Power BI Desktop
The free desktop application where reports are built: connect to data, shape it in Power Query, define relationships and DAX measures, and design the visuals.
Blog · Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft Power BI solutions that turn CRM data into decisions
Microsoft Power BI is Microsoft's business intelligence platform: it connects to the systems your business runs on, models that data once, and publishes interactive reports and dashboards that teams can share and trust. This guide covers how Power BI works, what it costs, how to connect Salesforce and HubSpot, how it compares with Tableau and CRM Analytics, and what a well-run implementation looks like.
- By Twopir Consulting
- Updated
- 16 min read
Power BI Solution Map Twopir · 2πr
Layer 01
Where Your Data Lives
Salesforce HubSpot & Apps Finance & ERP Excel & SQL Dynamics 365
Layer 02 · 2πr
Twopir Power BI Layer
Connect Model Govern
Layer 03
What Teams Get
Live Dashboards Apps in Teams Copilot Answers
Delivery Model Discover → Model → Build → Adopt
What Is Power BI
Microsoft Power BI, in plain terms
Microsoft Power BI is Microsoft's business analytics platform for turning data from many systems into interactive reports and dashboards that people can act on. Analysts connect to the data, clean it with Power Query, model it into a reusable semantic model, and write business calculations in DAX. The finished reports are published to the Power BI service, where colleagues view them in a browser, in Microsoft Teams or on the Power BI mobile apps.
A Power BI solution is more than the software. It is the set of decisions that make the numbers trustworthy: which systems feed it, how sales, finance and service data join, how each KPI is defined, who is allowed to see which rows, and how reports move from draft to production. Microsoft builds and licenses Power BI and documents how it works on Microsoft Learn. Twopir Consulting designs and delivers the solution around it: data connections, the model, the reports, security and the training that gets people using it.
Microsoft describes Power BI as a core component of Microsoft Fabric, its all-in-one analytics platform, so the same reports can later sit on a shared lakehouse or warehouse without migrating existing content. We help growing and mid-market companies solve complex CRM, integration, and business system challenges, and reporting is where those challenges show up first. Enterprise teams use the same approach at larger scale.
The parts of Power BI and what each one does
Most teams meet Power BI as a dashboard link. Behind it sit several products that do different jobs, and knowing which is which makes licensing, security and support decisions much simpler.
Power BI service
The cloud service at app.powerbi.com where reports are published, shared through workspaces and apps, refreshed on a schedule and secured.
Power BI mobile apps
Apps for iOS and Android that show the same reports and dashboards, from the cloud service or Report Server, laid out for a phone or tablet.
Power BI Report Server
An on-premises report server for organizations that must keep reports in their own data center. It hosts Power BI reports, Excel files and paginated reports, and is licensed per core.
Power BI Embedded
APIs and capacity for putting Power BI reports inside your own application or customer portal, so customers see analytics without signing in to Power BI. It is included with every Fabric F SKU.
Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft's all-in-one analytics platform, bought as capacity. Power BI is a core workload inside it, and existing Power BI workspaces need no migration to use it.
When CRM reports stop being enough
Salesforce and HubSpot reports are excellent at answering questions about the CRM. They struggle once the question spans several systems or several years. These are the signs that a business has outgrown them.
The answer lives in more than one system
Bookings sit in the CRM, invoices in the accounting system, usage in the product and tickets in the help desk. A CRM report cannot join them, so someone exports four files and stitches them together by hand.
Month-end reporting is a spreadsheet project
The board pack takes days of exports, VLOOKUPs and copy-paste every month. It is out of date the moment it is sent, and nobody can say with confidence which version is right.
Two teams, two numbers for the same KPI
Sales counts revenue at close, finance at invoice, and marketing counts pipeline its own way. Without one shared definition, every meeting starts by arguing about whose dashboard is correct.
Trends need more history than the CRM keeps handy
Year-over-year cohorts, renewal curves and snapshot comparisons are awkward inside CRM reporting. A model that stores history makes them a filter, not a project. We cover the platform limits in Salesforce Lightning report and dashboard limitations.
Leaders do not live in the CRM
Finance, operations and the executive team work in Microsoft 365. Asking them to log in to a CRM for one dashboard rarely sticks; a report inside Teams or Outlook does.
Sensitive numbers are shared too widely
Exported files travel by email with every row in them. Regional managers see other regions, contractors see margins. Shared reports with row-level security show each person only what they should see.
