Power BI in the Cloud: Publishing and Sharing Dashboards with Power BI Service

17 September 2025

5 min read

From Local Reports to Live Cloud Dashboards — A Step-by-Step Guide

In the modern day, being able to access information in real time is no longer a privilege, it’s a requirement. Though designing impressive graphics in Power BI Desktop is impressive, the best part comes when you share your reports on the cloud with Microsoft’s Power BI Service.

At OptionTrain College of Management & Technology, we show students how to manage, automate, and securely sharing them in enterprise environments. Through this blog, you will find out how to publish, schedule, and share your Power BI dashboards on the web with the help of Microsoft’s Power BI Service.

What Is Power BI Service?

Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com) is a secure cloud platform provided by Microsoft that allows people to:

Host and share dashboards, reports online
Schedule automatic data refreshes
Collaborate with colleagues
Share insights across teams, departments, or entire organizations
Access dashboards from any device, anytime

It turns your local Power BI files (.pbix) into live, collaborative, and shareable tools for decision-making.

A Step-by-Step Guide for Publishing and Sharing Dashboards

Step 1: Go to Power BI Desktop and make your report

Be sure your report is ready before you publish it to the cloud.

Connect to data sources
Create visuals and KPIs
Apply filters and slicers
Format the layout for user experience
Save your work as a .pbix file

Tip: Use date filters and bookmarks to make the information more engaging and interactive.

Step 2: Publish Your Report to Power BI Service

1. Use your Microsoft account to sign in to Power BI Desktop.

2. Click on Home > Publish.

3. First, choose a workspace (the default is “My Workspace,” or go for a different one if you’re collaborating).

4. You will be provided a link where you can review your report online after uploading.

Tip: Organize your dashboards by workspace, topic, or audience to maintain clarity.

Step 3: Schedule Data Refreshes (Automatic Updates)

A great feature of Power BI Service is its ability to automatically refresh data.

How to Set Up:

1. Go to app.powerbi.com and open your published dataset.

2. Click Settings > Datasets > Scheduled Refresh.

3. Configure:

Refresh frequency (daily, hourly, etc.)
Time zone
Credentials for data source access (gateway setup if needed)

Important: For on-premise data sources, install and configure the Power BI Gateway.

Tip: Test the refresh first by hand to confirm it works as planned and monitor its performance.

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Step 4: Share Your Dashboards

As soon as your report becomes live and keeps refreshing, you can share it safely with others.

Options to Share:

Direct Share: Share the report by hitting the Share button and typing the emails of your coworkers who have Power BI Pro licenses.
Publish to Workspace: Add users to a workspace and assign roles (Viewer, Member, Contributor, Admin).
Create a Power BI App: Bundle dashboards and reports into an App—an organized experience with access control and branding.
Embed in Teams or SharePoint: Integrate dashboards directly into Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or internal portals.

Security Note: It is necessary to have the right Power BI licenses and user authority to share. Use Azure Active Directory for enterprise-grade access control.

Data Security & Governance Best Practices

Security and data privacy should be the main consideration when cloud reports are being shared or published.

This is how you can make sure your reports are protected:

Row-Level Security (RLS): Show different data to different users from the same dataset.
Workspace Permissions: Use role-based access (Viewer, Member, Admin).
Audit Logs: Track who views, shares, or exports data.
Data Sensitivity Labels: Classify reports as “Confidential,” “Internal,” etc.
Encryption: All data in Power BI is encrypted both in transit and at rest.

Tip: Check user permissions and access to the workspace at regular intervals to ensure they comply with standards.

Access Dashboards Anywhere

Power BI Service allows users to access dashboards from:

Web browsers (desktop and mobile versions)
Power BI Mobile App (iOS, Android)
Microsoft Teams via embedded tabs

🔹 Real-time insights are just a tap away, even on the go.

How We Teach This at OptionTrain

In OptionTrain’s Power BI Certificate Program, students go beyond dashboard creation. They learn:

Methods for publishing and maintaining reports in Power BI Service
How to configure gateways and refresh schedules
How to apply row-level security and manage user access
How to collaborate with team members using workspaces and apps
How to present dashboards to executives and stakeholders

Real-World Example: Student Project

To monitor sales performance, one recent graduate of ours applied Power BI Service to a retail business:

Weekly reports were published featuring auto-refresh.
Set row-level security for each regional manager.
Integrated dashboards into the company’s SharePoint platform.
Utilized usage analytics to understand how frequently the reports were accessed

Because of this, the company was able to prepare and share reports 80% faster and make decisions at a regional level.

Final Thoughts

With Power BI Service, users can bring their data stories to life by sharing and publishing reports. Your dashboards are converted from one-person tools to hubs that make decisions with the latest, accessible, and secure information.

Any analyst, manager, or executive should learn how to use Power BI in the cloud to stay relevant in today’s digital environment.

Want to Become a Power BI Pro?

Join OptionTrain College of Management & Technology’s industry-focused training programs and gain hands-on experience with: