💁 About this article
This article is part of Fugo’s Power BI knowledge base: a collection of resources answering common Power BI questions. We include notes throughout where Fugo’s integration may be helpful for displaying dashboards on digital signage.
Table of contents
Overview
Power BI embedded analytics is a set of tools and APIs that allow developers and businesses to integrate Power BI reports, dashboards, and visuals directly into their own applications, websites, or internal portals. This brings business intelligence into the flow of work, without requiring users to switch platforms.
There are two main models of embedding:
Embed for your organization (User owns data): Requires user authentication. Used for internal apps and portals.
Embed for your customers (App owns data): Uses service-level authentication. Commonly used by software vendors for external users.
Both options aim to deliver real-time insights within the context of apps, rather than sending users out to the Power BI Service.
Key benefits of Power BI embedded analytics
Embedding Power BI directly into your app or portal gives you:
Better in-app decision making
Users can explore reports and dashboards without switching platforms.
Granular control over the user experience
Developers can fine-tune the layout, access permissions, and how often data is refreshed.
Custom branding and UI flexibility
Useful for white-labeled SaaS products or customer-facing applications.
Two licensing models to suit internal or external audiences
Choose based on whether you're embedding for employees or customers.
Power BI embedding models compared
Embed for your customers (App owns data)
Designed for external users (e.g. SaaS customers).
Your app authenticates using a service principal or master user - no Power BI login required.
Requires setting up a Power BI Embedded (A SKU) capacity via Azure.
Useful for white-labeling reports and controlling what users see.
Embed for your organization (User owns data)
Designed for internal users (e.g. employees).
Viewers authenticate with Power BI credentials.
Content is limited to what each user has access to in the Power BI Service.
Common in large orgs that want embedded dashboards inside internal tools.
Here’s how they differ:
Feature | Embed for Customers (App owns data) | Embed for Org (User owns data) |
Target users | External (e.g. SaaS customers) | Internal (employees) |
Auth method | Service principal / master user | Microsoft Entra ID (user login) |
License needed | No license for end users | Power BI license required per user |
Report access | Defined by app developer | Defined by user's Power BI access |
R/Python visuals support | ❌ Not supported | ✅ Supported |
Note: Both options require embedding into a capacity. For production use, free trial tokens aren’t enough. You’ll need either Power BI Embedded (A SKU) or Power BI Premium (P or EM SKU).
What about Secure Embed?
Secure Embed is a lightweight option for embedding into websites or portals using a simple iFrame. It requires users to have a Power BI license and proper access. It’s easy to set up but offers limited flexibility - that is, no fine-grained control over branding or interaction.
Can you use Power BI embedded analytics to display data on a TV screen?
Not really - and not in the way most teams expect.
Power BI’s embedded analytics tools are built for interactive, user-facing apps and internal portals, where the viewer logs in and explores data themselves. They’re not designed to run passively on a wall-mounted screen or display board that no one’s standing in front of.
If your goal is to show a Power BI report on a TV screen in an office, warehouse, or storefront, you’ll run into limitations like:
No remote screen management
No built-in refresh or fallback if the session breaks
No simple way to deploy across multiple displays
Browser or hardware compatibility issues
No support for unattended, always-on display
That’s where digital signage software that integrates with Power BI can help. These tools act as the missing delivery layer between your business apps and your screens, helping you manage content remotely, handle session/authentication persistence, and adapt Power BI for screen-based contexts.
For example, Fugo’s Power BI app connects directly to your dashboards, respects your existing access permissions, and pushes visuals to supported TV hardware or media players without needing to keep a browser tab open or use workarounds.
It’s not a replacement for embedded analytics. It’s just a better fit when your “viewer” is a screen, not a person.