To create a dashboard in Power BI, build a report in Power BI Desktop, publish it to the Power BI service, then pin individual visuals from that report onto a new dashboard. Dashboards themselves can only be assembled in the Power BI service, not in Desktop.

This guide covers the dashboard itself: a single page of pinned tiles you build in the service. For the report pages a dashboard pulls its tiles from, see our step-by-step guide to building Power BI reports. For a dashboard built specifically around sales metrics, see how to create a sales dashboard.

What Is a Power BI Dashboard?

A Power BI dashboard is a single-page, interactive view that aggregates visualizations pinned from one or more reports. It lets you monitor KPIs, track performance and share analytical insight with a team.

Key features of a Power BI dashboard:

• An overview page of the metrics that matter most.

• Interactive tiles, for quick reading rather than deep exploration.

• Cloud-based, shareable through the Power BI service.

Dashboard vs. Report in Power BI

Dashboards and reports serve different purposes, even though people use the terms interchangeably.

• Dashboards. A single-page, high-level view built from tiles pinned out of one or more reports. Dashboards are read-only and interactive through those tiles, but they do not support deep exploration. Think of a dashboard as an executive summary.

• Reports. A multi-page, detailed view built from a single dataset. Reports let a user slice, filter and drill down for analysis.

Dashboards show what is happening at a glance. Reports explain why, through deeper analysis. The two work together: build the report first, then pin the tiles that matter onto a dashboard.

Step-by-Step: How to Create a Dashboard in Power BI

Step 1: Prepare Your Data and Relationships

Before creating an effective Power BI dashboard, structure your data correctly first. Connected tables let you aggregate data, apply filters and build visuals that respond correctly to user selections.

• Remove duplicates and handle missing values.

• Build a data model with relationships if you are using multiple sources.

Use Power Query in Power BI Desktop to transform your data before loading it.

Step 2: Import Data into Power BI

Power BI Desktop's Get data screen, shown when starting a new report.

• Open Power BI Desktop.

• Select Home > Get data.

• Choose your data source: Excel, CSV, a database, and so on.

• Load or transform the data.

The Get Data dialog, listing available connectors by category.

Step 3: Create Your Report Visuals

Dashboards in Power BI are built from report visuals.

• Drag fields onto the canvas to create charts, tables and KPI cards.

• Use slicers and filters for interactivity.

• Format visuals for readability.

Popular visuals for dashboards: line and column charts for trends over time, card visuals for single KPIs, map visuals for geographical data, and gauge charts for target versus actual.

Step 4: Publish to Power BI Service

1. Save your report in Power BI Desktop.

2. Select Publish to upload it to a workspace in the Power BI service.

Step 5: Pin Visuals to Create the Dashboard

1. In the Power BI service, open your report.

2. Hover over a visual and select Pin visual.

3. Create a new dashboard or add to an existing one.

4. Repeat for every visual you want on the dashboard.

Pinning a visual to a dashboard from a report in the Power BI service.

Step 6: Customize and Share

• Rearrange and resize tiles for a clean layout.

• Add text boxes for explanations.

• Set alerts on KPI tiles.

• Share the dashboard by link, or embed it in Teams or SharePoint.

Designing and Customizing Dashboards

A well-designed dashboard guides users to the most important insight first. Group related tiles, use a consistent layout, and apply one theme so the page reads as one piece. Match the visualization to the data: bar charts for comparisons, line charts for trends, cards for single KPIs. Spacing, backgrounds and slicer placement affect usability as much as the visuals themselves. Design for the audience. A team that needs a quick status check wants fewer tiles than one that wants to explore a number further.

Best Practices for Power BI Dashboards

• Keep it simple. Avoid clutter and focus on the KPIs that matter.

• Use consistent colors, matched to your reporting or brand palette.

• Limit the number of visuals per page. A large dataset or DirectQuery source can slow tile load time.

• Make it interactive with slicers and filters so users can explore further from a dashboard tile.

FAQs

Can I create a dashboard in Power BI Desktop?

No. Dashboards can only be created in the Power BI service. Power BI Desktop is for building the reports that feed a dashboard once published.

Is Power BI free to use?

Power BI Desktop is free to build reports in. Sharing a dashboard with others needs a Power BI Pro or Premium Per User license for each viewer, unless the workspace sits on Fabric F64 or larger capacity, or a Premium P capacity. See our comparison of Power BI Free vs. Pro for the full breakdown.

Sources

• Dashboards in the Power BI service - Microsoft Learn

• Power BI license types - Microsoft Learn