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Inquiry Power BI Embedded

Youssef Emad 0 Reputation points
2026-04-28T12:47:10.13+00:00

Dear Microsoft Support Team,

I hope this message finds you well.

I am currently working on developing a public website that will display interactive dashboards similar to data portals such as the World Bank. I am using Power BI and would like to ensure I am selecting the correct architecture and licensing model.

I would appreciate your guidance on the following points:

  1. I currently have a Power BI Pro license. Is this sufficient for report development while using Power BI Embedded for public access?
  2. For a public-facing website where users will access dashboards without logging in, is Power BI Embedded (A SKU) the correct solution?
  3. Would starting with an A1 capacity be appropriate for a small to medium number of users?
  4. Are there any limitations or best practices I should be aware of when embedding dashboards for external users?
  5. Do I need to consider Microsoft Fabric for this use case, or is it not required?

My goal is to build a secure, scalable, and interactive platform for general users without requiring them to have Power BI accounts.

I would greatly appreciate your recommendations on the optimal setup and any documentation or resources you can share.

Thank you very much for your support.

Kind regards,

Microsoft 365 and Office | Development | Other
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  1. Michelle-N 15,625 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-28T14:33:12.3466667+00:00

    Hi @Youssef Emad

    Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum.

    Based on the information provided, I understand that you are developing a public-facing data portal and want to ensure you select the correct architecture and licensing model for Power BI Embedded.

    At first, please take a look at the initial guidance below.

    However, please note that this forum primarily focuses on Microsoft Office 365 products. To get the best tips and guidance regarding your specific Power BI architecture, I highly recommend that you post your case on the Power BI forums - Microsoft Fabric Community. This forum is dedicated to Power BI and is actively monitored by experienced users and engineers who can provide detailed guidance and share best practices.

    Thank you for your understanding!

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. Q&A Assist
    2026-04-28T12:47:46.31+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more
    1. A Power BI Pro license is sufficient for developing and publishing reports into a workspace that is then assigned to a Power BI Embedded capacity. Pro (or Premium Per User) is required for using REST APIs, managing workspaces, and authenticating in the Power BI portal for embedded scenarios. End users of the public site do not need Pro licenses when using the embed for your customers pattern.
    2. For a public-facing website where users access dashboards without logging in, the correct architectural pattern is Power BI embedded analytics – Embed for your customers (app owns data) backed by a capacity. In this model:
      • Users are typically external and do not sign in with Power BI credentials.
      • Authentication is non-interactive via a service principal or master user.
      • App users do not need Power BI licenses.
      • Power BI Embedded with A SKUs in Azure is the associated offer for this scenario.
    3. Starting with an A1 capacity is a common approach for smaller solutions. Power BI Embedded usage is billed hourly per node type, and usage can be scaled up or down by changing node size or pausing the resource. There is no monthly or annual commitment; billing continues while the capacity is active.
    4. Key limitations and best practices for embedding for external users:
      • A capacity is required for production; free embed trial tokens are only for development testing and will show a “Free trial version” banner until capacity is purchased.
      • The embed for your customers scenario cannot be used in production with only Fabric (free), Power BI Pro, or PPU licenses; a capacity-based product such as Power BI Embedded (A SKUs), Power BI Premium (P/EM SKUs), or Fabric (F SKUs) is required.
      • App users do not need Power BI accounts, but a Pro/PPU license or service principal is required for using REST APIs and managing workspaces and content.
      • Use row-level security (RLS) if different external users should see different subsets of data.
      • R and Python visuals are not supported in embed for your customers; if those visuals are required, the embed for your organization pattern must be used instead.
      • Use the Power BI client APIs to tightly integrate navigation, filters, slicers, and layout with the host application.
    5. Microsoft Fabric is not required for this use case. For a public, external-facing portal where users do not sign in with Power BI, Power BI Embedded (A SKUs) with the embed for your customers solution is sufficient. Fabric (F SKUs) and Power BI Premium (P/EM SKUs) are alternative capacity products if broader Fabric or enterprise BI capabilities are needed, but they are not mandatory for basic external embedding.

    Overall, the optimal setup for a secure, scalable, interactive public site is:

    • Develop reports with a Power BI Pro license.
    • Use the embed for your customers (app owns data) model.
    • Host content in a workspace assigned to a Power BI Embedded A SKU capacity (starting with A1 and scaling as needed).
    • Implement appropriate security at the data source and, if needed, RLS in the semantic models.

    References:

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