From source system to shared dashboard
Every Power BI solution follows the same six steps, whether it serves one sales team or a whole company. The quality of steps two and three decides whether people trust what they see in step four.
Connect
Power BI Desktop connects to more than 100 data sources: cloud apps, databases, files and services. Data on your own servers reaches the cloud through the on-premises data gateway, which needs no inbound firewall ports.
WherePower BI Desktop · data gateway
Transform
Power Query cleans and reshapes the data: removes duplicates, fixes types, merges tables, and maps picklist values from different systems onto one list. Each step is recorded, so the clean-up repeats on every refresh.
WherePower Query · dataflows
Model
Tables are related in a semantic model (formerly called a dataset), usually a star schema of facts and dimensions. DAX measures define each KPI once, so every report that uses it agrees.
WhereSemantic model · DAX
Visualize
Reports are built from interactive visuals that filter each other with a click. Dashboards pin the most important tiles from several reports onto one screen for a quick read.
WhereReports · dashboards
Share
Content is published to workspaces and distributed as apps, embedded in Teams or SharePoint, or sent as email subscriptions. People see reports where they already work.
WhereWorkspaces · apps · Teams
Refresh & Govern
Scheduled refresh keeps data current, row-level security filters what each person sees, and deployment pipelines move changes from development to test to production without breaking live reports.
WherePower BI service · admin portal
Import, DirectQuery or Direct Lake: choosing a storage mode
How a semantic model holds its data is the biggest single decision in a Power BI build. It sets how fresh the numbers are, how fast reports respond, and how much load lands on your source systems.
| Storage mode | How it works | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Import | Data is copied into the model's in-memory engine and refreshed on a schedule. | Most CRM and finance reporting. Fastest visuals and full DAX support. | Data is as fresh as the last refresh, and model size counts against licence limits. |
| DirectQuery | No data is stored; each visual sends a query to the source database when it loads. | Very large or near-real-time data in a database that can handle the query load. | Report speed depends on the source, and some modelling features are limited. |
| Direct Lake | The model reads Delta tables in Microsoft Fabric OneLake directly, with Import-like speed and no full data refresh. | Organizations already landing data in a Fabric lakehouse or warehouse. | Requires Fabric capacity and a data pipeline into OneLake first. |
| Composite | One model mixes modes, for example imported dimensions with a DirectQuery fact table. | Large detail tables that need summary speed and drill-down freshness. | More design work to keep relationships and performance predictable. |
For most Salesforce and HubSpot reporting, Import is the right default: CRM APIs are not built for a query on every click. Microsoft explains each mode, plus the Dual and Hybrid variants, in its storage mode documentation.
Power BI licensing and what it costs
Power BI is licensed per user, per capacity, or both. The right mix depends on how many people build reports, how many only read them, and how large the data is.
| Licence | List price | What it allows | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Build reports in Power BI Desktop and use personal content in My workspace. Cannot share with or view content from other users, unless that content sits in a capacity that allows free viewers. | Trying Power BI, and viewers of content hosted on a large enough Fabric capacity. |
| Power BI Pro | $14 per user/month, paid yearly | Publish, share and collaborate in workspaces, and view content others share. Semantic models up to 1 GB, refreshed up to 8 times a day. | Most growing and mid-market teams where builders and viewers are the same people. |
| Premium Per User | $24 per user/month, paid yearly ($14 add-on for Pro users) | Everything in Pro, plus models up to 100 GB and up to 48 refreshes a day, for licensed users only. | Teams that need larger models or more refreshes without a capacity; Microsoft positions it for fewer than 250 users. |
| Fabric capacity (F SKUs) | From $262.80/month (F2, pay-as-you-go, US East); F64 $8,409.60/month | Shared compute for Power BI and the other Fabric workloads. From F64 upward, users with a free licence can view Power BI content hosted on the capacity. | Large reader audiences, Direct Lake models and companies building a data platform in Fabric. |
| Power BI Embedded | Included in F SKUs | Showing reports inside your own application or portal to customers who do not sign in to Power BI. Included with every Fabric F SKU. | Customer portals and software products with built-in analytics. |
USD list prices as shown by Microsoft on November 3, 2026. They vary by region and currency, and a yearly Fabric reservation costs about 41% less than pay-as-you-go. Microsoft no longer sells Power BI Premium per-capacity (P) SKUs: each one retires at the end of its agreement term, and organizations move to Fabric F SKUs. Licence rules are in Microsoft's Fabric and Power BI licensing guide, and capacity rates on the Microsoft Fabric pricing page. We size the licence mix during discovery, because it is the decision that is hardest to change later.
