Set up Power BI Embedded

APPLIES TO:  App owns data  User owns data

If you want to start using Power BI Embedded to share your reports with others, use the Power BI embedded analytics setup tool to get started. This article shows you how.

To use Power BI embedded analytics, you need to register a Microsoft Entra application in Azure. The Microsoft Entra app establishes permissions for Power BI REST resources, and allows access to the Power BI REST APIs.

Prerequisite

To set up a Power BI embedded analytics environment, you need one of the following:

Before you begin

Before you can register your app, decide which of the following solutions best suits your needs:

Embed for your customers

Use the embed-for-your-customers solution, also known as app owns data, if you create an app that's designed for your customers. Users don't need to sign in to Power BI or have a Power BI license to use your app. Your app authenticates against Power BI by using either a master user account (a Power BI Pro license used for signing in to Power BI) or a service principal.

The embed-for-your-customers solution is usually used by independent software vendors (ISVs) and developers who create applications for a third party.

Embed for your organization

Use the embed-for-your-organization solution, also known as user owns data, if you create an application that requires users to use their credentials to authenticate against Power BI.

The embed-for-your-organization solution is usually used by enterprises and large organizations, and is intended for internal users.

For more about the two solutions, see What are the Power BI embedded analytics solutions?.

Set up your environment

After you understand the two embedding options, you can use the setup tool to create your Power BI Embedded environment.

If you prefer to manually set up your environment, skip the steps in the following sections. Instead, follow the steps in Manual registration, later in this article.

Important

If you're embedding for a GCC, follow the instructions in Manual registration.

To use the tool to set up your environment, go to the Power BI embedded analytics setup tool. Select the embedding option that you want.

Screenshot of the Power BI embedded analytics setup tool. The options for embedding for your customers or for your organization are highlighted.

Step 1 - Sign in to Power BI

  1. Under Step 1 in the setup tool, select Sign in. This step signs you in to Power BI. If you're prompted to pick an account, sign in with a user that belongs to your Power BI tenant. The Microsoft Entra app gets registered under this user.

    Screenshot of the Power BI embedded analytics setup tool. Under Step 1, the Sign in button is highlighted.

    Note

    If you're already signed in, verify that you're signed in with the user you want to use to create the Microsoft Entra app. To change users, select sign out. After the tool restarts, sign in with the correct user.

  2. Select Next to go to the next step.

    Screenshot of the Power BI embedded analytics setup tool after a user has signed in to Power BI. The Next button in highlighted.

Step 2 - Register your application

In this step, you register a Microsoft Entra application in Azure. The Microsoft Entra app establishes permissions for Power BI REST resources, and allows access to the Power BI REST APIs. You can always change these settings at a later time.

  1. To register your application for your customers, fill in the following fields:

    Screenshot of the Power BI embedded analytics setup tool. The step for registering an app is visible, with an app name box and API access options.

  2. Select Register.

  3. Your Microsoft Entra app Application ID is displayed in the Summary box. Copy this value for later use.

    Screenshot of the Power BI embedded analytics setup tool, with a Summary box on the right. Information in the box includes an application ID.

Step 3 - Create a workspace (optional)

Create a workspace in the Power BI service:

  • If you already have a Power BI workspace, select Skip.

  • To create a workspace, enter a name for your workspace, and then select Create workspace. Your workspace name and ID appear in the Summary box. Copy these values for later use.

    Tip

    For the embedded analytics sample app to work as expected, you have to use the tool to create a workspace.

Step 4 - Import content (optional)

Select one of the following options:

  • If you have your own Power BI app, you can select Skip.

  • If you want to create a sample Power BI app by using a sample report, select Sample Power BI report, and then select Import.

  • If you want to create a sample Power BI app by using your own report, select Upload a .pbix file, browse for your file, and then select Import.

Step 5 - Grant permissions (Embed for your customers only)

Select Grant permissions and in the dialog, select Accept. This step allows your Microsoft Entra app to access the APIs you selected (also known as scopes) with your signed-in user. This user is also known as the master user.

Download sample app (optional)

If you created a Power BI workspace and uploaded content to it by using this tool, you can now select Download sample application.

Note

If you skipped the optional stages, you can still download a sample Power BI app. However, the code in the downloaded app lacks the properties that get filled in during registration. For example, if you don't create a workspace, the sample app doesn't include the workspace ID.

Make sure you copy all the information in the Summary box. Your Power BI embedding environment is ready to use.

Manual registration

If you didn't use the Power BI embedded analytics setup tool, use the procedure in this section to manually register a Microsoft Entra app. But take these steps only if you're creating one of the following solutions:

  • An embed-for-your-organization application
  • An embed-for-your-customers application with a service principal

For more information about how to register applications in Microsoft Entra ID, see Register an application with the Microsoft identity platform.

  1. Sign in to the Azure portal.

  2. Select your Microsoft Entra tenant by selecting your account in the upper-right corner of the page.

  3. Select App registrations. If you don't see this option, search for it.

  4. In App registrations, select New registration.

  5. Fill in the following fields:

    • Name - Give your application a name.

    • Supported account type - Select who can use the application.

  6. (Optional) In the Redirect URI box, add a redirect URL.

  7. Select Register. After your app is registered, you're directed to your app's overview page, where you can obtain the Application ID.

More questions? Try asking the Power BI Community.