Tutorial: Embed Power BI content using a sample embed for your customers application
Article
APPLIES TO:
App owns data
User owns data
Embedded analytics and Power BI Embedded (the Azure offer) allow you to embed Power BI content such as reports, dashboards, and tiles, into your application.
In this tutorial, you learn how to:
Set up your embedded environment.
Configure an embed for your customers (also known as app owns data) sample application.
To use your application, your users don't need to sign in to Power BI or have a Power BI license.
We recommend using the embed for your customers method to embed your Power BI content, if you're an independent software vendor (ISV) or a developer, who wants to create applications for third parties.
Important
If you are embedding content for a national/regional cloud, the first few steps of this tutorial are different. See Embed content for national/regional clouds for details.
Code sample specifications
This tutorial includes instructions for configuring an embed for your customers sample application in one of the following frameworks:
.NET Framework
.NET Core
Java
Node JS
Python
The code samples support the following browsers:
Microsoft Edge
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Prerequisites
Before you start this tutorial, verify that you have the following the Power BI and code dependencies:
If you're installing Python for the first time, select the Add Python to PATH option, to add the installation to the PATH variable.
If you already have Python installed, verify that the PATH variable includes its installation path. For more information, see the Excursus: Setting environment variables Python documentation (this link refers to Python 3).
An integrated development environment (IDE). We recommend using one of the following environments:
Your embedded solution varies depending on the authentication method you select. Therefore, it's important to understand the differences between the authentication methods, and decide which one best suits your solution.
The following table describes a few key differences between the service principal and master user authentication methods.
Consideration
Service principal
Master user
Mechanism
Your Microsoft Entra app's service principal object allows Microsoft Entra ID to authenticate your embedded solution app against Power BI.
Your Microsoft Entra app uses the credentials (username and password) of a Power BI user, to authenticate against Power BI.
Security
Service principal is the Microsoft Entra ID recommended authorization method. If you're using a service principal, you can authenticate using either an application secret or a certificate.
This tutorial only describes using service principal with an application secret. To embed using a service principal and a certificate, refer to the service principal with a certificate article.
This authentication method isn't as secure as a service principal. You have to be vigilant with the master user credentials (username and password). For example, don't expose them in your embedding application, and change the password frequently.
Microsoft Entra ID delegated permissions
Not required.
Your master user or an administrator has to grant consent for your app to access Power BI REST API permissions (also known as scopes). For example, Report.ReadWrite.All.
Power BI service access
You can't access Power BI service with a service principal.
You can access Power BI service with your master user credentials.
License
Doesn't require a Pro license. You can use content from any workspace that you're a member or an admin of.
Requires a Power BI Pro or Premium Per User (PPU) license.
Step 2 - Register a Microsoft Entra application
Registering your application with Microsoft Entra ID allows you to:
To register your application with Microsoft Entra ID, follow the instructions in Register your application.
Note
Before registering your application, you'll need to decide which authentication method to use, service principal or master user.
Step 3 - Create a Power BI workspace
Microsoft Fabric keeps your reports, dashboards, and tiles in a workspace. To embed these items, you need to create them and upload them into a workspace.
Tip
If you already have a workspace, you can skip this step.
To create a workspace, do the following:
Sign in to Fabric.
Select Workspaces.
Select + New workspace.
Name your workspace and select Save.
Step 4 - Create and publish a Power BI report
Your next step is to create a report and upload it to your workspace. You can create your own report using Power BI Desktop, and then publish it to your workspace. Or, you can upload a sample report to your workspace.
Tip
If you already have a workspace with a report, you can skip this step.
To download a sample report and publish it to your workspace, follow these steps:
Extract the downloaded ZIP and navigate to the Samples Reports folder.
Select a report to embed, and publish it to your workspace.
Step 5 - Get the embedding parameter values
To embed your content, you need to obtain certain parameter values. The following table shows the required values, and indicates if they're applicable to the service principal authentication method, the master user authentication method, or both.
Before you embed your content, make sure you have all the values listed below. Some of the values might differ, depending on the authentication method you're using.
Search for App registrations and select the App registrations link.
Select the Microsoft Entra app you're using for embedding your Power BI content.
Under Manage, select Certificates & secrets.
Under Client secrets, select New client secret.
In the Add a client secret pop-up window, provide a description for your application secret, select when the application secret expires, and select Add.
From the Client secrets section, copy the string in the Value column of the newly created application secret. The client secret value is your client ID.
Note
Make sure you copy the client secret value when it first appears. After navigating away from this page, the client secret will be hidden and you'll not be able to retrieve its value.
Search for App registrations and select the App registrations link.
