Dashboards vs reports in Power BI - Dashboard Approaches Compared

Dashboard Mode - Dashboards vs reports

Business Question

How can we understand the difference between dashboards and reports in Power BI to choose the right tool for our business needs?

Sample Data

Order ID	Product	Category	Sales Amount	Order Date	Region
1001	Chair	Furniture	250	2024-01-15	East
1002	Desk	Furniture	450	2024-01-20	West
1003	Pen	Office Supplies	15	2024-02-05	East
1004	Notebook	Office Supplies	30	2024-02-10	South
1005	Monitor	Technology	300	2024-03-01	North
1006	Keyboard	Technology	80	2024-03-05	West
1007	Mouse	Technology	40	2024-03-10	East

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Sales
  Formula: Total Sales = SUM('Sales'[Sales Amount])
  Result: 1165
• Bar Chart: Sales by Category
  Shows total sales for Furniture (700), Office Supplies (45), Technology (420)
• Line Chart: Sales Over Time
  Shows sales trend by Order Date from Jan to Mar 2024
• Table: Detailed Sales Data
  Shows all rows from sample data with columns Order ID, Product, Category, Sales Amount, Order Date, Region

Report Components

• Multi-page Report: Includes detailed tables, charts, and slicers for deep analysis
• Slicers: Filters for Region and Category to explore data
• Calculated Measures: Average Sales = AVERAGE('Sales'[Sales Amount]) Result: 166.43

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+
|      KPI Card        |    Sales by Category  |
|    (Total Sales)     |      (Bar Chart)      |
+----------------------+----------------------+
|      Sales Over Time (Line Chart)           |
+---------------------------------------------+
|           Detailed Sales Data (Table)       |
+---------------------------------------------+

Report Layout

+---------------------------------------------+
|               Report Page 1                  |
|  - Detailed Tables with slicers on side      |
+---------------------------------------------+
|               Report Page 2                  |
|  - Multiple charts and filters                |
+---------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

Filters and slicers on reports allow users to select Region or Category. When a filter is applied:

• KPI Card updates total sales based on filter
• Bar Chart and Line Chart update to show filtered data
• Detailed Table shows only filtered rows
• Reports allow page navigation and deeper drill-down

Self Check

If you add a filter for Region = East, which components update and what changes?

• KPI Card shows total sales for East region only (250 + 15 + 40 = 305)
• Bar Chart updates sales by category for East region
• Line Chart shows sales trend for East region dates
• Table shows only rows with Region = East

Key Result

This dashboard compares key elements of dashboards and reports in Power BI using sales data, showing total sales, sales by category, sales trends, and detailed data with interactive filters.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between a dashboard and a report in Power BI?

easy

A. Dashboards show key info on one page; reports have multiple pages with details.

B. Dashboards have multiple pages; reports show info on one page only.

C. Dashboards are only for printing; reports are interactive.

D. Dashboards contain raw data; reports contain only charts.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand dashboard purpose

   Dashboards provide a quick view of key information on a single page for fast understanding.

2. Step 2: Understand report purpose

   Reports contain multiple pages with detailed data and filters for deeper exploration.

3. Final Answer:

   Dashboards show key info on one page; reports have multiple pages with details. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Dashboard = summary, Report = detailed [OK]

Hint: Dashboards = one page summary, reports = detailed multi-page [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing dashboards as multi-page
• Thinking reports are only for printing
• Believing dashboards contain raw data

2. Which of the following is the correct way to create a dashboard in Power BI?

easy

A. Write DAX formulas to build a dashboard page.

B. Create a dashboard first, then add reports inside it.

C. Create a report and pin visuals to a dashboard.

D. Use Power Query to design the dashboard layout.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand dashboard creation process

   Dashboards are created by pinning visuals from reports to a single page.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   Dashboards are not created first, nor built with DAX or Power Query layouts.

3. Final Answer:

   Create a report and pin visuals to a dashboard. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Pin visuals from reports = dashboard creation [OK]

Hint: Pin report visuals to dashboard to create it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to create dashboard before reports
• Using DAX or Power Query to build dashboard layout
• Confusing dashboard and report creation steps

3. You have a Power BI report with 5 pages and many filters. You pin 3 visuals from different pages to a dashboard. What will the dashboard show?

medium

A. Only the 3 pinned visuals on one page without filters.

B. All 5 pages with filters applied.

C. The entire report with interactive filters.

D. A summary table of all report data.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand dashboard content

   Dashboards show only pinned visuals on a single page, not full report pages or filters.

2. Step 2: Analyze filter behavior

   Filters on report pages do not carry over to dashboard visuals; dashboard visuals are snapshots.

3. Final Answer:

   Only the 3 pinned visuals on one page without filters. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Dashboard = pinned visuals only [OK]

Hint: Dashboard shows only pinned visuals, no full pages [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming dashboard shows all report pages
• Expecting filters to apply on dashboard visuals
• Thinking dashboard is interactive like report

4. You created a dashboard but notice some visuals do not update when report data changes. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The report is not connected to any data source.

B. You forgot to refresh the Power BI Desktop file.

C. Dashboard visuals are snapshots and need to be repinned to update.

D. Dashboards cannot show visuals from reports.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand dashboard refresh behavior

   Dashboard visuals update automatically when the underlying report dataset refreshes in Power BI service.

2. Step 2: Identify likely cause

   If report data changed externally, you must refresh queries in Power BI Desktop before republishing to update the service dataset.

3. Final Answer:

   You forgot to refresh the Power BI Desktop file. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Refresh Desktop queries + republish [OK]

Hint: Refresh Power BI Desktop file and republish after data changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Believing dashboard visuals need repinning for data updates
• Assuming report is disconnected from data source
• Believing dashboards cannot show report visuals

5. You want to share a summary of sales performance with executives who need quick insights, but also provide detailed data for analysts. How should you use dashboards and reports in Power BI?

hard

A. Create separate dashboards for executives and analysts with same visuals.

B. Create only a detailed report with all data for everyone.

C. Create only a dashboard with all data and filters for analysts.

D. Create a dashboard with key sales visuals for executives and a detailed report for analysts.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify needs of executives

   Executives need quick insights, best served by a dashboard with key visuals on one page.

2. Step 2: Identify needs of analysts

   Analysts require detailed data and filters, best provided by a multi-page report.

3. Step 3: Combine solution

   Create a dashboard for executives and a detailed report for analysts to meet both needs.

4. Final Answer:

   Create a dashboard with key sales visuals for executives and a detailed report for analysts. -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Dashboard = summary, Report = detailed [OK]

Hint: Dashboard for quick view, report for deep dive [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using only reports for all users
• Using dashboards for detailed data
• Creating duplicate dashboards for different roles