Power BI is a cloud-based suite of business analytics tools that enables anyone to connect to, visualize, and analyze data with greater speed, efficiency, and understanding. It connects to a broad range of live data through easy-to-use dashboards, provides interactive reports, and delivers compelling visualizations that bring data to life.
Get Started with Power BI
Benefits and Features
Northwestern faculty and staff can:
- Combine data from multiple data sources in reports and visualizations
- Quickly produce graphs and visual representations of data
- Provide dynamic filtering
- Provide drill-through capabilities to share aggregate and detail data intuitively
- Combine visualizations in Dashboards to tell a broader story. In addition, a variety of report types can be generated from the data and published on the web as well as across mobile devices through the use of Power BI Desktop.
Power BI Versions
Power BI offers several versions to meet different needs, including Power BI Desktop, Power BI Free (or Fabric Free), Power BI Pro, and Power BI Premium Per User (PPU).
Note: Northwestern currently supports Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) but does not support Power BI Premium Capacity.
Understanding Power BI Desktop, Power BI Free, Pro, and Premium Per User (PPU)
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Power BI Desktop: This is the free downloadable software for Windows and is a report development tool included with Office 365 applications and add-ins. It allows users to develop reports and visualizations locally. While Power BI Desktop is free to install and use, users will need to request a Power BI Free license to access the Power BI service and online version. With Power BI Desktop, content cannot be shared online without a Pro license.
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Power BI Free (also known as Fabric Free): This is the online, cloud-based version of Power BI. It allows users to publish and view reports and dashboards directly in the Power BI service, without needing to download any software. As with Power BI Desktop, sharing reports requires a Pro license.
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Power BI Pro: Includes all features of Power BI Free plus additional sharing and collaboration features, enabling users to share reports and dashboards with others in the organization.
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Power BI Premium Per User (PPU): Includes all features of Power BI Pro, plus advanced Premium features like AI capabilities, paginated reports, larger data capacity, and enhanced data refresh frequency. This license is designed for users who need higher performance and advanced analytics without requiring Premium Capacity.
Note: Upgrading to Power BI Pro is necessary to share reports and dashboards across the organization. Both the report developer and any recipients of shared content must have a Pro license.
Power BI Feature Comparison
Feature |
Power BI Free/Fabric Free) |
Power BI Pro |
Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) |
Cost |
Free |
$2.00/month (Faculty/Staff); $23.55 annually |
$4.37/month (Faculty/Staff); $52.46 annually |
Data Capacity per Dataset |
1 GB |
1 GB |
100 GB |
Data Refresh Frequency |
Limited |
8 times per day |
48 times per day |
Content Distribution |
Personal only |
Share within organization |
Share with Premium features |
Data Security |
Basic |
Row-level security |
Advanced, plus larger dataset support |
AI & Advanced Analytics |
No |
No |
Yes |
Paginated Reports |
No |
No |
Yes |
API & Embedding |
Limited |
Full API access |
Full API access, additional embedding options |
***Licenses must be purchased for the year; renewal period is in June. Your costs will be prorated depending on the month purchased.
Licensing Options
- Power BI Free: For individual use; ideal for basic reports and self-analysis. Also known as Fabric Free.
- Power BI Pro: Designed for sharing and collaborating on reports across an organization. The primary reason to upgrade to Pro at Northwestern is to enable report sharing.
- Power BI Premium Per User (PPU): Adds advanced features such as AI capabilities, paginated reports, and larger datasets. Northwestern supports this option for users needing Premium features at an individual level.
Sharing Between Power BI Pro and Premium Per User Licenses
If you’re working in Power BI, understanding how sharing works between licenses is important:
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Pro and PPU Users in the Same Workspace: Both Pro and Premium Per User (PPU) users can be in the same workspace, but if the workspace is set up with Premium Per User (PPU) features, all users in that workspace must have a PPU license to access those features.
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Pro Workspaces: If you’re using a Pro workspace (without Premium features), Pro users can share content with other Pro users and PPU users. However, this shared content will not include any Premium-only features.
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Why This Matters: To use Premium features like AI capabilities, paginated reports, and enhanced data capacity, make sure the workspace is a Premium Per User workspace, and that everyone accessing it has a PPU license.
Available to
- Faculty
- Staff
- Students (Free version ONLY, Pro & Premium are not available for students)
Cost
- Power BI Desktop: Free software for personal report development
- Power BI Free (Fabric Free): Free online service for individual content publication
- Power BI Pro: $23.55 per year ($1.96/month)
- Power BI Premium Per User: $52.46 per year ($4.37/month)
How to Request Service
To request access to Power BI Free, Pro, or Premium Per User, complete the Power BI Request Form or click the appropriate button to the right. Departmental approval is required.
A valid Chart String is required for any users requesting a Pro License or Premium Per User License.
Comparison of Power BI Standard vs Pro Licensing
Support Resources
Power BI is a self-service portal. Users should contact their local IT support to see if Power BI support is offered.
Additionally, online resources are provided by Microsoft, some of which are listed in the Additional Resources on this web page.