Publishing paginated reports in Power BI - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a paginated report in Power BI?

A paginated report is a type of report designed to be printed or shared. It shows all data in a fixed layout that fits well on pages, like invoices or statements.

beginner

Where do you publish paginated reports in Power BI?

You publish paginated reports to the Power BI service, specifically to a workspace that supports paginated reports.

beginner

What file format do paginated reports use for publishing?

Paginated reports use the .rdl file format, which is different from the .pbix files used for regular Power BI reports.

intermediate

What is a key requirement before publishing a paginated report?

You must have a Power BI Premium or Premium Per User (PPU) license because paginated reports need this capacity to be published and viewed.

intermediate

How can you share a published paginated report with others?

You can share paginated reports by giving users access to the workspace or by embedding the report in apps or websites with proper permissions.

What file extension is used for paginated reports in Power BI?

A .pbix

B .rdl

C .xlsx

D .pdf

Paginated reports use the .rdl file format, while regular Power BI reports use .pbix.

Where must you publish paginated reports?

A Power BI Service workspace with Premium capacity

B Power BI Desktop

C Excel Online

D PowerPoint

Paginated reports must be published to a Power BI Service workspace that has Premium or Premium Per User capacity.

Which license is required to publish paginated reports?

A Power BI Free

B Power BI Pro

C Power BI Premium or Premium Per User

D No license needed

Publishing paginated reports requires Power BI Premium or Premium Per User license.

What is a main feature of paginated reports?

A Fixed layout optimized for printing

B Mobile app only

C Real-time data streaming

D Interactive dashboards

Paginated reports have a fixed layout designed to fit well on printed pages.

How can you share a paginated report with your team?

A Send the .rdl file by email only

B Print and distribute paper copies only

C Upload to OneDrive

D Give access to the Power BI workspace or embed the report

Sharing is done by workspace access or embedding the report with permissions.

Explain the steps and requirements to publish a paginated report in Power BI.

Think about the tools, file type, license, and sharing options.

Describe the difference between paginated reports and regular Power BI reports.

Focus on file types, layout, interactivity, and licensing.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of publishing paginated reports in Power BI?

easy

A. To create interactive dashboards with filters

B. To import data from multiple sources

C. To share detailed, page-formatted reports with others

D. To perform data cleaning and transformation

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand paginated report purpose

   Paginated reports are designed to show detailed data in a fixed layout, ideal for printing or PDF export.

2. Step 2: Compare with other Power BI features

   Interactive dashboards and data import are different features; paginated reports focus on formatted, printable reports.

3. Final Answer:

   To share detailed, page-formatted reports with others -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Paginated reports = detailed page-formatted reports [OK]

Hint: Paginated reports = detailed, printable reports [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing paginated reports with dashboards
• Thinking paginated reports are for data import
• Assuming paginated reports are for data cleaning

2. Which tool is used to create paginated report files (.rdl) before publishing them in Power BI?

easy

A. Power BI Report Builder

B. Power BI Desktop

C. Power Query Editor

D. Power BI Service

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the report creation tool

   Power BI Report Builder is the dedicated tool for creating paginated reports with .rdl files.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other tools

   Power BI Desktop creates interactive reports, Power Query Editor is for data shaping, and Power BI Service is for publishing and sharing.

3. Final Answer:

   Power BI Report Builder -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Paginated reports created with Report Builder [OK]

Hint: Use Report Builder for .rdl paginated reports [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing Power BI Desktop for paginated reports
• Confusing Power Query Editor with report creation
• Thinking Power BI Service creates .rdl files

3. After creating a paginated report (.rdl), where must you publish it to enable sharing and scheduling in Power BI?

medium

A. A Premium capacity workspace

B. Any workspace in Power BI Service

C. Power BI Desktop

D. Power BI Report Builder

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand publishing requirements

   Paginated reports require a Premium capacity workspace in Power BI Service for publishing and sharing.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   Any workspace without Premium capacity won't support paginated reports; Desktop and Report Builder are for creation, not publishing.

3. Final Answer:

   A Premium capacity workspace -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Paginated reports need Premium workspace [OK]

Hint: Publish paginated reports only in Premium workspaces [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Publishing to non-Premium workspaces
• Trying to publish from Power BI Desktop
• Confusing Report Builder with publishing platform

4. You published a paginated report but users cannot access it. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The report was created in Power BI Desktop instead of Report Builder

B. The report was published to a Premium workspace but users lack permissions

C. The report file is not saved as .pbix

D. The report was published to Power BI Desktop instead of Service

Solution

1. Step 1: Check workspace and permissions

   Paginated reports require Premium workspace and proper user permissions to access.

2. Step 2: Analyze other options

   .pbix files are for interactive reports, not paginated; creation tool doesn't affect access; publishing must be to Service, not Desktop.

3. Final Answer:

   The report was published to a Premium workspace but users lack permissions -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Access issues usually due to permissions [OK]

Hint: Check user permissions in Premium workspace first [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing .pbix with .rdl files
• Assuming creation tool affects access
• Trying to publish reports from Desktop

5. You want to schedule a paginated report to be emailed weekly to your team. Which steps must you follow after publishing the report to a Premium workspace?

hard

A. Send the .rdl file as an email attachment manually every week

B. Create a Power Automate flow to export the report manually each week

C. Use Power BI Desktop to schedule the report delivery

D. Configure a subscription in Power BI Service and set the schedule and recipients

Solution

1. Step 1: Publish the paginated report to a Premium workspace

   This is required to enable scheduling and subscriptions in Power BI Service.

2. Step 2: Configure a subscription in Power BI Service

   Use the subscription feature to set the delivery schedule and specify email recipients for automatic report delivery.

3. Step 3: Eliminate other options

   Power Automate can automate tasks but is not required here; Power BI Desktop cannot schedule delivery; manual emailing is inefficient.

4. Final Answer:

   Configure a subscription in Power BI Service and set the schedule and recipients -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Subscriptions enable scheduled report emails [OK]

Hint: Use Power BI Service subscriptions for scheduled emails [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to schedule in Power BI Desktop
• Manually emailing reports instead of subscriptions
• Using Power Automate unnecessarily