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Product Direction

Quality of Support

Common Pain Points with Microsoft Power BI Embedded

These issues span multi-tenant security, row-level security, scalability, integration into SaaS applications, and iframe embedding. Here are the main pain points we found after research various sites, including Reddit:

Multi-Tenant Security

Complexity in Managing Permissions

Managing permissions for different tenants can be cumbersome, especially when embedding Power BI content for multiple customers. Users have to ensure that each tenant’s data is securely separated and accessible only to the respective tenant, which can be complex to implement and maintain (source).

Row-Level Security

Implementing row-level security (RLS) in Power BI can be challenging. 

Users need to define and manage roles and permissions carefully to ensure that only authorized data is visible to users. This process can be error-prone and requires meticulous setup and testing.

Scalability

Performance Issues

Users have reported performance issues when scaling Power BI embedded analytics. As the number of reports and the volume of data increase, the performance can degrade, leading to slower load times and reduced responsiveness of the embedded reports (source).

High Costs

The cost of scaling Power BI embedded analytics can be prohibitive. Users often need to purchase higher capacity SKUs (e.g., A SKUs) to handle increased loads, which can be expensive for smaller organizations (source).

Integration into SaaS Applications

Complex Integration Process

Integrating Power BI into existing SaaS applications can be complex and time-consuming. Users need to handle API calls, authentication, and embedding logic, which can require significant development effort (source).

Limited Customization

There are limitations in customizing embedded Power BI reports to fit seamlessly into the look and feel of the host application. Users often find it challenging to control the appearance and behavior of embedded reports to match their application’s UI/UX standards (source).

Iframe Embedding

Security Concerns

Embedding Power BI reports using iframes can raise security concerns, such as cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. Ensuring secure embedding requires additional security measures and careful handling of authentication tokens.

Analyzing Power BI Embedded Reviews from G2.com

After analyzing Power BI Embedded reviews that are public on G2.com, several common concerns and trends emerge:

Complexity and Learning Curve

• Many users find Power BI Embedded complex and challenging to learn, especially for those without extensive technical backgrounds.
• The tool requires a significant time investment to master, which can be frustrating for new users.

Documentation and Support

• Users frequently mention that the documentation is lacking, outdated, or difficult to navigate.
• Some reviewers express frustration with the quality of support, citing slow response times or unhelpful answers.

Pricing and Licensing

• The cost of Power BI Embedded is a common pain point, with many users finding it expensive, especially for smaller organizations or startups.
• Some users mention that the pricing structure is complex and can lead to unexpected costs.

Performance Issues

• Several reviewers report performance problems, particularly with large datasets or complex reports.
• Slow loading times and lag in refreshing data are mentioned as issues that impact user experience.

Limited Customization

• Users express frustration with the limitations in customizing visuals and report layouts.
• Some reviewers mention difficulties in achieving pixel-perfect designs or matching their application’s look and fee.

Integration Challenges

• Integrating Power BI Embedded into existing applications can be challenging and time-consuming.
• Some users report difficulties with authentication and embedding processes.

Version Control and Development Workflow

• The lack of robust version control features is mentioned as a significant drawback.
• Some users find it challenging to manage development workflows, especially in team environments.

Mobile Experience

• The mobile experience is criticized by some users as being subpar compared to the desktop version.

Data Refresh and Real-Time Analytics

• Some reviewers mention limitations in data refresh frequencies and real-time analytics capabilities.

Row-Level Security Implementation

• Implementing and managing row-level security is described as complex and sometimes unreliable by some users.

How Power BI Handles Multi-Tenant Data Management for Embedded Analytics

Power BI: Power BI Embedded allows developers to use service principal profiles to manage multi-tenancy. This enables security boundaries between customers. Each customer (tenant) gets a separate Power BI profile created by the service principal, allowing the app to host multiple customers on a single Power BI tenant. (source)

After developers create service profiles for every tenant, developers then create workspaces for each tenant. This is an approach where each tenant gets their own dedicated workspace. This provides separation of content between different tenants.

Another option Power BI Embedded offers is row-level security (RLS). While not the preferred option for true multi-tenancy, RLS can be used to filter data within a single dataset based on user roles or identities. However, this requires maintaining all tenant data in a single data warehouse, which may not be suitable for all scenarios. Furthermore, this option requires up-front planning to implement.

Qrvey enhances SaaS application functionality through fully embeddable JavaScript widgets. This approach overcomes the limitations of iframes, ensuring users remain within the primary application while accessing Qrvey’s features.

Security is managed via API-generated tokens, which are incorporated into each widget at runtime. These tokens contain comprehensive access controls, including tenant and user-level permissions, chart and filter-specific restrictions, and granular data access settings.

The platform offers extensive customization options, including theme support through embed parameters. This allows for seamless integration with various visual styles, such as light or dark modes. Additionally, over 65 CSS classes provide detailed control over the user interface, enabling product teams to incorporate Qrvey’s functionality without disrupting the native application experience.

Qrvey also supports user-specific customization by allowing the creation and modification of dashboard templates. Users can save personalized versions of dashboards without altering the original template, ensuring a tailored experience for each individual.