How does DataTako work
Welcome in the confusing jungle called 'microsoft licensing'
The power of PowerBI embedded
DataTako simplifies the process of sharing Power BI reports by utilizing Microsoft’s Power BI Embedded service. This approach enables you to distribute interactive dashboards and reports to anyone, be it clients, partners, or internal team members, without necessitating each viewer to have a Power BI Pro license.
The image below provides a simple explanation of how DataTako operates.
What is Power BI Embedded?
Power BI Embedded is a Microsoft Azure service designed for developers and organizations to embed Power BI reports and dashboards into their applications or websites. It operates on a capacity-based licensing model, which means you pay for the computing resources (capacity) rather than individual user licenses. More in licensing later. It’s important to know that Microsoft allows two methods of embedding; App owns data and User owns data.
User owns data
The application allows you to integrate data, reports, dashboards, and tiles that are accessible to users in your organization when they sign in using their own Power BI accounts. In this type of application, the users own the data that you embed.
This is commonly used when you want to embed Power BI reports in your existing company application and everyone already has a Power BI pro license.
App owns data
The application presents the data, reports, dashboards, or tiles that you uploaded to your own Power BI account. In this type of application, you are using your own account, so your application owns the data for your customers. Your customers don’t need their own Power BI account.
DataTako builds on this approach by embedding your Power BI content securely in a customizable, white-labeled web portal. This means you retain full control over the reports—what data is shown, to whom, and how it looks—while your customers get seamless access to insights without needing to log in to Power BI themselves. Instead of purchasing a Pro license for every viewer, you only need a Fabric capacity, which DataTako helps you manage efficiently.
Security
At DataTako, security isn’t an afterthought—it’s built into the foundation.
We use Microsoft’s official Power BI JavaScript SDK and REST APIs to embed your reports, dashboards, and tiles. This means every interaction is handled using Microsoft’s trusted authentication and authorization mechanisms. All tokens are generated securely and scoped to each user’s permissions, so viewers only see what they’re allowed to.
DataTako never bypasses Power BI’s security mode, we extend it.
In addition, our platform is built with enterprise-grade security in mind:
Role-based access control: Define who sees what, down to the report level.
Multi-tenant architecture: Each customer’s data is logically isolated.
Encrypted communication: All data is transmitted via HTTPS using strong TLS encryption.
Secure by default: No user data is stored unnecessarily, and all credentials are managed securely.
You stay in control of your Power BI content, while DataTako ensures it’s delivered securely, reliably, and at scale.