Monitoring Report Metrics of Power BI Reports during the Day (Runtimes, Users, Workspaces)

[BI-Nomad]

Hi All,

I am wanting to create a Monitoring for PowerBI Reports in the Power BI Service. I know there is the built in Usage Metrics but they are very limited and dont really offer the information i need. Plus they are based on only one workspace and the Datamodel cannot really be altered in anyway.

Can anyone out there suggest me the ideal way to get to the following information or who has had experience with implementing a similar monitoring.
- Information on User, Report Usage, Executions, across all workspaces -> i have read it is possible over REST APIs. Havent tried yet. Is there a simpler way which doesnt involve REST APIs or is it the only way?
- Runtimes/Loading Times of Reports. The usage metrics somehow gives information similar like 50, 70 or 90th percentile but that is basically useless when this information i get the next day and not for the day i want. The information has to be Realtime as well. I dont mean accurate to the second but 5 or 10 Minutes give or take. It is important so if the users are telling me the reports are running slow i can immediately find out which report or reports are affected and can find the problem. One can somehow use Azure Log Analytics for it but since we have an On Prem SSAS instance the cost is not feasible. Does anyone here have any idea how to extract this information?

- Information on the stress on the PowerBI Service at any given time?

I would really appreciate it if i get assistance or a push in the right direction from the experts on this forum.

LG

[v-binbinyu-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @BI-Nomad ,

The most comprehensive way to gather detailed information on user interactions, report usage, and executions across all workspaces in Power BI Service is indeed through the Power BI REST APIs. Specifically, the Admin API provides endpoints that allow administrators to list all the activities within your Power BI tenant. This includes viewing and interacting with reports across all workspaces. While it may seem daunting at first, using REST APIs is a powerful method to extract precise data you need.

For real-time or near real-time monitoring of report runtimes and loading times, leveraging tools like Azure Monitor and Azure Log Analytics with Power BI can provide the insights you need. However, as you mentioned the cost concerns with an on-premises SSAS instance, an alternative approach could be using the Performance Analyzer in Power BI Desktop. While this tool is more suited for development and troubleshooting phases, it can help identify potential performance bottlenecks in reports before they are published.

For ongoing, real-time monitoring without Azure, options are limited. One approach could be to develop a custom monitoring solution that uses the JavaScript API for Power BI to track report load times from the client side. This would require custom development and might not cover all your needs.

Best regards,
Community Support Team_Binbin Yu
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