What are paginated reports in Power BI?

In today’s data-driven world, businesses rely heavily on comprehensive and visually engaging reports to make informed decisions. Power BI, a leading business analytics tool developed by Microsoft, has revolutionized the way organizations visualize and interact with their data. While Power BI is renowned for its dynamic dashboards and real-time analytics, another powerful feature it offers is power bi paginated reports.

Paginated reports are designed for pixel-perfect printing and detailed data presentation, making them essential for scenarios where precise formatting and extensive data output are required. These reports are ideal for creating operational reports, invoices, financial statements, and other documents that need to be printed or shared in a fixed layout format. Unlike regular Power BI reports, which are optimized for interactive analysis and on-screen viewing, paginated reports excel in delivering structured and highly formatted reports that span multiple pages.

In this article, we will delve into the world of paginated reports, exploring their key features, creation process, benefits, and best practices. Whether you’re new to Power BI or looking to expand your reporting capabilities, understanding paginated reports will enable you to leverage their full potential for your business needs.

Prerequisites

  • Power BI Pro or Power BI Premium per user License
    • Required for publishing and sharing paginated reports.
  • Report builder for power bi
    • Download and install the latest version for creating paginated reports.
  • Data Source Access
    • Ensure permissions and connection details for data sources like SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and Power BI datasets.
  • Basic Understanding of SQL and DAX
    • Useful for querying databases and manipulating data.
  • Power BI Service Account
    • Active account with permissions to publish and manage reports in workspaces.
  • Familiarity with Report Design Concepts
    • Basic knowledge of tables, charts, parameters, and expressions.

Create a Paginated Report in Power BI

Step 1: Open Power BI Report Builder

  • Launch Power BI Report Builder from your desktop.
  • If you don’t have it installed, download it from the official Power BI website.

Step 2: Connect to a Data Source

  • Click on the “New Report” or “Blank Report” option.
  • Go to the “Data” pane, right-click on “Datasets,” and select “Add Dataset.”
  • Choose your data source type (e.g., SQL Server, Power BI dataset) and configure the connection settings.
  • Test the connection to ensure it’s working correctly.

Step 3: Define a Dataset

  • Write your SQL query or DAX expression to retrieve the data you need.
  • Click “OK” to create a dataset query.
  • You can preview the data by right-clicking the dataset and selecting “Query Designer.”

Step 4: Design the Report Layout

  • Use the “Insert” tab to add report items such as tables, matrices, charts, and text boxes.
  • Drag and drop fields from your dataset onto the report items to bind data.
  • Arrange and format the items to match your desired layout.

Step 5: Add Headers and Footers

  • Right-click on the report canvas and select “Insert,” then choose “Header” or “Footer.”
  • Add elements like text boxes or images to the header/footer as needed.
  • Use expressions to dynamically display information like page numbers or report titles.

Step 6: Configure Page Settings

  • Go to the “Report” menu and select “Report Properties.”
  • Adjust the page size, margins, and orientation to fit your needs.
  • Ensure the settings match the intended output format (e.g., A4 for PDFs).

Step 7: Add Parameters (Optional)

  • Right-click on “Parameters” in the “Report Data” pane and select “Add Parameter.”
  • Define parameter properties such as name, data type, and available values.
  • Use parameters in your dataset queries to filter data dynamically.

Step 8: Preview the Report

  • Click the “Run” button to preview your report.
  • Check for any layout issues or data discrepancies.
  • Adjust the design as needed based on the preview.

Step 9: Save and Publish the Report

  • Save your report locally using the “File” menu.
  • To publish, click on the “File” menu, select “Save As,” and choose “Power BI Service.”
  • Sign in to your Power BI account, select the workspace, and publish the report.

Step 10: Share the Report

  • Navigate to the Power BI service (https://app.powerbi.com).
  • Find your paginated report in the workspace where you published it.
  • Share the report with others by granting access or embedding it in dashboards.

Conclusion

Paginated reports in Power BI are essential for businesses needing detailed, precisely formatted, multi-page reports like operational reports, invoices, and financial statements. They offer pixel-perfect design, making them ideal for print-ready documents.

To get started, ensure you have a Power BI Pro or Premium license, Report Builder, access to data sources, and a basic understanding of SQL and DAX (you can find more on microsoft learn). Follow the step-by-step process to connect data, design the report layout, and publish.

Utilizing paginated reports enhances your reporting capabilities, allowing for comprehensive and professional documentation beyond Power BI’s interactive dashboards. Mastering this feature enables you to create detailed, structured reports that meet your business needs.

Transform the Way You Share Power BI Reports with DataTako!

DataTako allows you to configure a fully whitelabel reporting portal in a matter of minutes, embed your reports in the Power BI, fully customize the look and feel and even use your own domain! You are able to share reports with anyone, anywhere in the world, including external users such as vendors or customers.

Configure parameters and filters, report parameters and subscribe to paginated reports and start your DataTako yourney now!