Embedding Power BI reports in the WEBCON BPS studio

Applies to version: 2020.1.x; author: Przemysław Sierant

Description of the functionality

In WEBCON BPS 2020 we have the ability to embed Power BI reports on Portal dashboards. It is used to present any data which we have already prepared in the Power BI service. We can embed both a view of the entire report, as well as individual components.

Configuration

To correctly operate Power BI reports embedded in WEBCON BPS Portal, you must provide the correct Application ID  in the system configuration.

How can we get the application ID? To do this, we need to register WEBCON BPS Portal in Azure AD.
Registration can be done on two ways: using the Power BI App Registration Tool (https://dev.powerbi.com/apps) or directly on the Azure portal.

After logging in in you need to complete the following information:

• Application Name
• Application Type (“Server-side web application (for web apps or web APIs)”)
• Home page URL (e.g. https://webcon.com/WEBCONBPS)
• Redirect URL – we must enter the address in the form: /powerbiredirect (e.g. https://webcon.com/WEBCONBPS/powerbiredirect)
• Select the API access permissions

After correct registration of the application, we will receive ‘Application ID” which must then be entered into the WEBCON BPS system configuration.

Additionaly, we need to activate “Access tokens” option from the Azure portal in the ‘Authentication’ configuraton of the registred application.

After completing the above instructions and saving the changes in the WEBCON BPS Designer Studio, we recommend using the “Load of configuration” button in the service configuration (see below).

The full instructions on how to register your application with Azure can be found at: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/register-app.

Example of use

How can we add a new BI report? On the WEBCON BPS Portal home page let’s go to the any application where we will add a new Dashboard. We embed a new component called “Power BI” in the dashboard’s configuration.

During the first configuration (or when the authentication token expires) the user will be asked to log in to the account with access to the Power BI service. After successful log in, you will be able to configure the Power BI component.

Let’s see how an example Power BI report in the Webcon BPS Portal looks like.