Sharing Reports Securely

Power BI provides multiple ways to share reports, each suited for different audiences and security requirements.

Sharing Methods Overview

1. Direct Sharing

Share a specific report or dashboard with individual users.

Steps:

1. Open the report in Power BI Service
2. Click Share (or the share icon)
3. Enter email addresses of recipients
4. Optional: Add a message
5. Choose permissions:

• ✅ Allow recipients to share further
• ✅ Allow recipients to build content on underlying data

1. Click Send

Key Points: • Recipients need a Pro or PPU license to view • They receive an email notification with a link • You can revoke access anytime from Manage permissions

2. Power BI Apps

Package workspace content (reports, dashboards) as an App for easy distribution.

Steps to Create an App:

1. In workspace → Click Create app
2. Configure: Name, description, logo, theme color
3. Set Navigation — define which reports appear and in what order
4. Set Permissions — who can access the app

• Specific users/groups or the entire organization

1. Publish the app

Benefits of Apps: • Curated experience — control what users see and the order • Easy updates — update workspace content, republish the app • No clutter — users see the app, not the underlying workspace

3. Publish to Web (Public)

Creates a public embed link — anyone with the link can view (no sign-in required).

⚠️ WARNING: This is publicly accessible. Do NOT use for sensitive or confidential data.

Steps:

1. Open report → File → Embed report → Publish to web
2. Click Create embed code
3. Copy the URL or iframe embed code
4. Share the link or embed in a website

4. Embedding in Applications

Embed for your organization: • Users sign in with their Power BI account • Uses standard Power BI licensing

Embed for customers (external users): • Uses a service principal or master account • Requires Power BI Embedded (Azure) or Premium capacity • External users don't need Power BI licenses

Managing Permissions

View and manage who has access:

1. Open the report → Click ••• (More options) → Manage permissions
2. See all users and their access level
3. Change permissions or revoke access
4. View sharing links and disable them if needed

Sharing Best Practices

• Use Apps for broad, controlled distribution • Use Direct Sharing for specific individuals • Never use "Publish to Web" for confidential data • Enable Row-Level Security before sharing sensitive data • Review permissions regularly — remove inactive users • Use Azure AD groups for large-scale access management