Connecting Salesforce and HubSpot to Power BI
The connection method decides how much data you can bring in, how fresh it is and how much maintenance it needs. Data flows one way in every pattern below: from the business system into Power BI, for reporting.
Salesforce Objects connector
Loads Salesforce objects as tables, with optional relationship columns, and has no row limit, so it is the right choice for a proper model of accounts, opportunities, cases and custom objects. The connecting user needs the API Enabled permission, Salesforce trial orgs have no API access, and a supported API version should be set in the connection. See Microsoft's Salesforce Objects connector guide.
Salesforce Reports connector
Loads an existing Salesforce report as a table, which is quick for a one-off view. Salesforce limits it to 2,000 rows, so it does not suit large or detailed data, and Microsoft's own workaround is the Objects connector. See the Salesforce Reports connector guide.
HubSpot + Power BI
Microsoft documents no native or certified HubSpot connector for Power BI. HubSpot data reaches Power BI through an integration platform, a custom connection to the HubSpot API, or a data warehouse it has been replicated into. We choose the route by data volume, history needed and how fresh the numbers must be. Read more about our HubSpot services.
CRM data through a warehouse
An integration tool replicates Salesforce, HubSpot and finance data into a warehouse such as Fabric, Snowflake or BigQuery, and Power BI reads one clean copy. It is the pattern that scales once several systems and years of history are involved. See how we built a BigQuery data foundation for an asset management company.
Finance, billing and ERP
Invoices, payments and subscription data join to CRM accounts on a shared customer key, so bookings, billings and collections appear side by side. This is usually where the first real business value shows up, because no single system could answer it before.
Dynamics 365 and Dataverse
Microsoft's own business apps connect through Dataverse connectors, which suits companies running Dynamics 365 alongside, or instead of, Salesforce. Read more about our Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM solutions.
Running both CRMs? Keeping Salesforce and HubSpot in step before reporting on them saves a great deal of modelling work. See our Salesforce and HubSpot integration services and the wider integration services we deliver.
Power BI, Tableau or CRM Analytics: which fits your stack
All three are capable analytics tools. The better choice usually follows where your people work and where your data lives, not a feature checklist.
| Question | Microsoft Power BI | Tableau | CRM Analytics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who makes it | Microsoft | Salesforce | Salesforce |
| Where people use it | Power BI service, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, mobile apps | Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server, embedded in other apps | Inside Salesforce, on record pages and in Lightning apps |
| Strongest when | The business runs on Microsoft 365 and needs CRM, finance and operations data in one model | Analysts need flexible visual exploration across many data sources | Insights must sit next to the Salesforce record where reps act on them |
| Salesforce data | Through the Salesforce connectors or a data warehouse | Through Tableau's Salesforce connector or a data warehouse | Native to the Salesforce platform |
Weighing a Salesforce-native option? Compare our Salesforce Tableau solutions and Salesforce CRM Analytics services. The tools are not exclusive: Power BI for company-wide reporting alongside CRM-native dashboards for reps is a common pattern.
Security and governance from the first report
Power BI ships with strong controls. They only protect you if they are designed in at the start, before reports multiply across personal workspaces and exported files.
Row-level security
Roles filter the data each person sees, so one report serves every region, team or client and each viewer sees only their own rows. It applies to viewers, not workspace admins or members. Object-level security hides whole tables or columns, such as margin.
Sensitivity labels
Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels mark reports and models as confidential, and the label travels with the data when it is exported to Excel, PowerPoint or PDF.
Workspaces and apps
Builders work in workspaces with defined roles; everyone else gets a published app with a curated set of reports. It separates the workshop from the showroom.
Deployment pipelines and Git
Changes move from development to test to production through deployment pipelines, and workspaces can be connected to Git for version history, so a fix never goes straight into a live report.
Refresh and gateway monitoring
Scheduled refreshes, gateway health and failure alerts are owned by a named person. A dashboard that silently stopped refreshing last Tuesday is worse than no dashboard.
Publish to web stays off
Publish to web lets anyone on the internet view a report, and the detail data behind it, with no sign-in. It suits public data only, so we keep it disabled in the admin settings unless there is a clear need.
Microsoft documents these controls in its row-level security guide and deployment pipelines overview.
