undefinedPower BI → Power Automate Email Subscription with Dynamic PNG Export (Licensing Clarificati

[9100822653]

Question

Hello Community,

I am trying to build an email subscription–like solution using Power Automate and Power BI, and I need clarity on licensing requirements.

Scenario

• I have a Power BI report with Row-Level Security (RLS) based on Region.

• There are two tables:

  • Sales table → customer name, salary, region

  • Access table → region, email ID

• Each user should receive:

  • An email triggered from Power Automate

  • A PNG (or PDF) export of a Power BI report page

  • Data filtered only to their region (RLS-controlled)

• The flow uses:

  • Power Automate → Export Power BI report to file (PNG/PDF)

  • Attach the exported image to the email

  • Optionally embed the image inline in the email body

What I Want to Achieve

• Fully automated region-wise email delivery

• Dynamic content per user

• Secure (users should see only their region’s data)

• Similar to a Power BI email subscription, but implemented using Power Automate

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My Licensing Questions

1. What Power BI license is required for the content owner (flow creator)?

   • Power BI Pro?

   • Premium Per User (PPU)?

   • Fabric / Premium Capacity?

2. What license is required for the email recipients?

   • Do recipients need:

     • Power BI Pro?

     • Any Power BI license at all?

     • Or can they be completely license-free if they only receive PNG/PDF via email?

3. Is a Premium Capacity (P-SKU or Fabric Capacity) mandatory for:

   • Exporting reports to PNG/PDF via Power Automate?

   • Sending emails with embedded images?

   • Applying RLS during export?

4. Can this solution work with:

   • Only Power BI Pro?

   • Power BI Pro + PPU?

   • Or is Premium Capacity workspace required at minimum?

5. If Premium Capacity is required:

   • What is the minimum recommended capacity?

   • Can Fabric Trial or PPU replace Premium Capacity for this use case?

---

Goal

I want to understand the correct and minimum licensing setup to implement this solution without violating licensing rules, while keeping costs optimized.

Any guidance or official documentation references would be highly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

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If you want, I can also:

• Shorten this for faster responses

• Add screenshots references wording

• Convert it into a “Licensing only” focused question

Just tell me 👍

[v-aatheeque]

Hi @9100822653 

Following up to confirm if the earlier responses addressed your query. If not, please share your questions and we’ll assist further.

[Olufemi7]

Hello @9100822653,

To use Power Automate’s Export to File for Power BI Reports (PNG/PDF with RLS), the report must be hosted in a Premium Capacity (P‑SKU or Fabric Capacity) workspace and the flow creator needs Power BI Pro; recipients do not need any license if they only receive static files by email

see Microsoft’s official docs on Export to file using Power Automate 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/power-bi/reports/export-to-file

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/enterprise/powerbi/service-premium-what-is

[v-aatheeque · Accepted solution]

Hi @9100822653 

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

It looks like you're trying to set up a sophisticated email subscription system using Power BI and Power Automate, and you have some important licensing questions.

Content Owner (Flow Creator) Licensing
Power BI Pro: Required for content creators to publish reports and build flows.

Premium Per User (PPU): Not sufficient for Export to File in Power Automate.

Premium Capacity: Mandatory if you want automated exports, large-scale distribution, and RLS enforcement.

Email Recipients Licensing
No license required if recipients only receive static PNG/PDF via email.

Pro or PPU licenses are only needed if recipients access the report interactively in the Power BI service.

Premium Capacity Requirements
Exporting reports to PNG/PDF via Power Automate  Requires Premium/Fabric capacity.

Sending emails with embedded images Supported via Power Automate once export is done.

Applying Row-Level Security (RLS) Enforced during export, but only in Premium/Fabric-backed workspaces.

Minimum Recommended Capacity
Premium P1 SKU (or equivalent Fabric reserved capacity) is the entry-level option.

Fabric Trial: Can temporarily enable this functionality, but not viable for production.

PPU: Cannot replace Premium capacity for this use case.

References:
Export and Email a Report with Power Automate - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/License-requirement-for-Export-to-file-API/m-p/401...

Create a Dynamic Subscription for a Power BI Report - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Power BI Premium Per User - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

Hope this helps!!

Thank You.

[makshata96]

Hi V-Aatheeque,

You explained Email Subscription with Dynamic PNG Export very nicely. I have one more question related to the subscription email.

I created the report using the Indian locale, but my clients are located in different countries such as Europe and China. When they view the report in the Power BI Service, they see the data in their local number format. However, when they subscribe to the report, the PNG and PDF attachments are still shown in the Indian number format.

They want the subscription email to display the data in their own local number format. How can I resolve this issue?

[v-aatheeque]

Hi @9100822653 

Following up to confirm if the earlier responses addressed your query. If not, please share your questions and we’ll assist further.