Step by Step Guide to Building Dashboards with Power BI Copilot
Power bi copilot transforms how you build dashboards in power bi. You can describe your dashboard needs in plain language, and copilot for power bi will suggest visuals, layouts, and even generate DAX calculations for you. Copilot helps you select the right visuals, arrange report pages, and uncover important insights in seconds.
You do not need advanced technical skills to use copilot for power bi. The ai-driven features of microsoft copilot allow you to ask questions about your data and receive instant summaries or narrative explanations. These benefits of using copilot help you create interactive dashboards faster on your data visualization platform. Copilot for power bi, integrated with power bi and microsoft copilot, boosts your productivity and streamlines report building.
Generate summaries and visual suggestions instantly.
Customize dashboards with natural language prompts.
Refine report content and provide feedback to improve copilot.
Key Takeaways
Power BI Copilot lets you build dashboards quickly using plain language, no advanced skills needed.
You can enable Copilot through the Fabric Admin portal and assign roles to control access.
A well-prepared data model helps Copilot suggest accurate visuals and insights for your reports.
Use natural language prompts to ask questions and generate report pages automatically.
Customize and refine visuals and layouts to create clear, interactive dashboards that support better decisions.
Getting Started with Power BI Copilot
Licensing and Admin Setup
Before you use copilot for power bi, you need to understand the licensing and admin setup. Power bi offers several license types, such as Free, Pro, Premium Per User, and Fabric capacity. Copilot for power bi requires Fabric F SKUs. If you want to enable copilot for free users, your capacity must be F64 or higher, and you must assign viewer roles. Creators need Pro or Premium Per User licenses to build and share content. Organizations must migrate from Premium P SKUs to Fabric F SKUs, as Microsoft retired P SKUs in early 2025. Fabric F SKUs provide a unified platform for power bi and other Microsoft Fabric services. Admins should use role-based access control and optimize licenses to manage costs and access.
💡 Tip: Always check the latest Microsoft documentation for up-to-date licensing requirements and admin best practices.
Enabling Copilot in Power BI
To enable copilot in power bi, you start in the Fabric Admin portal. Search for copilot settings and turn on the features you need. You can select which workspaces will use copilot for power bi. Assign viewer roles to users who need access. After you enable copilot, users can launch it from the ribbon in power bi desktop or the service. Microsoft copilot integrates with your environment, making it easy to use ai-powered features. You can now ask questions, generate summaries, and create report pages with natural language.
Go to the Fabric Admin portal.
Search for copilot settings.
Enable copilot for selected workspaces.
Assign viewer roles as needed.
Preparing Your Data Model
A well-connected data model is key for the best results with power bi copilot. When your data model has clear relationships, unique names, and well-defined measures, copilot can suggest accurate visuals and insights. In one real-world case, a company improved its copilot results by optimizing its data model. They removed unsupported filters, added synonyms, and ensured unique naming. After these changes, copilot answered all test questions correctly. Carlsberg, a global brewing company, used microsoft copilot with power bi to connect data from different sources. This setup allowed faster analytics, less manual work, and better business outcomes. When you prepare your data model, you help copilot for power bi deliver the best possible report suggestions and insights.
Creating Dashboards with Copilot for Power BI
Launching Copilot
You can start your dashboard journey by accessing copilot directly from the Power BI ribbon. Once you enable copilot for power bi in your workspace, you will see the copilot icon in both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service. Launching copilot gives you an instant boost in productivity. Copilot accelerates report creation by generating initial reports from your data models. This means you can focus on refining insights and customizing your dashboards instead of building everything from scratch.
When you use copilot, you save time and reduce manual effort. You do not need to write complex code or formulas. Copilot for power bi lets you interact with your data using natural language, making analytics accessible to everyone on your team.
Here are some ways copilot improves your workflow:
Copilot provides detailed summaries and visual suggestions.
You receive instant answers and actionable insights, even if you have limited data analysis experience.
Using Natural Language Prompts
Natural language prompts are one of the most powerful features in power bi copilot. You can type questions or requests just like you would ask a colleague. For example, you might enter:
"What are the top 10 products by sales amount and region?"
"Show me sales trends over the last year."
"Summarize customer demographics."
Copilot understands these prompts and uses generative ai capability to analyze your data. You do not need to know technical terms or advanced analytics. The ai interprets your request and auto-creates report visuals, cards, and summaries. This approach eliminates the need for complex coding and allows you to gain insights into a report quickly.
The impact of natural language prompts is clear. The following table shows how organizations improved their analytics process after adopting copilot for power bi:
You can see that using natural language prompts leads to faster report creation and higher adoption rates across teams.
Generating Report Pages
Copilot for power bi makes automated report creation simple. When you use a prompt like "Suggest content for a new report page," copilot analyzes your semantic model and recommends relevant visuals, tables, and charts. You can review the suggestions, edit them, or accept them as they are. Copilot identifies the best fields and measures for your analysis, then auto-creates report pages that you can customize further.
Here is how the report creation process works:
Enter your prompt in the copilot pane.
Review the suggested visuals and summaries.
Edit any element to match your needs.
Accept the suggestions to add them to your report.
Copilot-generated report pages help you start your analysis quickly. You can use copilot to summarize models, create narrative explanations, and even generate DAX measures automatically. Many users find that copilot produces accurate visuals and summaries that closely match what experts would build manually. For example, copilot can generate a full customer segmentation report in about 30 seconds. You can also use copilot to explore data further by asking follow-up questions or requesting new visuals.
Copilot supports automatic report creation and helps you refine your dashboards. You can add slicers, filters, and bookmarks to enhance interactivity. Copilot also enables you to include narrative summaries in report subscriptions, so team members receive key insights by email.
