Ever encountered sluggish performance or timeouts with your Power BI dashboards? If you haven't, you're among the rare few—such issues are all too common. But here's some good news: if you're using the Power BI Service, there's a streamlined way to publish your models and schedule data refreshes while keeping your connection to Supermetrics intact. Curious about how this can transform your Power BI experience? Read on to discover how you can optimize performance and ensure your dashboards are always up-to-date.

What Are Semantic Models?

Semantic models in Power BI provide a structured and user-friendly representation of your data. They serve as a bridge between raw data and end-user reports, allowing users to interact with data through familiar business terms rather than complex database schemas. Typically, these models are created using Power BI Desktop with a data modeling tool like Power BI Dataflows or the Power BI Desktop's data model capabilities.

How to Publish Semantic Models to Power BI Service

Publishing semantic models to Power BI Service involves a few key steps:

• Create Your Semantic Model: Begin by building your semantic model in Power BI Desktop. This involves using the Supermetrics connector now natively available in Power BI to designing your data model, defining relationships, and creating measures, calculated columns, and hierarchies.

• Save and Publish: Once your model is ready, save your Power BI file (.pbix). Open Power BI Desktop and click on the “Publish” button in the Home ribbon. You'll be prompted to sign in to your Power BI account and select a workspace in the Power BI Service where you want to publish the model.

  • ​​​​​This also applies to existing dashboards in Power BI. Publishing them to the Power BI Service will separate the visualization from the semantic model, treating them as two distinct entities. 

• Configure in Power BI Service: After publishing, navigate to the Power BI Service (https://app.powerbi.com). Locate your published model in the chosen workspace. From here, you can create new reports or dashboards based on the semantic model. You can also manage data refresh schedules and permissions. (You may have to re-establish the connection as seen below in the screenshot)

• Share and Collaborate: Share your reports and dashboards with your team. Leverage the collaboration features in Power BI Service to gather feedback, make adjustments, and ensure that the model meets the needs of all stakeholders.

Licensing Requirements

To publish semantic models to Power BI Service, you'll need to be aware of the following licensing requirements:

1. Power BI Pro License: To publish and share content in the Power BI Service, you need a Power BI Pro license. This license allows for collaborative features and sharing capabilities.

2. Power BI Premium License: For larger organizations or teams with extensive data needs, a Power BI Premium license might be required. Premium offers enhanced capacity, advanced data management features, and additional administrative controls. It also enables larger data models and higher refresh rates.

3. Power BI Premium Per User (PPU): An alternative to the full Premium license, PPU offers many of the same advanced features on a per-user basis, which can be more cost-effective for smaller teams.

4. Data Source Licensing: Ensure that your data sources comply with their respective licensing requirements. Some data sources may have additional costs or restrictions.

Conclusion

Publishing Supermetrics Connected semantic models to Power BI Service unlocks a range of benefits, from centralized data management and enhanced user experience to real-time collaboration and advanced analytics on your digital media sources. By understanding the licensing requirements and leveraging the capabilities of Supermetrics and Power BI Service, you can maximize the value of your data and drive informed decision-making within your organization.