OBSOLETE_Overview of Power BI Windows Store app

  • Article

 

Applies to: Office 365 ProPlus

Summary: Learn about Power BI for Windows, a new mobile application that makes it easy for people to view Power View reports on Windows tablets such as Surface RT.

Suppose that someone in your organization has created a set of reports by using Excel or Power View, and that those reports are saved in a library in SharePoint Online. Now suppose that people in your organization are asking you how they can view those reports on tablets, such as a Surface RT. If your organization is using Power BI for Office 365, a new mobile application called the Power BI Windows Store app is now available for people to install on their tablets.

In this article:

  • What is Power BI for Windows?

  • What do I have to know about this application?

  • Where do I get Power BI for Windows?

  • Where can I get more information?

What is Power BI for Windows?

The Power BI Windows Store app is an application that enables people to view and interact with reports on tablet devices such as Surface RT. Examples of reports can include charts, tables, PivotChart reports, PivotTable reports, named ranges and Power View sheets that were created in Excel. In addition to viewing reports, people can share reports via email, and open a report from a link in an email. The Power BI Windows Store app was designed for tablet devices running Windows 8 or Windows RT.

What do I have to know about this application?

As an administrator, here are some key things for you to consider:

  • By using the Power BI Windows Store app, people can only view and consume information. People can't create reports by using this application.

  • Reports must be visible in Power BI for Office 365. Reports that are saved to libraries in SharePoint Server 2013 (on premises) cannot be displayed in the Power BI Windows Store app.

  • Only objects in Excel that are defined as named items and Power View sheets are displayed in the Power BI Windows Store app. Each named item or Power View sheet is displayed as a separate page in the application. A Power View sheet in Excel is treated as a single item, even if the Power View sheet contains multiple items.

  • Reports in the Power BI Windows Store app are shown in alphabetical order according to their named items in Excel, regardless of the order in which those reports are arranged in a workbook.

  • Reports and views must be constructed a particular way to be displayed correctly in the Power BI Windows Store app. For more information, see Design reports for the Power BI app.

Where do I get the Power BI app?

You can download the Power BI Windows Store app in the Windows Store. On your device, choose the Store tile, and then search for Power BI.

Or, go here: Windows Store

People can download the application for free. However, a subscription to Power BI for Office 365 is required for a user to view their organization’s reports in the application.

Where can I get more information?

Detailed information about is available on Office.com. See Power BI for Windows Store application.