Strong integration capabilities Microsoft Dynamics 365 with other products in the MS ecosystem are its strong suit. And Power BI is a significant part of this ecosystem. Power BI comes with the capability to bring in insights and data from diverse sources. It then visualizes the acquired data, converting it into insights that can either be shared with others in the organization or used for personal convenience.
These visualizations can be utilized through three methods: Power BI Desktop (a native Windows application), the Power BI service (https://app.powerbi.com), and Power BI mobile apps. These are available on iOS, Android, and Windows platforms.
But How do we embed Power BI into Dynamics 365? That’s the question we will be focusing on in the below article. Let’s get on with it.
Embedding Power BI in a Dynamics 365 Personal Dashboard
If you are already a CRM power user, this will be a breeze for you. And you can embed Power BI into Dynamics 365 personal dashboards. However, there are just a few prerequisites that you will need to focus on first.
Requirements:
1. A Power BI Account
2. Power BI visualizations need to be enabled at an organizational level. To do this, go to Settings > Administration > System Settings > Reporting > Allow Power BI visualization embedding. and Administrator-level access is required.
3. Once this process is complete, you are all set and can integrate Power BI into your dashboard.
MS Dynamics 365 comes with a built-in dashboard with lists, and basic acceptable charts, drill-down capacities. However, users are taken to the Dashboards page first thing when they log in through the web interface by default.
But these dashboards are a dull version in comparison to the superior aesthetics and full capabilities of MS flagship analytics platform, Power BI. However, MS Dynamic 365 allows you to add a fully functioning pre-build Power BI dashboard using your data that appears completely seamless – as though it had been part of it from initiation while being effective, quick, and completely free.
Step 1: Get Power BI
If you don’t have Microsoft Power BI yet, click here to get it. The button might say “Try Free” but it’s not a limited-time trial. Click here to check the pricing page detailing what the free edition gets you, as well as the paid editions. You can choose the web interface for now.
Step 2: Find the right Connector or “App” for Power BI
1. Locate and click the “Get Data” button.which is located in the bottom-left corner of the page.
2. The AppSource window will appear. Scroll down, or, type “Dynamics 365” in the search bar:
3. There are multiple applications for all the various online platforms, which is one of the many features that makes Power BI powerful. Power BI allows you to accumulate data from various data sources outside of Dynamics 365, and reflect it neatly in dashboards within one single interface.
4. There are many Apps available for various parts of Dynamics 365 such as Sales, Financials, Social Engagement, Marketing, etc.To understand, let us choose “Sales Analytics for Dynamics 365”, and click “Get it now”.
Step 3: Connect Power BI
1. In the dialog that follows, enter the relevant URL for your Dynamics 365 organization and the latest month of the organization’s Fiscal Year: However, If you are connecting to Dynamics 365 Online, simply enter the normal URL you had previously used to log in from your browser. For example, if my organization name is “Contoso”, I would enter: https://contoso.crm.dynamics.com
2. Click Next. If indicated, and under the Authentication Method, select oAuth2. Then relax while Power BI reads your data.
3. After the wait Power BI, will show the new Dashboard. It may initially look grayed-out while it’s reading the data, but it will show a white background with buttons enables once it’s ready for use.
Step 4: Enable Power BI dashboards in Dynamics 365
The next step is to log into the Dynamics 365 website, navigate to Settings > Administration > System Settings > Reporting tab, and under Set whether users can embed Power Bi visuals > Allow Power BI visualization Embedding, select Yes and click OK.
Step 5: Add the Power BI Dashboard
1. Still, in Dynamics 365, navigate to Sales > Dashboards, then click the dropdown arrow next to the New button > Power BI Dashboard.
2. Click on the Dashboard dropdown and select the dashboard that you had created earlier. And click Save.
3. Wait for all the data to load and the dashboards to be displayed for the first time, once done you will be rewarded with a great-looking live Power BI dashboard directly inside Dynamics 365.
Additionally, if you click on the dashboard, a pop-up window with the full “Power BI Report” will open, containing multiple dashboard tabs, each with numerous levels of high-level as well as detailed information, which will give you a detailed approach to the nature and capabilities behind the Power BI platform.
You can use Veelead Solutions to address your key business priorities or utilize the hours of our expert support based on your requirement. As your Microsoft Power Platform partner, we provide the customized network of Power BI support and implementation solution that act as an extension of your internal IT team.