AI In Power BI
What Copilot needs to work
Copilot in Power BI brings chat-based generative AI into reports. Business users ask questions in plain language and get on-the-fly analysis and summaries; report creators get help generating DAX. The Copilot pane in reports is generally available, and the standalone, full-screen Copilot is in preview. Microsoft is retiring the older Q&A feature in December 2026, with Copilot as its replacement.
Licensing is the part that catches people out. Copilot needs organizational capacity: a paid Fabric capacity (F2 or larger) or Power BI Premium (P1 or larger). Microsoft states that a Pro or Premium Per User licence alone isn't sufficient, and trial capacities are not supported. Copilot usage is billed against that capacity. Details are in Microsoft's Copilot for Power BI overview.
Copilot is only as good as the semantic model underneath it. Clear table and column names, measures with descriptions, a sensible star schema and hidden technical fields are what let it answer "what was net new ARR by region last quarter?" correctly. A model built for one report rarely meets that bar, which is why we design models to be reused, by people and by AI. For the wider picture, see our data analytics services.
How Twopir delivers Power BI solutions
We work with growing, mid-market, and enterprise organizations that need help with complex CRM implementations, integrations, and business system challenges. With 12+ years of delivery and 500+ clients, we start from the CRM data most reporting depends on, and build outward.
Power BI Implementation
A working reporting layer, from the first data connection to the first app in front of users, built in development and promoted through test to production.
- KPI discovery and metric definitions
- Salesforce, HubSpot and finance connections
- Semantic model and DAX measures
- Reports, dashboards and apps
- Row-level security and refresh setup
Training & Support
Adoption is the part most projects skip. We train report consumers, power users and administrators separately, then stay on to keep the solution healthy.
- Role-based training for viewers and builders
- Admin and governance handover
- Refresh and gateway monitoring
- Performance tuning of slow reports
- Ongoing enhancements as needs change
Custom Solutions
When the standard connectors and visuals are not enough, we design around your data and your process instead of forcing both into a template.
- Data pipelines into a warehouse or Fabric
- Embedded analytics for portals and products
- Historical snapshots and trend models
- Migration from spreadsheets or legacy BI
- Copilot-ready model design
Reporting is one part of running revenue well. See how it fits into revenue operations, read our client success stories, or browse more guides on the Twopir blog.
Power BI questions, answered plainly
Power BI is used to connect data from the systems a business runs on, such as a CRM, accounting software, databases and spreadsheets, model it once, and share interactive reports and dashboards. Teams use it for sales pipeline and revenue reporting, finance and operations KPIs, service performance and executive dashboards, viewed in a browser, in Microsoft Teams or on the mobile apps.
As listed by Microsoft on November 3, 2026: Power BI Pro is $14 per user per month and Premium Per User is $24 per user per month, both paid yearly. Power BI Desktop is free. Microsoft Fabric capacity starts at $262.80 per month for an F2 on pay-as-you-go in US East, and on F64 or larger, users with a free licence can view Power BI content. Prices vary by region.
Yes. Power BI has two Salesforce connectors. Salesforce Objects loads objects as tables with no row limit and suits a full data model. Salesforce Reports loads existing Salesforce reports but is limited to 2,000 rows. Both need a Salesforce user with the API Enabled permission, and Salesforce trial orgs have no API access.
Microsoft does not document a native or certified HubSpot connector for Power BI. HubSpot data is brought in through an integration platform, a custom connection to the HubSpot API, or a data warehouse that HubSpot data is replicated into. The right route depends on data volume, how much history you need and how fresh the numbers must be.
No. Copilot in Power BI needs organizational capacity: a paid Fabric capacity of F2 or larger, or Power BI Premium P1 or larger. Microsoft states that a Pro or Premium Per User licence alone is not sufficient, and trial capacities are not supported.
No. Power BI Pro and Premium Per User work without buying a Fabric capacity, and that is enough for many growing and mid-market teams. A Fabric capacity becomes worth it when you need Direct Lake models, Copilot, a large audience of free viewers on F64 or larger, or a shared data platform in OneLake.
It depends on the number of source systems, how clean the data is, and how many business areas the first release covers. We start with one area, such as sales and revenue reporting, agree the KPI definitions, and release it before adding finance or service data. The scope and timeline are set in discovery, before any statement of work.
Next Step
Bring your reports, we will map the rest
A first conversation covers the decisions your reports need to support, the systems the data lives in, and who needs to see what: enough to say whether Power BI fits, which licences you need, and what the first release would take. No obligation to proceed.
Talk to a consultant who connects CRM data to Power BI
