If you want to distribute items from your Power BI workspace, then you would either Share it, or create an App. In this App, you can add dashboards and reports and bundle it all together in a single package, which users can then install.
Microsoft have announced the preview of Org Apps, which allow a lot more customization for your apps. You can also add Fabric items, and for this reason, you will need to have a Fabric capacity.
So what is the difference between a Power BI App and an Org App? Well, here are some of the differences:
| Type of Difference | Power BI App | Fabric Org App (preview) |
|---|---|---|
| License requirement | Recipient needs Power BI Pro, or app is stored in Premium capacity | Fabric capacity or Fabric Trial license needed |
| Number of apps per workspace | 1 only | 1 or Multiple |
| Content for apps | Reports, dashboards and links | Reports, dashboards, links, notebooks and real-time dashboards |
| Version of reports | The version of the report when you create/update the app is the version that users will see (the data may be updated) | Users will see the current version of the report |
| Access for semantic models in other workspaces | This needs to be added manually | Permission to use these models is granted automatically |
| Can users share permissions on items in the app? | Only specific workspace roles can manage access and share the app | Yes, if the creator granted the “Share” permission. |
| Does it need to be installed for the user to use the app? | Yes | No – it can appear on lists such as “Recent on Home”. |
| When the app is uninstalled, are permissions for semantic models automatically removed? | No – it needs to be done manually. | Yes |
| Can you hide the navigation menu? | No | Yes – you can add a list-based landing page (an overview) instead. |
Advantages of using an Org App
So based on the above, what are the practical advantages of using an Org App?
- You can have multiple apps in the one workspace. This means that you can create different apps for different audiences.
- You can hide the navigation pane, if you would prefer having an overview page instead.
- You do not need to update the app if you have made changes to a report.
- You can allow users to Share an app, rather than it being based on workspace roles.
- Apps do not need to be installed to be used.
- You can add Fabric items such as notebooks and real-time dashboards.
Disadvantages of using an Org App
What are the drawbacks of using an Org App?
You need to have a Fabric capacity (or a Fabric Trial license), which will involve an additional cost.
How do I create an Org app?
To create an Org app, go to the relevant workspace and go to New – Org app (Preview) and give it a name:
Once the Org app has been created, you can then click on “+ Add” to add content from the Workspace, Sections, Links and an Overview.
You can click on Settings to:
- Rename the Org app and a description,
- Add a sensitivity label, and
- Endorse the Org App.
You can click on Customize to:
- Change the Branding – an app image, and theme, and
- Customize Navigation – show/hide the app pane, have the menus in the app pane expanded/collapsed by default, and show/hide the report pane on all report pages.
In the top-right of the window, you can preview/view the Org app, and Share the Org App. When you click Share, you can provide a Share permissions, so that your end users would be able to share Org App further.
See it in action
Summary
The Org App preview expands on the Power BI App, allowing for multiple Org Apps per workspace, and simplifies the permissions for the underlying items.
It also allows for some Fabric items to be included in the Org App, thus allow Data Scientists as well as Users to benefit from the packaged Org App.
Information about Power BI Apps is included in Part 4 of our PL-300 “Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst” video course. For more details about this course, please click here.
Information about Fabric is included in our DP-600 “Implement Analytics Solutions using Microsoft Fabric” video course. For more details about this course, please click here.
Thank you for reading this, and keep learning!