Difference Between Power BI Dashboard and Report
The most important difference between a Power Bi Dashboard and a Report is that, power bi dashboard is made up to visualize a data in a summarizing manner while a report is a detailed presentation of a data, Power Bi Dashboard are easier to understand as from a report as report can contain some complex information which some users might not understand.
The key difference is that Power BI Dashboard is the collection of visuals to tell the story graphically like charts and graphs along with features to interact with the end-user, whereas, a report is generally a detailed summary of the large data set as per the criteria are given by the user. In this article, we discuss the differences between the two in detail –
Power BI Dashboard vs Report Infographics
Key Differences
The key differences between these two are as follows –
- Information Level: Reports are created in multiple pages so every kind of detailed analysis and information available with “Reports”. We drill through the reports.
Dashboards include only important information on the large data set which is critical for quick decision-making purposes. - Interactivity: Reports are embedded with slicers and filters so if the summary table shows the only monthly sales, then by adding category field to the slicers we can select each category individually and see how each category performing across months.
Dashboards may not have this interactivity, in different tables or visuals we may see monthly and category wise sales values, users’ needs to look at two different tables and find the differences.
Comparative Table
| Items | Dashboard | Report |
|---|---|---|
| Data Source | Dashboards are built based on multiple data tables that are connected to each other in one or more ways. | Reports generally created from a single table of data set with no relationship from other tables. |
| No. of Pages | Dashboards are not allowed to cross more than one page, it always shows the important reports in the single page itself. | Reports are generally built-in multiple pages. |
| Visualizations | Dashboards always concentrate on building insights into the data by using attractive visuals, graphs, charts, etc. | Reports are not concentrated on the visualization part of the data rather it looks to create summary pages. |
| Template | Dashboards don’t have any set template, it’s up to the creator to visualize the data to fit the needs of the business. | Reports generally have set template and according to the addition deletion of the data, the template will create reports if the formulas are applied from the data table. |
| Slicers and Filters | Since dashboards are limited to a single page we cannot use filters and slicers. | In reports, we can filter and slice the data by using slicers and many filtering options like cross-filtering, visual level filtering, and page-level filtering. |
| Kind of Information | Dashboards may include only limited information which is only important to the end-users. | Reports not limited to a single page, so it can have a detailed break up of each category of report in detail in multiple pages. |
| Reader Interactivity | Dashboards are pinned to the page so the reader can just read through the data. | Reports are created with any kind of filters and slicers so the user can interact with the data set. |
| Changes to Visuals | Dashboards are pinned to the page even the report owner changes it will not reflect on the page. | Reports usually come along with the data set, so if the reader wishes to change the visual type, they can change at any point in time. |
| Alerts | Dashboards can create alerts to email when specific condition or criteria is met or limit crossed. | Reports cannot create alerts to email when specific condition or criteria is met or limit crossed. |
| Data Set View | With Dashboards, we cannot see the source data because the reader only gets the single page information. | Reports can see tables, data sets, and fields of the data in detail i.e. Raw Data. |
Conclusion
It boils down to what kind of information required by your reporting authority, if they want to see only a single page summary then you can go with the dashboard, if the management wants to see every detailed information from the data then you should go for reports.
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