21 Best Practices

in Power BI
Power BI is one of the most widely used data analysis, data
visualisation and reporting tools due to its high analytical capabilities
and free will for customisation.

Companies make use of this tool to track and analyse their business
activity, among other things. Efficient business reporting has
become a necessity for companies. However, developing productive
reports that are aligned with the business logic and that help
managers make data-driven decisions and identify valuable insights
is not as easy as it may seem.

Find out more about Power BI and get the latest news on our blog.
Best Practices in Power BI
As a preferred Microsoft Power BI partner, Bismart has a long history of creating corporate reports using this powerful tool. Our
team of Power BI experts have identified a number of best practices that make the difference when creating efficient reports
on the platform.
1. Don’t use too many visuals
Data visualisation is one of the most useful and valued capabilities of Power BI. Visuals promote the comprehension of information and
foster data democratisation, helping executives in the decision-making process.

However, an excessive amount of visuals in a report can be counterproductive. A report with too many visuals will be confusing, hinder
the readability of data and be too slow.

According to Microsoft's 'Power BI Optimisation Guide', reports should have no more than 8 visuals and one table per page.

Interested in data visualisation? Get more information here.

2. Remove unnecessary interactions between visuals

If our report has more than one visual on the same page
(Remember: no more than 8 visuals!) we must be careful. Power BI
creates interactions between all the visuals on the same page by
default. Interactions between visuals absorb a lot of loading
capacity and can slow down our report. Therefore, it is better to
remove the unnecessary interactions between visuals.

How? Minimise the number of automatic queries on the back-end

and improve report performance by disabling unnecessary
interactions.

Are your reports too slow? Find out the main causes of slow
reports.
3. Use Microsoft-certified visuals
Microsoft has a portfolio of certified visuals in the AppSource. These visuals have passed quality tests and meet the company's code
requirements.

Certified visuals' main advantage is their high performance. Moreover, they are the only visuals that can be displayed in PowerPoint
export mode or in e-mail subscriptions.

Discover the best Power BI visuals

4. Check the performance of your custom visuals

Custom visuals are usually not verified by Microsoft and therefore their performance may not be the best and they can slow down our
report.

However, sometimes companies need to incorporate custom visuals to adapt the storytelling of the report to their specific needs.
Therefore, when using a custom visual, we should always check its performance and, if it slows down the report too much, replace it.

To check visual’s performance: Menu > Performance Analyser

5. Enable personal bookmarks so that users can
customise visuals
If we want our users to enjoy a personalised experience when navigating through a report, we have to enable personal bookmarks.

Remember! Power BI only allows 20 personal bookmarks per report!

To enable personal bookmarks: Menu > View > Bookmarks > Add > Personal bookmark

Bookmarks
6. Don't forget data governance and security
Organisations usually share corporate reports with partners and customers. On the other hand, if the tool is being put to good business
use, employees from different departments and with different needs will work on or consult the same report.

Therefore, adding data security measures, assigning different roles to users and secure report sharing has become an essential need for
companies.

Strengthen report security and apply data governance measures to Power BI!

Keeping business needs in mind, Bismart has developed a set of solutions specially designed to facilitate the implementation of
data governance and security measures in Power BI: Power BI Viewer and Power BI Analytics.

Discover Power BI Viewer!

Discover Power BI Analytics!

7. Don’t import complete datasets
Complete datasets slow down reports and reduce loading capacity.

For a report to run smoothly and be easy to understand, it is better not to import complete datasets and to limit the use of tables.

8. Use the hierarchy function for slicers instead of

custom visuals
If you need to display the hierarchy of slicers, it is advisable to opt for Power BI Desktop's own display function instead of using custom
visuals.
9. Don’t use too many slicers
Slicers ease user navigation. However, each slicer requires two queries, which can decrease the performance and capacity of the report.

Therefore, it is important to frequently review which slicers are being used and to delete those not being used.

To review and reduce slicers: Through the filter panel you can evaluate the slicers and remove those less used.

10. Limit complex aggregations in data models

If you need to perform calculated measures and complex aggregations, it is advisable to do them as close as possible to the source of the
data, rather than in the Power BI visualisation environment itself.

This way we avoid overloading the report and slow loading.

11. Model correctly
It is better to model using the star-shaped scheme rather than calculated columns.

12. Store your report and the data source

in the same place
To speed up queries and data transfer, we will store our Power BI report in the same place where the data source is located.

13. If you need to print your reports, use white

or light backgrounds
The printing resolution is higher when the background of the report is white or light-coloured.
14. Match the refresh rate of the cache
to the refresh rate of the data source
By default, the Power BI cache is refreshed every hour. However, it is advisable to mimic the refresh rate of the cache to that of the data
source.

To change the refresh rate: Dataset configuration > Refresh rate

15. Avoid scrolls
Scrolls within a visual or through the report deteriorate the user experience. Whenever possible, try to ensure that users do not have to
scroll to see all the information.

16. Reduce the number of queries

Queries consume a lot of capacity, weaken performance and slow down the loading of the report. Therefore, it is advisable to reduce the
number of queries whenever possible.

To reduce queries: Options > Power Query Editor > Reduce the number of queries sent

17. Use browse buttons

Power BI's browse buttons create an intuitive and smooth user experience. Users no longer will have to right-click on visual elements and
datasets.

The user experience will be enhanced!

18. Strengthen data security with Row Level
Security (RLS)
Power BI has its own security measures. Row Level Security (RLS) allows you to hide rows of data from certain users.
19. Apply categories to data
To ensure that users understand the information and can easily access it, we will apply explanatory categories to the data.

To apply categories: Select the table > Advanced Options > Data Category

20. Round numbers

Numbers with more than four digits are difficult to read and understand. It is always better to round numbers to two or three digits. If
a user needs to see the full figure, they can always refer to the data.

21. Innovate and apply advanced analytics

Like in any creative process, innovation can be the key for creating unique, attractive and productive reports.

Besides the basic Power BI functionalities that we all know, there are some technical capabilities and usage options that only experts
know about.

For example, did you know that you can apply Google Analytics time filter to Power BI?

Learn how to create Google Analytics’ time filter in Power BI

And finally... Remember!
Poorly structured, extremely slow or confusing reports can lead to poor business decisions and negatively affect a company's
performance.

Therefore, it is very important that corporate reports are created by experts who understand the tool and know exactly how to use it to
create business value.
Need help creating
Power BI reports?
We can help you!

Contact us, we don't bite ;)

You may also be interested in 12 Tips You Can't Ignore When Creating a Dashboard

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