A Power BI template is a pre-designed format or structure that allows the creation of similar dashboards or reports. So, I can maintain the same color schemes, formatting, data model types, and structure in the Power BI desktop with the templates’ help. The best part for me is that the dashboard Power BI template does all the tasks without sharing the actual data model from its respective file extension. So, the Power BI template helps you in understanding business intelligence. Hence, you learn to streamline your work by preparing efficient reports with which your organization can prepare layouts, data models, and queries.
Creating Power BI Templates
Today, I will help you learn how to create Power BI template according to your settings and preference. It will also save you around 20-30 minutes as you start up the Power BI template and make it work exactly how you want it to. You can also take up a Power BI online course with certificate to further enhance your knowledge in this field.
- Choose a Color Scheme: Go to view and then browse from the several theme options to choose your desired custom enterprise DNA color scheme. After that, you must search for the eDNA.json file and click on the open option to import the theme.
- Create a Key Measures Table: I have always preferred putting my metrics on the measures table. You must click on home and enter data to create the key measurable table. Then, move ahead with renaming the table in the dialog box that will appear eventually. You need to type the key measures table on the given field and click on load, which leads to the fields pane.
- Set the Data Table: I consider creating a data table one of the most important aspects of a Power BI template. So, I can get whichever table I want from the Analyst hub. All you need to do is to go to the community. After that, you must open the EDNA extended data table with Dayoffset. It will be followed by opening the file and then copying the code. Later, you must open Power BI and click on transform data to go to the Power query. Click the new source option and select a blank query from the dropdown. It leads you to the advanced editor, which shows an initial code. Delete this particular code and paste the code that you copied earlier.
- Refine the Options: You should also edit the options to make the Power BI template more useful for all the organizational work and reports. You just need to go to the files tab and open the ‘Options and Settings’ option. But I recommend turning off quite a few options for you to get the best Microsoft Power BI templates. You can find all these options under the current file option. Then you need to head to the report settings to check the default visual interaction option.
Sharing and Distributing Templates
For me, sharing is the best way to give everyone access to your dashboards and reports in Power BI template design. Another good thing is that I can share it with the people inside and outside my organization.
Here are the prerequisites for sharing and distributing a Power BI template.
- You must have a premium per-user (PPU) license or Power BI Pro to share content within or outside the organization.
- Your recipient must also have the premium per user (PPU) license or Power BI pro to receive the content you share.
- You must assign the recipient a workplace role if you want them to edit the teams Power BI templates upon receiving them.
Let me take you through where you can share the Power BI template.
- You can share any Power BI template file from My Workspace.
- You can also share the Power BI template from other spaces if you are a member or admin of a particular workspace.
- You can further share the best Power BI templates if you have the viewer or contributor role. It also gives you resharing permissions.
- The Power BI mobile apps, OneDrive, and Sharepoint integration will allow you to share the designs.
Now, I will tell you how to share a Power BI template or report via link. ‘
- Open a report from a list of reports and then click share.
- You will find a send link dialog where you can select the copy link option to share.
- Distribute the link across your desired platforms like PowerPoint, Outlook, or Teams.
Utilizing Power BI Template Apps
Power BI template apps enable all the respective partners to build apps with little or no coding. It assists the users in understanding Business Intelligence and allows these apps to be any Power BI customer. So, I can create out-of-the-box content for the customers and publish it myself with the help of Power BI template apps.
Now, let us look at the Power BI template app creation process.
- Review all the requirements to make sure you meet them eventually.
- Build a specific report on the Power BI desktop. You must also use parameters to save it as a file for other people's usage.
- Create a new workspace for your template app on the Power BI service.
- Then, import your .pbix file to add content (e.g., a dashboard) to your app.
- Create a new test package to test the Power BI template app yourself.
- Promote this new app to the pre-production and submit it for further validation.
- Submit the content for publishing to the partner center.
- Make the new offer go live on the specific AppSource. Then move your app to production in the Power BI space.
Best Practices for Template Design
I always think about making my Power BI template design functional and interesting while I create it. Let me review some of the best practices for creating Power BI templates.
