Power BI Platforms

Power BI Platforms Interview with follow-up questions

1. Can you explain the different platforms of Power BI and their uses?

Power BI spans several platforms, each suited to different roles and scenarios:

1. Power BI Desktop A free Windows application. This is where report authors and data modelers spend most of their time. Desktop provides the full Power Query editor for ETL, the model view for defining relationships, the DAX formula bar for writing measures, the report canvas for visual design, and a dedicated DAX query view for writing and testing DAX queries. Desktop also supports TMDL (Tabular Model Definition Language) project format for saving semantic models as human-readable text files compatible with Git source control.

2. Power BI Service The cloud-hosted SaaS platform at app.powerbi.com, which is also the entry point to Microsoft Fabric. Used for publishing, sharing, collaborating, and governing content. Key Service-only capabilities: workspaces, deployment pipelines (dev/test/prod promotion), scheduled data refresh, Row-Level Security assignment, Power BI apps, embedding in Teams and SharePoint, Copilot-assisted insights, and dataflows. Requires a Pro, PPU, or Premium license (or Fabric capacity) for sharing.

3. Power BI Mobile iOS and Android apps for consuming reports and dashboards on smartphones and tablets. Supports push notifications for data alerts, annotations on visuals, and offline cached views. Mobile layouts can be defined in Desktop so reports render optimally on small screens.

4. Power BI Report Server An on-premises report hosting solution for organizations that cannot use the cloud. Supports Power BI reports (.pbix), paginated reports (SSRS), Excel workbooks, and KPIs. Note that Report Server receives feature updates less frequently than the cloud service and does not include Fabric features.

5. Power BI Embedded Azure-based embedding APIs for developers building ISV applications or internal portals. Allows embedding Power BI content in any web application without requiring end users to have Power BI licenses, using capacity-based billing instead.

6. Power BI in Microsoft Teams A dedicated Power BI app inside Teams that lets users browse their Power BI content, create reports, and receive alerts without leaving Teams.

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Follow-up 1

Which platform would you recommend for a small business and why?

For a small business, I would recommend using Power BI Service. Power BI Service is a cloud-based platform that offers several advantages for small businesses:

  1. Accessibility: Power BI Service can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing small business owners and employees to view reports and dashboards on their preferred devices.

  2. Collaboration: Power BI Service enables users to share reports and collaborate on data analysis. This is particularly useful for small businesses that have multiple team members working on data-related tasks.

  3. Cost-effectiveness: Power BI Service offers flexible pricing options, including a free version with limited features. This makes it a cost-effective choice for small businesses that have budget constraints.

Overall, Power BI Service provides small businesses with the necessary tools to analyze and visualize their data, collaborate with team members, and make data-driven decisions.

Follow-up 2

How does Power BI Mobile differ from Power BI Desktop?

Power BI Mobile and Power BI Desktop are two different platforms with distinct purposes:

  • Power BI Mobile: Power BI Mobile is a mobile app that allows users to access and view reports and dashboards on their smartphones and tablets. It provides a mobile-friendly interface for exploring data on the go. Power BI Mobile is primarily used for consuming and interacting with reports, rather than creating or editing them.

  • Power BI Desktop: Power BI Desktop is a Windows application that allows users to create and publish interactive reports and dashboards. It provides advanced data modeling capabilities and supports complex data transformations. Power BI Desktop is designed for data analysts and power users who need to create and customize reports.

In summary, Power BI Mobile is used for accessing and viewing reports on mobile devices, while Power BI Desktop is used for creating and editing reports on Windows computers.

Follow-up 3

Can you share an example of when you would use Power BI Service over Power BI Desktop?

Power BI Service is typically used when you need to share reports with a large number of users or collaborate on data analysis. Here's an example scenario:

Let's say you work in a marketing department and you need to create a monthly marketing performance report. You use Power BI Desktop to connect to various data sources, transform and clean the data, and create visualizations. Once the report is ready, you publish it to Power BI Service.

In Power BI Service, you can set up a scheduled refresh to automatically update the report with the latest data. You can also create a dashboard to display key metrics and share the report with your team members or stakeholders.

Your team members can access the report through Power BI Service, view the visualizations, apply filters, and explore the data. They can also leave comments, ask questions, and collaborate on data analysis.

In this example, Power BI Service is used to share the report, enable collaboration, and provide a web-based interface for accessing and interacting with the data.

Follow-up 4

What are the limitations of each platform?

