Frequently asked questions about the Power BI apps in Business Central

APPLIES TO: Generally available in Business Central 2024 release wave 2.

This article provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Power BI apps for Business Central.

What Power BI licenses do I need?

To use the Power BI apps, you need Power BI PRO licenses for the following users:

• Users who install the Power BI template apps.
• Users who refresh the report data.
• Users who access the reports.

Alternatively, you can use Power BI Premium Capacity.

To learn more, go to Installing Power BI apps for Business Central (prerequisites).

Why do I need Power BI licenses?

You must have Power BI licenses for the following reasons:

1. You must install Power BI template apps from Microsoft AppSource.
2. You must share a Power BI workspace.

The use of free license alternative for Power BI allows you to embed your own reports. Anything in the free Power BI license must be present in your personal Power BI workspace. So, the free license alternative does not work with the Power BI apps.

What Business Central licenses do I need?

Users who access Power BI reports with Business Central data must also have a paid license for Business Central, such as Essentials, Premium, or Team Member.

To learn more about the different types of licenses and how licensing works in Business Central, refer to the Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide.

Can I install the same app multiple times for different companies or environments?

Yes. Just choose Install another copy of the app into a new workspace when you install the app again. Consider including the company name in the workspace name for easier discoverability.

Can I use the same app to do reporting across multiple companies or environments?

No. The Power BI apps currently work per company in Business Central. If you have multiple companies in your Business Central environment, you must install and set up a Power BI template app for each company. Each app is then available in its own Power BI workspace.

How do I refresh the data in an app?

To learn more, go to Get the latest data (refresh the semantic model).

My semantic model doesn't refresh. How do I figure out what's wrong?

If a semantic model cannot refresh, you can see why in its workspace, where semantic models with errors show a small warning icon.

Learn more in the Power BI article Data refresh in Power BI.

I can't see any dimension data in my reports

All Power BI semantic models read dimension records from PowerBI Flat Dim. Set Entry (Table 36954). This is a different table from the standard Dimension Set Entries table.

The PowerBI Flat Dim. Set Entry table has flattened dimension set entry records that are purpose-built for PBI reporting. The Update Dim. Set Entries job queue entry (Codeunit 36952) periodically updates the table.

This job queue entry is created automatically when you finish the Connect to Power BI assisted setup guide. If you haven't finished the guide, you can go to the Power BI Report Setup page and choose the Schedule Power BI Dimension Refresh action.

Troubleshooting Dimension Data

1. Ensure the Update Dim. Set Entries job queue entry is present.
2. Ensure it has run successfully. You can ensure this by clicking run once in the foreground.
3. Run the PowerBI Flat Dim. Set Entry table in your browser to ensure records are present.

If data is present in the flat dim table, you can refresh the semantic model and see the results.

To learn more, go to Job queue entry for updating dimension set entries.

How do I change the connection parameters for an app?

To learn more, go to Connect the Power BI semantic models to Business Central.

How do I update an app?

To learn more, go to Updating a Power BI app.

Are the apps available in multiple languages?

Yes, all apps are multi-language for many of the languages that Business Central supports. To learn more, go to Multi-language Power BI apps for Business Central.

Can I get a copy of the source code (.pbix files) for the apps?

The source code (.pbix files) for the Power BI apps is available from the following versions.

You can download the .pbix file by installing the app from AppSource and then download the source code from the installed app.

Are the apps available for on-premises installations?

No. At the moment, the Power BI apps are only available for online environments.

Related information

Installing Power BI apps for Business Central
Power BI apps by functional area
Introduction to Business Central and Power BI
Work with Power BI reports