- Know The Audience: An effective Power BI dashboard is the best way to communicate the reports and layouts associated with different projects. You must know your catering audience before proceeding with the Power BI template design. You must have all the end-user details as you start creating this design.
- Check The Flow of Data and Layout: Once you have locked in your target audience, the next process is to have a rough idea of the KPIs you will present with the Power BI template. It includes thinking about the logo, the slicers, the data to be presented, the focus user, and the final charts.
- Choose the Correct Visualization: I have always noticed that the human brain understands visualization better than text. This is where your template creation best practice comes in. So, the dashboard that you create must resonate with the audience. You can ensure the same by deciding on the type of chart to use for the data usage process. All these options are available during the system's Power BI template design creation process.
- Provide Context to Avoid Poor Labeling: The two most important on-screen parameters analyzing the role of data across dashboards are context and labeling. So, Power BI dashboards that do not have these parameters will surely have limited Return on Interest (ROI). So, ensure that your Power BI dashboard is made so that even a new user understands it easily.
- Focus on the Color Context: Most Power BI dashboards have a lighter background for color flexibility. However, dashboards with darker backgrounds are also increasingly preferred in present times. Try changing brightness and saturation using colors that fall in the intermediate range. It will make your Power BI template design stand out among the crowd.
Top 10 Power BI Dashboard Examples
The Power BI template examples aim to provide several business intelligence capabilities and interactive visualizations with UI. This UI is simple enough to enable end-users to create reports and dashboards. Here are my curated Power BI dashboard examples to help your professional life.
1. Custom Segmentation Dashboard:
Most business-to-business enterprises use this dashboard to visualize the revenue from individual customers. It also analyzes the profitability associated with the customers.
2. Sales Scorecard Dashboard:
This Power BI template dashboard helps the senior management understand the company’s performance in sales compared to the previous year.
3. Sales Analysis Dashboard:
This particular dashboard differs from the scorecard dashboard because more information on products and the respective regions is inserted in the layouts.
4. Product Sales Dashboard:
This Power BI template dashboard focuses more on the sales channels. Organizations with an eCommerce presence use the product sales dashboard for their usage.
5. Email Engagement Analytics Dashboard:
As the name suggests, this particular dashboard is for individuals and organizations who market their products through emails.
6. Marketing Campaign Insights Dashboard:
This Power BI dashboard shows the effectiveness of several marketing campaigns. It also helps show the performance of various product segments and channels.
7. Ad Display Campaign Dashboard:
This dashboard is meant for digital marketers who advertise their products through several website ads.
8. Finance Dashboard:
You can show the fundamental financial indicators of your organization through this Power BI template dashboard. The best examples of such indicators are securities, inventories, revenue, and profit.
9. Financial Analytics Dashboard:
This dashboard lets you view the profits and revenue from different customer segments, geographies, and product segments.
10. Quarterly Financial Performance Dashboard:
Most executives use this dashboard to compare several profit metrics across quarters. It allows users to select a range of quarters and then analyze all the numbers based on the products and customers.
Troubleshooting Common Template Issues
A Power BI template may face several issues when used for organizational purposes. Let me take you through some common issues and how to address them.
- Connection Error in Data: Check all the source credentials and permissions to ensure the data is accessible from the Power BI service.
- Data Does Not Refresh: Verify the credentials and the refresh schedule in the dataset settings. Check if there is any new data to refresh in the data source.
- Template Does Not Load: Update your Power BI desktop to the latest version. Publish all your reports with custom visuals.
- Error Messages: Review the details of the error message for troubleshooting hints. Search the community forums of Power BI template designs for specific solutions.
Conclusion
By now, I have run you through the entire Power BI template creation process, including the utilization of the apps, as well as resolving the troubleshooting issues. I can say that it is important for today’s professionals to learn about the Power BI template dashboard to make their organizational processes easier. If you are interested in becoming a Power BI professional, I recommend the KnowledgeHut Power BI online course with certificate that can help enhance your knowledge further. So, why wait? Start with your certification course now!