Power BI Scanner OCF Connector: Pages and Visuals

Alation Cloud Service Applies to Alation Cloud Service instances of Alation

Customer Managed Applies to customer-managed instances of Alation

A Power BI report consists of multiple pages and visuals, each of which presents and analyzes data in a distinct way.

Page - A Power BI page is a single canvas that contains visuals. Reports can have multiple pages, each focusing on a specific aspect of the data. The pages in Power BI are similar to individual sheets in Excel.

Visuals - A Power BI visual, also known as charts or graphs, is the building block of a report. Visuals help present data insights in a visually appealing and easily interpretable manner.

Pages and Visuals in Alation

A Power BI report can be cataloged with multiple pages. Each page can contain multiple visuals, all of which are linked to the underlying dataset. Each visual on a page is connected to the corresponding dataset, ensuring that data flow and updates are accurately reflected throughout the report.

Important

The Lineage tab does not display Pages and Visuals objects. The data lineage will not be tracked or visualized.

Visuals:

../../../_images/PowerBI_Visuals.png

Pages:

../../../_images/PowerBI_Pages.png

Object Mapping

The mapping in the below table defines how Power BI pages and visuals are represented and cataloged within Alation. Pages are treated as dashboard objects within the catalog, while visuals are categorized as report objects linked to the corresponding page.

Power BI Object

Cataloged in Alation

Description

Pages

BI_Report (type - Dashboard)

Cataloged as a dashboard within a parent Power BI report.

Page Fields

BI_Report_columns

Cataloged as report fields

Visuals

BI_Report (type - Report)

Cataloged as a report object under the parent page object.

Visual Fields

BI_Report_columns

Cataloged as report fields
../../../_images/PowerBI_Pages_Visuals.png

Limitations

The following limitations apply to the cataloging of Power BI pages and visuals, as the respective fields are not available as part of the PBIX/API response:

  • The Following visuals will be labeled as Untitled Visuals:

    • Visuals that do not have a defined title.

    • Visuals with a default title.

  • Any pages without a title will be marked as Untitled Pages within the catalog.

  • Descriptions for pages and visuals will not be cataloged and any metadata or descriptive text associated with these objects will not be captured in the catalog.