Publishing paginated reports in Power BI - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This table shows a list of paginated reports with their current status and available actions before publishing.

Cell	Value
A1	Report Name
B1	Status
C1	Action
A2	Sales Summary
B2	Ready
C2	Publish
A3	Inventory Detail
B3	Ready
C3	Publish
A4	Customer List
B4	Draft
C4	Edit

Formula Trace

IF(B2="Ready", "Publish", "Edit")

Step 1: B2="Ready"

Step 2: IF(TRUE, "Publish", "Edit")

Cell Reference Map

    A           B         C
1 | Report Name | Status  | Action
2 | Sales Summary | Ready   | Publish ← formula uses B2
3 | Inventory Detail | Ready   | Publish
4 | Customer List | Draft   | Edit

The formula in column C checks the status in column B for each report to decide if the action should be 'Publish' or 'Edit'. Here, B2 is referenced to determine C2.

Result

    A           B         C
1 | Report Name | Status  | Action
2 | Sales Summary | Ready   | Publish
3 | Inventory Detail | Ready   | Publish
4 | Customer List | Draft   | Edit

The final result shows that reports with status 'Ready' have the action 'Publish', while those not ready show 'Edit'. This helps users know which reports can be published.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What action does the formula assign if the status is 'Ready'?

A Delete

B Edit

C Publish

D Draft

Key Result

IF(StatusCell = "Ready", "Publish", "Edit") assigns action based on report readiness.

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