Each platform of Power BI has its own limitations:

  • Power BI Desktop: Some limitations of Power BI Desktop include:

    • It is only available for Windows operating system.
    • It requires installation and updates on individual computers.
    • It may have performance limitations when working with large datasets.

  • Power BI Service: Some limitations of Power BI Service include:

    • It requires an internet connection to access reports and dashboards.
    • It has certain restrictions on data refresh frequency and data storage capacity.
    • It may have limitations on data connectivity options and data transformation capabilities.

  • Power BI Mobile: Some limitations of Power BI Mobile include:

    • It has a simplified interface compared to Power BI Desktop and may not support all the features available in Power BI Desktop.
    • It may have limitations on data exploration and interactivity.

It's important to consider these limitations when choosing the appropriate platform for your specific needs.

2. How do you publish a report from Power BI Desktop to Power BI Service?

Publishing a report from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI Service is straightforward, but there are several details interviewers expect you to know:

Basic steps:

  1. Complete your report in Power BI Desktop and save the .pbix file.
  2. Click the Publish button in the Home ribbon.
  3. Sign in with your Microsoft account if not already signed in (requires a Power BI Pro, PPU, or Premium license to publish to shared workspaces).
  4. In the Publish to Power BI dialog, select the target workspace — My workspace (personal) or any workspace you have Contributor or Member access to.
  5. Click Select and wait for the upload to complete.
  6. A success dialog appears with a link to open the report in the browser.

What gets published: Publishing a .pbix file creates or updates two artifacts in the Service: a report and a semantic model (formerly called a dataset). If a report with the same name already exists, you are prompted to replace it.

Key details interviewers probe:

  • Credentials: After publishing, you must configure data source credentials in the Service (semantic model Settings) before scheduled refresh will work. Desktop credentials are not transferred automatically.
  • Gateway requirement: If the semantic model connects to on-premises data, an on-premises data gateway must be configured and associated before refresh can run.
  • TMDL / Git integration: Teams using the newer .pbip project format can push semantic model changes directly to a connected Git repository (Azure DevOps or GitHub) from the Service, bypassing the manual Publish flow for model changes.
  • Deployment pipelines: In production environments, best practice is to publish to a Development workspace and use a deployment pipeline to promote content to Test and then Production, rather than publishing directly to Production.
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Follow-up 1

What are the prerequisites for publishing a report?

Before publishing a report from Power BI Desktop to Power BI Service, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  1. A Power BI account: You need to have a Power BI account to publish a report.
  2. Internet connection: You need to be connected to the internet to publish a report.
  3. Access to a workspace: You need to have access to a workspace in Power BI Service where you want to publish the report.
  4. Power BI Desktop: You need to have Power BI Desktop installed on your computer to create and publish reports.

Follow-up 2

What happens if there is a data connection issue while publishing?

If there is a data connection issue while publishing a report from Power BI Desktop to Power BI Service, the report may not be published successfully. Power BI Desktop will display an error message indicating the issue with the data connection. In such cases, you need to resolve the data connection issue before attempting to publish the report again.

Follow-up 3

Can you schedule automatic updates for the published report?

Yes, you can schedule automatic updates for a published report in Power BI Service. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open the report in Power BI Service.
  2. Click on the 'Schedule Refresh' button in the 'Home' tab.
  3. Configure the refresh settings, such as the frequency and time of refresh.
  4. Click on the 'Apply' button to save the refresh settings.

Once the refresh settings are applied, the report will be automatically updated based on the configured schedule.

3. What are the key features of Power BI Mobile?

Power BI Mobile (available on iOS and Android) provides several key capabilities for users who need access to data away from their desktop:

  • Full report and dashboard access — users can view and interact with all published Power BI reports and dashboards they have permission to see, including cross-filtering visuals by tapping on data points.

  • Mobile-optimized layouts — report authors can define a separate mobile layout in Power BI Desktop, arranging visuals specifically for portrait smartphone screens. The mobile app detects and renders these optimized layouts automatically.

  • Data alerts — users can set threshold-based alerts on dashboard tiles (e.g., notify me when sales drop below $10,000). Alerts trigger push notifications to the mobile device.

  • Annotations and sharing — users can draw on a snapshot of a visual and share it via email, Teams, or other apps as an annotated image.

  • Offline access — favorited dashboards are cached for offline viewing, showing the last-refreshed data without a network connection.

  • Biometric authentication — the app supports Face ID, Touch ID, and device PIN for secure access.