Select the Microsoft Entra app you're using for embedding your Power BI content.
From the Overview section, copy the Directory (tenant) ID GUID.
Power BI username and password
Tip
Applies to: Service principal Master user
Obtain the username and password of the Power BI user you're using as your master user. This is the same user you used to create a workspace and upload a report to, in Power BI service.
Step 6 - Service principal API access
Tip
Applies to: Service principal Master user
This step is only relevant if you're using the service principal authentication method. If you're using a master user, skip this step and continue with Step 7 - Enable workspace access.
For a Microsoft Entra app to be able to access the Power BI content and APIs, a Power BI admin needs to enable service principal access in the Power BI admin portal. If you're not the admin of your tenant, get the tenant's admin to enable the Tenant settings for you.
In Power BI service, select Settings > Settings > Admin portal.
Select Tenant settings and then scroll down to the Developer settings section.
Expand Service principals can use Fabric APIs, and enable this option.
Note
When using a service principal, it's recommended to limit its access to the tenant settings using a security group. To learn more about this feature, see these sections in the service principal article:
To enable your Microsoft Entra app access objects such as reports, dashboards and semantic models in the Power BI service, add the service principal or master user, as a member or admin to your workspace.
Sign in to Fabric.
Scroll to the workspace you want to enable access for, and select Manage access.
In the Access pane, depending on which authentication method you're using, copy the service principal or master user to the Enter email address text box.
Note
If you're using a service principal, its name is the name you gave your Microsoft Entra app.
Select Add.
Step 8 - Embed your content
The Power BI embedded sample application allows you to create an embed for your customers Power BI app.
Follow these steps to modify the embed for your customers sample application, to embed your Power BI report.
Extract the downloaded ZIP and navigate to the PowerBI-Developer-Samples-master folder.
Depending on the language you want your app to use, open one of these folders:
.NET Core
.NET Framework
Java
Node JS
Python
Note
The embed for your customers sample applications only support the frameworks listed above. The React sample application only supports the embed for your organization solution.
Open Eclipse and follow the instructions described below.
Note
The instructions for the Java embed for your customers sample app, refer to Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers (enterprise edition). If you're using a different application, you'll have to set it up yourself.
Add the Tomcat server to Eclipse:
a. Select Window > Show View > Servers.
b. In the servers tab, select No servers are available. Click this link to create new server.
c. In the Define a New Server window, expand Apache and select the Tomcat server you're running on your machine. For example, Tomcat v9.0 Server.
d. Select Next.
e. In the Tomcat Server window, select Browse and navigate to the folder that contains the Tomcat server.
f. In the Tomcat Server window, select Installed JREs.
g. In the Installed JREs window, select the available jre, and select Apply and Close.
h. In the Tomcat Server window, select Finish. You can see the Tomcat server in the Servers tab.
Open the project in Eclipse:
Important
Eclipse may run into trouble if your path name is too long. To avoid this issue, verify that your sample app's folder is not nested too deeply in your machine's folder structure.
a. Select File and then select Open Projects from File System.
b. In the Import Projects from File System or Archive window, select Directory and open the AppOwnsData folder.
c. Select Finish.
Add the Tomcat server to the project:
a. In the Package Explorer pane, right-click AppOwnsData, and select Properties.
b. In the Properties for AppOwnsData window, select Targeted Runtimes and then select Apache Tomcat. This selection includes the version of Apache Tomcat you're using, for example Apache Tomcat v9.0.
c. Select Apply and Close.
Fill in the required parameters
a. In the Package explorer, expand the AppOwnsData project.
b. Expand Java Resources.
c. Expand src.
d. Expand com.embedsample.appoensdata.config.
e. Open Config.java.
f. Depending on your authentication method, fill in the following parameter values:
Parameter
Service principal
Master user
authenticationType
ServicePrincipal
MasterUser
workspaceId
The ID of the workspace with your embedded report, see Workspace ID
The ID of the workspace with your embedded report, see Workspace ID
reportId
The ID of the report you're embedding, see Report ID
The ID of the report you're embedding, see Report ID
b. Open a new tab in your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5300.
Open PowerShell or Command Prompt.
Verify that you're in the Python > Embed for your customers folder, and that the file requirements.txt is in the folder, and run pip3 install -r requirements.txt.
Open the App Owns Data folder using your preferred IDE. We recommend using one of the following environments:
When you're ready, review the move to production requirements. You'll also need a capacity, and should review the capacity planning article to establish which SKU best suits your needs.
Important
If you used free embed trial tokens for development, you must buy a capacity for production. Until a capacity is purchased, the Free trial version banner will continue to appear at the top of the embedded report.