Power BI App

The Power BI app allows users to display their Power BI reports on digital signage screens seamlessly. This is ideal for sharing real-time data and dashboards with your audience.

 

How to share Power BI reports on digital signage

There are two ways to share Power BI reports: Public Reports and Protected Reports.

 

1. Public Reports

Public reports are accessible via a public link without the need to signin with your Microsoft account. Follow these steps to add a public Power BI report to your screen:

  1. Generate the Public Link

    • Open your Power BI report.
    • Go to File > Embed Report > Publish to Web.

 

Digital Signage - Power BI - Share to web

 

  1. Copy the provided public URL

Digital Signage - Power BI - copy URL

 

  • The URL should look simiar to the below

    https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=XXXX

  1. Add the Report to your Digital Signage Portal

    • Go to the your Digital Signage Portal.
    • Navigate to your playlist and select the layer where you want to add Power BI.
      • If the layer has no media, the apps dialog will open automatically.
      • If it already has media, click Add New.
    • Select Business Intelligence > Power BI.

Digital Signage - Power BI - select business IntelligenceL

Digital Signage - Power BI - select powerbi

 

  • Paste the copied URL into the box.
  • Check the Public checkbox.

  1. Set the Refresh Rate

    • Choose a refresh rate to update the dashboard’s data. Options range from 15 to 60 minutes.

  2. Save

    • Click Save to display the report on your screen.

Digital Signage - Power BI - paste url

 

 

2. Protected Reports

Protected reports require user authentication and are more secure than public reports. Here’s how to add them to your portal: 

  1. Copy the Report URL

    • Open your report in Power BI.

    • Copy the URL from the browser. It should look similar to this:

      https://app.powerbi.com/groups/XXXX/reports/XXX/ReportSection2?experience=power-bi

 

Digital Signage - Power BI - copy url

 

  1. Add the Report to your Digital Signage Portal

    • Follow the same steps as for public reports, but uncheck the Public checkbox.

  2. Sign in with Microsoft

    • When prompted, sign in using your Microsoft account.
    • This will grant the digital signage portal read-only access to your dashboard.

  3. Select Your Account

    • Ensure your email is displayed in the account list and selected before saving.

  4. Save

    • Click Save to display the protected report.

Digital Signage - Power BI - copy url

 

Note:

You can add multiple Microsoft accounts to share reports from different Power BI workspaces.

 

How Microsoft Sign-In Works and Ensures Security

When you sign in with Microsoft, we implements a secure process to manage your data:

  1. Long-Life Token:

    • Upon signing in, Microsoft provides a long-life token (known as a refresh token) that is securely saved and encrypted in our database.
    • This token is never shared with users or sent to screens.

  2. Short-Life Access Token:

    • The system uses the refresh token to request a short-life access token, valid only for 1 hour.
    • The access token is securely sent to the screens to display the dashboard.

  3. Secure Token Renewal:

    • Screens securely request a new access token every hour to keep the dashboard updated.

This process ensures that your data is protected while maintaining seamless access to your Power BI reports.