Microsoft Power BI Report Server: On-premises Solution for Business Reports

 

Microsoft Power BI:

Microsoft Power BI is an enterprise reporting and Data Analysis tool, Power BI is used as a Business intelligent platform to aggregating, analyzing, visualizing and sharing business insight reports.

Key features:

•         Artificial Intelligence: ML and AI capability to enrich data analytics and reporting.
•         Hybrid deployment support:
•          Quick Insights:  The Q/A and Auto insight for data exploration
•         Customization: Make changes in the report as requirement and can develop customer reports
•          APIs for integration: Helps developer to integrate reports and dashboard with any applications
•        Modelling view: Complex data modelling capability to ingest and design models from various sources.
•      Common data model support -- Common the data model allows the use of a standardized and extensible collection of data schemas (entities, attributes and relationships).
•        Cortana integration -- Allows users to verbally query data using natural language and access results, using Cortana, Microsoft's digital assistant.
•         Self-service data prep -- Using Power Query, business analysts can ingest, transform, integrate and enrich big data into the Power BI web service. Ingested data can be shared across multiple Power BI models, reports and dashboards.

And there are many features that can help any organization to get all what they need from their business enhancement in term of Business Intelligence.

 

The parts of Power BI

Power BI consists of several elements that all work together, starting with these three basics:

·         A Windows desktop application called Power BI Desktop.

·         An online SaaS (Software as a Service) service called the Power BI service.

·         Power BI mobile apps for Windows, iOS, and Android devices.

 

Cloud vs On-Premise Terminology 

Below are the official product names that I will be using when referring to the cloud or on-premise versions of Power BI.

·         Power BI Service – this is the cloud service offered for Microsoft Power BI

·         Power BI Report Server – this is the product name for the on-premise installation of Power BI

Power BI Report Server:

Microsoft Power BI Report Server: - Power BI Report server is an on-premises solution for reporting, with having similar capability as SSRS and power BI services (online).

You can also host paginated reports, mobile reports, and KPIs on the report server because it is built upon SQL Server Reporting Service’s (SSRS) architecture. You can access and view all the types of reports on report server using a web browser, mobile device or via email.

 

 

Power BI Report Server product key

You can get the product key for Power BI Report Server from two different sources:

·         Power BI Premium

·         SQL Server Enterprise Software Assurance (SA)

 

Note: Power BI Service and Power BI Report Server use different versions of Power BI Desktop for developing and publishing reports. Neither version supports the ability to publish outside of its intended environment, But both have all most similar Visualization and features.

 

Installation for On-Premises Power BI

Installing Power BI Report Server on local is very simple and configuration can be done in a few minutes.

The installation process is like Microsoft SSRS and it requires a SQL Server DB instance for creating a reporting database.

Please follow the Microsoft installation guide.

Recommended System configuration from Microsoft: Power BI Server hardware and Software Configuration

·         Platforms – Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 8.1/Windows Server 2012/ Windows Server 2012 R2/Windows Server 2016.

·         .NET Framework 4.5.2 or later.

·         SQL Server Database Engine (2008 or later). This is for storing a report server database, better to have 2016 or latter.

·         SQL Server Analysis Services (2012 SP1 CU4 or later). It is needed for your Live Analysis Services data sources.

 

Feature Comparison: -

 

There are many feature comparisons charts for these two versions of Power B available online. For this article, I will be providing the Microsoft documentation for this.

 

The latest version of Power BI report server has many new features and it is good be updated with the enhance capabilities which can support feature and minimizing the limitation of the tool.

Microsoft power BI 2020 features

Power BI Report Server – Limitations

 

Power BI Report Server only provides support for reports to be published and shared with end Business users. Currently, it does not support for workspaces, apps, or dashboards like online services.

Given that Power BI Report Server is based on SSRS Technology, reports can be published and shared similarities to the way that SSRS reports are done so in Native Mode.

 

 

Power BI Hybrid Scenarios (Cloud & On-Prem) Solutions

Power BI Service offers the ability to have reports in the cloud that source on-premise data. This is done by using a Gateway Data Source. The Power BI admin portal provides a section where gateway data sources can be configured with an on-premise server name, database, and credentials. (We are currently assisting a client with this very thing today, and the process has proven to be seamless and effective.)
 
This can be shared with a report developer and used as a data source in the development of a Power BI report. An on-premise server must be configured with gateway services which will be used to communicate the data request with the Power BI cloud services.

So, if premium capabilities are there then we can have gain benefits of both the architectures.

Reference:

·         https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/report-server/get-started

·         https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/report-server/system-requirements

·         https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/report-server/install-report-server

·         https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/report-server/whats-new