Why is the login so complicated?

[102938974756545]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but it seems to be the best option

This is a large organisation, running office 365 as well as desktop apps.

A very Microsoft centric environment.

I'm chatting with a user who has never even heard of PowerBI. This is how they go through getting to it.

1. Google search "Office365 Login"

2. chose the approiate link

3. Put in email address

4. "Taking you to your organisation login"

5. Put in email again

6. Up comes Outlook 365.

7. Choose the blue box in the top left - Power BI is not listed

8. Back to google

9. Search "PowerBI login"

10. Choose the appropriate link

11. Put in email address

12. "Taking you to your organisation login"

13.  Put in email again

14.  "Sign in or sign up"

15. "Sign up"

16. "You already have PowerBI"

17. "Share with others? (or skip)"

18. "finishing your sign up"

19. app available.

It's sooo complicated

[NoentiendoPBI]

In addition to the very complex log in process described here, it seems that the product has been designed with complexity as a pricing strategy. You have Power BI Pro, Premium, Desktop, Service, Server, Office 365. Some sites say that Office 365 will be phased out, others that Pro will go. So, large organizations decide to enroll in all of them, exacerbating even more the log in process. 

[Anonymous]

Its not quite as complex as you feel.  All thats happened is that Power BI hasn't activated under that employees account.  If the employee simply goes to Power BI itself and clicks "Sign-In", this will go through an automatic once off process that will activate Power BI under that employees Office 365 account.  In future it will appear in their office 365 apps as usual.

[102938974756545]

OK, fair enough.

But here's another aspect to it - if I use Power BI Desktop, then I have to sign in. Every time. If I use any other Office365 app, then I don't.

I can be signd in on my office365 apps, and still have to sign in seperatly on PowerBI.

[v-yuezhe-msft]

@102938974756545,

If you publish Power BI Desktop file(PBIX file) from Desktop to Power BI Service, you have to sign in using your Power BI account in the Desktop.  Otherwise, you don't have to sign in when using Power BI Desktop, and you are OK to create reports in Power BI Desktop.

In addition, instead of publishing PBIX file from Power BI Desktop, you can directly upload PBIX file in Power BI Service using "Get Data->Files".  Also once you sign in Office 365 or other online services such as SharePoint Online, you don't have to sign in Power BI Service, when you directly open Power BI Service icon, you are signing in.



Regards,
Lydia

[102938974756545]

I don;t understand this:

"... you can directly upload PBIX file in Power BI Service using "Get Data->Files..."

I log into Office365 > PowerBI > Choose workspace > Create dataset > Files > Get > SharePoint - Team sites > SharePoint URL?

Now I need to goto anothetr page and look find the url. In my orhanisation that's either a favourite I have, or I go to the intranet homepage, and navigate my way through. When I have eventually found the url, I copy it, and come back to this place and paste.

"The URL is not valid"

It's far simpler to just opren the PBIX file, make some changes and press publish.

[v-yuezhe-msft]

@102938974756545,

I mean that if you don't want to login Power BI Desktop and publish PBIX file, you can directly upload the PBIX file by using "Get Data->Files" entry in Power BI Service.

In addition, when you connect to SharePoint site in Power BI Service, please use root URL of the SharePoint site.

Regards,
Lydia

[Anonymous]

Power BI desktop isn't an Office 365 program, it isn't hosted in the cloud.  The authentication is handled differently and the token (from what I can tell) is stored differently.  I don't have to sign in every time I use Power BI desktop, in fact i rarely have to.  This leads me to suspect there is something else at play with your local policies on your network and computers.