month per capacity.
- Only the report creators need Power BI Pro or PPU licenses, while free users can view the reports.
- Benefits:
- Supports advanced features like scheduled export to PDF/PowerPoint, paginated reports, and automation using Power Automate.
- No additional costs for recipients (free users can access reports in Premium Capacity).