  • QR code scanning — organizations can generate QR codes that deep-link to specific reports or dashboards, enabling quick contextual access (e.g., scanning a code on a machine to see its operational metrics).

  • Copilot on mobile — Copilot integration is rolling out to the mobile app, enabling natural-language questions about report data.

  • Microsoft Teams integration — the mobile experience connects with the Power BI app in Teams, keeping notifications and content consistent across surfaces.

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Follow-up 1

How does Power BI Mobile handle data security?

Power BI Mobile follows strict security measures to ensure the safety of data. Some of the key security features include:

  • Secure sign-in: Users are required to sign in with their credentials to access their Power BI content on mobile devices.

  • Data encryption: Power BI Mobile encrypts data both in transit and at rest, ensuring that it is protected from unauthorized access.

  • Device-level security: Power BI Mobile leverages the security features of the underlying mobile operating system, such as device encryption and biometric authentication, to provide an additional layer of security.

  • Remote wipe: In case a mobile device is lost or stolen, Power BI Mobile allows users to remotely wipe the Power BI data from the device to prevent unauthorized access.

Follow-up 2

Can you create reports directly in Power BI Mobile?

No, Power BI Mobile does not provide the capability to create reports directly. It is primarily designed for viewing and interacting with existing dashboards and reports. To create reports, users need to use Power BI Desktop or the Power BI service on the web.

Follow-up 3

What are the limitations of Power BI Mobile compared to the Desktop version?

Power BI Mobile has some limitations compared to the Desktop version. Some of the key limitations include:

  • Limited report editing capabilities: Power BI Mobile does not provide advanced report editing capabilities like Power BI Desktop. Users can only perform basic interactions such as filtering and sorting.

  • Limited data connectivity options: Power BI Mobile supports a limited set of data connectivity options compared to Power BI Desktop. Some data sources may not be available for direct connection in Power BI Mobile.

  • Limited data modeling capabilities: Power BI Mobile does not provide the ability to create or modify data models. Users need to use Power BI Desktop for advanced data modeling tasks.

  • Limited data transformation capabilities: Power BI Mobile does not offer advanced data transformation capabilities like Power Query in Power BI Desktop.

  • Limited customization options: Power BI Mobile has limited customization options compared to Power BI Desktop. Users cannot create custom visuals or modify the layout of dashboards and reports in Power BI Mobile.

4. How does Power BI Service support collaboration and sharing of reports?

Power BI Service provides a comprehensive set of collaboration and sharing features, with options suited to different audiences and governance requirements:

1. Direct report sharing An owner or member with reshare permission can share a report or dashboard with individual users or security groups via email. Recipients need a Power BI Pro or PPU license (or access to a Premium/Fabric workspace) to view the content.

2. Power BI Apps Apps are packaged collections of dashboards and reports published from a workspace. They provide a clean consumer experience. Apps support audience-based permissions (different users see different pages or content) using audience segmentation.

3. Workspaces (Fabric workspaces) Workspaces are collaboration areas where multiple contributors co-develop reports and semantic models. Workspace roles — Viewer, Contributor, Member, Admin — control what each person can do. In Microsoft Fabric, the same workspace also hosts lakehouses, warehouses, and other Fabric items.

4. Deployment pipelines Teams can promote content through dev/test/production pipelines in a controlled way, reducing the risk of publishing untested changes to end users.

5. Embed in Microsoft Teams and SharePoint Reports embed directly in Teams channels or SharePoint pages, bringing data where people already work without requiring them to navigate to the Power BI portal.

6. Publish to web For public-facing content, reports can be published with an anonymous embed code. This bypasses authentication, so it is only appropriate for non-sensitive, publicly accessible data.

7. Row-Level Security (RLS) RLS rules defined in Desktop are enforced in the Service, ensuring shared reports only expose data relevant to each user's role or region.

8. Sensitivity labels and Microsoft Purview Sensitivity labels (e.g., Confidential) can be applied to semantic models and reports, and are enforced during export to prevent sensitive data from leaving governed channels.

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Follow-up 1

What are the different ways to share a report in Power BI Service?

There are multiple ways to share a report in Power BI Service:

  1. Share with individuals: You can share a report with specific individuals by entering their email addresses. They will receive an email invitation to access the report.

  2. Share with a security group: You can share a report with a security group in your organization. All members of the group will have access to the report.

