Can Display Data on Pre-Built Dashboards in Power BI?

Building a powerful dashboard in Power BI from scratch can feel daunting, especially when all you need are the key metrics - fast. Fortunately, you don't always have to start with a blank canvas. This article will show you exactly how to display your data on pre-built dashboards and reports, using Power BI's built-in features to save you time and effort.

What Exactly are Pre-Built Dashboards in Power BI?

A "pre-built dashboard" in the context of Power BI isn't just one thing. It's a general term for any solution that gives you a head start with pre-designed visuals, layouts, and data models. The goal is to connect your own data sources and have a professional-looking report ready to go in minutes, not hours.

These solutions primarily come in two forms:

• Template Apps: These are ready-to-install packages available directly through Microsoft's AppSource. They are created by service providers (like Google, Adobe, or Salesforce) or third-party developers to provide instant analytics for their platforms. For example, there's a Google Analytics app that comes with pre-made reports for user acquisition, audience behavior, and more.
• Power BI Template Files (.PBIT): These are report templates you or your team can create. They contain everything a normal Power BI report has - visuals, data models, queries, and layout - but without the data itself. When someone opens a .PBIT file, they are prompted to connect their own data, which then populates the existing report structure.

Using these tools is a fantastic way to accelerate your reporting process, standardize analytics across an organization, and learn how expert-level reports are built.

Method 1: Using Power BI Template Apps for Common Services

This is the easiest and most common way to get started with pre-built dashboards. If you use a popular software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, there's a good chance it has a Power BI Template App ready for you to install.

Let's walk through an example using the Azure DevOps Template App.

Step-by-Step Guide to Installing a Template App

1. Find and Get the App

From your Power BI service workspace (the online version, not the Desktop app), navigate to the "Apps" tab in the left-hand menu and click the "Get apps" button in the top right corner.

This will take you to AppSource, Microsoft's marketplace. Use the search bar to find an app for the service you use. For our example, we'll search for "Azure DevOps." You'll find options for other services like Google Analytics, Salesforce, QuickBooks Online, and many others.

2. Install and Configure the App

Once you've found the relevant app, click "Get it now." You'll be asked to confirm some details and then click "Install."

The app will install into a new workspace. After it's finished, Power BI will prompt you with a message asking if you want to connect your data. Click "Connect."

This is the most important step. Here, you'll need to provide details specific to your own company's account. For Azure DevOps, you'll need the Organization Name and Project Name. For Google Analytics, you'd be prompted to sign into your Google account.

3. Authentication and Data Refresh

After entering your project details, you'll be prompted to authenticate. This usually involves signing into your account for that service (in this case, authenticating with your Microsoft account which has access to the specified DevOps project). Leave the Authentication method as OAuth2 unless specified otherwise, and set the Privacy level to one your organization is comfortable with.

Once you sign in and grant access, Power BI will start pulling your data into the pre-built dataset. This process can take a few minutes depending on how much data you have. When it's done, you'll have a fully functional workspace with a professional dashboard, a multi-page report, and a dataset - all populated with your organization's live data.

4. Explore and Customize

The best part about Template Apps is that they aren't just static images. Click into the report to explore the different pages. You can use slicers, filters, and cross-highlighting just like any other Power BI report. More importantly, you can click "Edit" to open the report builder and start customizing the visuals, adding new ones, or creating new DAX measures to better fit your needs.

Method 2: Using Your Own Templates (.PBIT Files) for Repeatable Reports

What if you need a standardized report for something unique to your business? Whether you're tracking performance for multiple sales regions, a series of project clients, or different e-commerce stores, you can create your own Power BI template to ensure consistency and save massive amounts of time.

The magic here is the .PBIT file type. A standard .PBIX file saves your report and its data. A .PBIT file saves only the report structure, which serves as a powerful starting point.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a .PBIT Template

1. Build Your Master Report

First, open Power BI Desktop and build the perfect version of the report you want to templatize. Connect to your data source (e.g., an Excel file from one client, a specific SQL database, or a SharePoint folder). Design all the visuals, set up your color theme, create your DAX measures, and arrange everything exactly how you want your final reports to look.

For this to work as a template, it's crucial that every data source used in the future has the same schema (i.e., the same column names, table names, and data types).

2. Export as a Power BI Template

Once your report is ready, go to File > Export > Power BI template.

You'll be asked to enter a template description. Be specific here! Explain what the template is for, what kind of data it requires, and any other instructions for the next user. This is helpful for team members who might not have been involved in creating the original analysis. Click "OK."

Then, just choose a location to save your .PBIT file. That's it! You've successfully created a reusable report template.

How to Use Your New Template

Now, any time you or a team member needs to create that same report for a new data set, the process is simple.

1. Open the .PBIT File

Simply double-click the .PBIT file you created. Instead of loading directly into the report view, Power BI Desktop will immediately prompt you to provide the connection details for your new data source. For example, if the original report was built on an Excel file, it will ask you for the new file path.

2. Connect the New Data Source

Enter the required parameters. Since the template was waiting for data, it may also ask for a file path or database credentials. Follow the prompts to point it to the equivalent data source for this new report.

3. Voila! The Report Populates

After you've connected the source, Power BI will load the new data. Assuming the schema matches, all of your pre-built charts, tables, measures, and conditional formatting will instantly populate with the new data. You now have a complete, perfectly formatted report in seconds without having to rebuild a single visual. You can then save this as a standard .PBIX file and publish it to the Power BI service.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Templates

While templates offer an incredible shortcut, they're most powerful when used as a flexible starting point, not a rigid final product. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

• Don't Revere the Default: Don't be afraid to change things. If a template app gives you a donut chart but a bar chart tells a better story for your team, change it! The point is to save you the setup time, not to lock you into a specific visualization style.
• Align with Your Branding: One of the quickest ways to make a template report feel like your own is to apply your company’s custom branding and theme. Adjusting colors and fonts takes a few clicks and makes the report feel instantly more integrated with your other work.
• Focus on Your Core KPIs: Template apps, especially from providers like Google or Salesforce, often try to display dozens of metrics. This can be overwhelming. Don't hesitate to remove visuals that aren't critical to your specific business goals. A cleaner, more focused dashboard is almost always better than a cluttered one.
• Enhance with DAX: The pre-built dataset might not include the exact metrics you need. For example, a sales template might show revenue, but what you really care about is Gross Profit or Conversion Rate. Create your own custom measurements using DAX to enrich the analysis and answer the questions that are most important to you.

Final Thoughts

So, can you display data on pre-built dashboards in Power BI? Absolutely. Using Template Apps for common services or creating your own reusable .PBIT files are both excellent ways to standardize reporting and dramatically speed up your workflow. Both methods replace hours of manual design work with a few simple clicks.

At the end of the day, BI templates solve a core problem: the drudgery of manual setup. Building on that idea, we created Graphed to take simplicity a step further. Instead of installing apps or building file-based templates, you can just connect your data sources - like Google Analytics, Shopify, and Salesforce - and describe the dashboard you need in plain English. Graphed automatically generates real-time, professional dashboards in seconds, turning hours of tedious clicking and dragging into a simple conversation.