Copilot for power bi streamlines the auto-create report experience. You spend less time on manual setup and more time exploring data and making decisions. Business teams in sales, marketing, operations, and HR benefit from faster analytics and improved decision-making.
With copilot, you unlock the full potential of your data. You can create, edit, and share reports with ease, making analytics a core part of your business workflow.
Customizing and Refining Insights
Editing Visuals in Power BI
When you use copilot to create power bi visualizations, you gain a strong starting point for your report. However, you can always refine these visuals to better match your goals. Start by reviewing each chart or table. Remove any visuals that do not add value or seem repetitive. You can add new visuals by dragging fields from your data model or by asking copilot for more suggestions. Adjust chart types to fit your message—bar charts work well for comparisons, while line charts show trends over time. Use colors, labels, and annotations to highlight key insights and make important data stand out. Consistent design elements, such as fonts and color schemes, help your report look professional and easy to read.
Tip: Always check that your data sources and calculations are accurate before sharing your report.
Arranging and Formatting Pages
A well-organized dashboard helps users find information quickly. Place the most important data at the top left, following natural reading patterns. Use card visuals to highlight key metrics. Keep your dashboard on a single screen to avoid scroll bars and reduce clutter. Group related visuals together and use white or light backgrounds for better readability. Limit the number of visuals on each page to keep the focus clear. Assign business-friendly names to your visuals and pages so users know what they are viewing. When you format your report, scale numbers for easy reading and avoid unnecessary labels. These steps help you create power bi dashboards that communicate insights clearly.
Enhancing Interactivity
Interactive features in power bi make your dashboards more useful. Add slicers and filters so users can customize their view by date, region, or product. Bookmarks allow you to save different views and switch between them easily. Use tooltips and drill-downs to provide extra details without cluttering the page. Copilot can help you set up these features by suggesting the best ways to display your data. Always review your dashboard with stakeholders and gather feedback to refine your design. By focusing on interactivity, you ensure that users can explore data and discover key insights on their own.
Tips, Troubleshooting, and Best Practices for Copilot
Common Issues with Copilot
You may encounter a few common issues when using copilot in power bi. Understanding these challenges helps you troubleshoot quickly and keep your workflow smooth.
Sometimes, copilot in the Power BI Service does not fully recognize synonyms in the chat pane. Power BI Desktop handles synonyms better. This difference is a known issue and will likely improve in future updates.
To fix synonym problems, make sure you save all synonyms in the linguistic schema using the Q&A setup before publishing your report.
Refresh your semantic model after publishing to the Power BI Service. This step helps copilot recognize your changes.
Match the language and regional settings between your model and workspace. This action improves synonym recognition.
If you face ongoing issues, raise a support ticket with Microsoft. This helps track and resolve problems that affect your data analysis.
Tip: Regularly check for platform updates. Microsoft continues to enhance copilot features and address user feedback.
Maximizing Insights
You can unlock the full value of copilot by following strategies used by leading organizations. The table below shows how companies use copilot and power bi to solve real-world challenges and improve outcomes:
You can apply similar strategies to your own data. Use copilot to create dashboards that highlight key metrics, trends, and opportunities for your business. This approach leads to faster report creation and deeper insights.
Learning Resources
You have access to a wide range of learning resources to master copilot and power bi. These materials help you build skills, improve report accuracy, and stay up to date with the latest features.
The DAX Functions Cheat Sheet helps standardize DAX usage and makes onboarding easier for new analysts.
Expert tutorials, interactive workshops, and community forums support continuous learning and collaboration.
Boot camps and webinars offer hands-on training for both beginners and advanced users.
Downloadable PDFs and printable references provide quick access to essential information.
A dedicated YouTube channel shares weekly videos with actionable tips and deep dives into power bi and DAX.
Microsoft Power BI offers guided learning paths, self-paced courses, and sample dashboards for practical experience.
The learning portal updates regularly, ensuring you always have the latest best practices and features.
Note: Using these resources helps you build confidence, improve your analytics skills, and get the most out of copilot for your data analysis and report creation.
You can build dashboards with Power BI Copilot by launching Copilot, using natural language prompts, and customizing visuals. Copilot helps you summarize reports and quickly move past analysis paralysis. Many users have saved thousands of hours each month, which leads to improved decision-making and greater efficiency. You gain data-based decision-making skills as you experiment with features and join learning communities. Try advanced options to unlock even deeper insights.
FAQ
How do you enable copilot in Power BI?
You enable copilot by opening the Fabric Admin portal. Search for copilot settings and turn on the features for your workspace. After enabling copilot, you can start accessing copilot from the Power BI ribbon in Power BI Desktop or the Power BI Service.
What are the benefits of using copilot for automated report creation?
Copilot for Power BI speeds up the report creation process. You use natural language prompts to auto-create report pages. This approach helps you gain insights into a report quickly and supports improved decision-making with less manual effort.
Can copilot help you create Power BI visualizations with generative AI capability?
Yes, copilot uses generative AI capability to suggest visualizations and summaries. You describe your data analysis needs, and copilot recommends the best visuals. This feature helps you create Power BI visualizations that highlight key insights and trends in your data.
How does copilot support data-based decision-making and analytics?
Copilot analyzes your data and provides instant insights. You receive summaries, visual suggestions, and narrative explanations. These features help you make data-based decisions and improve analytics across your organization. Copilot also streamlines the auto-create report experience.
What should you do if you want to summarize reports or gain deeper insights?
You can ask copilot to summarize reports or answer specific questions about your data. Copilot generates narrative explanations and visualizations. This process helps you gain insights into a report and supports your analysis on any data visualization platform.