  3. Publish to web: You can publish a report to the web, making it accessible to anyone with the link. This option should be used with caution as it makes the report publicly available.

  4. Embed in a website or application: You can embed a report in a website or application using Power BI Embedded. This allows users to view the report within the context of another application.

Follow-up 2

How can you manage user permissions for a shared report?

Power BI Service allows you to manage user permissions for a shared report in the following ways:

  1. Assigning roles: You can assign different roles to users, such as Viewer, Contributor, or Admin. Each role has different permissions and access levels.

  2. Sharing with individuals or groups: You can share a report with specific individuals or groups and control their access to the report.

  3. Row-level security: You can implement row-level security to restrict data access at a row level based on user roles or attributes. This allows you to control which data each user can see in the report.

Follow-up 3

Can you restrict data access at a row level in a shared report?

Yes, you can restrict data access at a row level in a shared report using row-level security. Row-level security allows you to define filters on tables or views in the data model, which determine which rows of data are visible to different users or groups. By applying row-level security, you can control which data each user can see in the report, ensuring that sensitive or confidential information is only accessible to authorized individuals.

5. Can you explain the process of setting up a data gateway in Power BI Service?

Power BI uses gateways to connect the cloud-based Power BI Service to data sources that are not publicly accessible from the internet. As of 2026, there are two types: the on-premises data gateway (software you install on a local machine) and the VNet data gateway (a fully managed Azure-hosted gateway for data sources inside an Azure Virtual Network, with no local software to install).

Setting up an on-premises data gateway:

  1. Download and install — In the Power BI Service, go to Settings > Manage connections and gateways > New > Data Gateway. Download the gateway installer and run it on a Windows machine that has network access to your on-premises data sources. This machine must remain on and connected at all times for refresh to work.

  2. Sign in and register — During installation, sign in with the Microsoft account that will own the gateway. Give the gateway a name. The gateway registers itself with the Power BI Service.

  3. Add data source connections — In the Service, go to Manage connections and gateways, select your gateway, and add data source connections (e.g., a SQL Server instance with credentials). Each data source is configured separately.

  4. Associate the semantic model — Navigate to the semantic model's Settings in the Service, expand Gateway and cloud connections, and map each data source in the model to the corresponding gateway data source connection.

  5. Schedule refresh — Once the gateway and data source are linked, configure a scheduled refresh for the semantic model.

VNet data gateway (Fabric / Premium): For data sources inside an Azure Virtual Network (e.g., Azure SQL Database with a private endpoint, or an on-premises database accessed via ExpressRoute), the VNet gateway is created entirely within the Azure portal and requires no installed software. It is managed, scaled, and maintained by Microsoft, which eliminates the operational overhead of managing a gateway machine.

Common interview follow-up: "What happens if the gateway machine goes offline?" — scheduled refreshes will fail. For production workloads, Microsoft recommends installing the gateway in clustered mode across multiple machines for high availability.

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Follow-up 1

What is the purpose of a data gateway?

The purpose of a data gateway in Power BI is to enable secure and efficient data transfer between Power BI Service and on-premises data sources. It allows you to connect to data sources that are not directly accessible from the cloud, such as databases, files, and web services hosted on your organization's network. The data gateway acts as a bridge between Power BI Service and your on-premises data sources, ensuring that data is refreshed and up-to-date in your Power BI reports and dashboards.

Follow-up 2

What are the different types of data gateways in Power BI?

There are two types of data gateways in Power BI:

  1. On-premises data gateway: This type of gateway is used to connect to on-premises data sources, such as databases and files, that are not directly accessible from the cloud. It requires installation and configuration on a machine within your organization's network.
  2. Personal data gateway: This type of gateway is used for individual users to connect to their own on-premises data sources. It is installed and managed by the user on their own machine, and it only provides data connectivity for that specific user.

Follow-up 3

How do you manage and monitor a data gateway?

To manage and monitor a data gateway in Power BI, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to Power BI Service.
  2. Go to the settings menu by clicking on the gear icon in the top-right corner.
  3. Select 'Manage gateways' from the settings menu.
  4. On the 'Manage gateways' page, you can view a list of all the gateways in your organization.
  5. Click on a gateway to view its details, such as the connected data sources and the last refresh time.
  6. You can also edit the gateway settings, such as the gateway name and the credentials used to connect to data sources.
  7. To monitor the gateway's performance and status, you can check the 'Gateway status' page, which provides information on the gateway's health, data source connections, and refresh history.

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