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The ScreenCloud Microsoft Power BI app lets you display a Power BI report or dashboard directly on your screens. Once connected, changes to your data in Power BI are automatically reflected on screen.
About this App
Visualise Your Power BI Data
Bring your Power BI dashboards and reports directly onto your screens.
Business Intelligence, Front and Centre
Put key data in front of the people who need it to make decisions.
Secure Microsoft Login
Connect with your Microsoft account for a simple, secure integration.
Setting Up the Microsoft Power BI App
The Power BI app can be added to a Collection.
Adding via a Collection
Go to Collections.
Select the Collection you want to add the app to, or create a new one.
Click the Apps tab, then Add app.
Select Microsoft Power BI from the list of apps, then click Create.
Connecting Your Power BI Account
Click Connect a Power BI account.
Give your connection a clear, meaningful name, for example your account name plus the date, so it's easy to recognise later.
Click Sign into Power BI, then follow Microsoft's login and authentication steps in the window that opens.
If your organisation uses two-factor authentication, this needs to be enabled in your Microsoft Power BI account. Microsoft requires this to log in this way.
Choosing a Report or Dashboard
Once connected, you can browse your available workspaces to find the report or dashboard you want to display. Dashboards have no further configuration options. Reports offer several additional settings, covered below.
App Settings
Setting | Description |
Name | The name of your Power BI app instance. |
Report or Dashboard | The report or dashboard to display, selected from your connected Power BI workspaces. |
Cycle through pages | Reports only. If enabled, cycles through all pages in the report, each shown for a set number of seconds. If disabled, choose a single page to display instead. |
Refresh rate | How often the report or dashboard refreshes, set by the hour or minute. |
Filters | Reports only. Use Basic Filters (Table, Column, Operator, and Value) to include or exclude specific data, or Advanced URL Filters for Power BI's query parameter syntax. |
Give your app a unique name, then click Save & Close.
Reconnecting or Editing an Existing Power BI App
If a password expires or a token stops working, the app will show an error on screen. Only the person who created and set up a Power BI app instance can reconnect or edit it; anyone else can only view it.
Reconnecting an App
Open the app instance and find the Connected account panel.
Click Update credentials.
Choose to Reconnect with a fresh login, or select an existing connection under Your accounts that you know is still valid.
If you manage several Power BI apps, you only need to sign in again once. That connection can then be reused across your other instances.
If you select a connection that doesn't have access to that instance's report or dashboard, you'll see: "This account can't see this report. Choose a different account or reconnect to add a new one." No changes are made; simply try a different connection.
Editing an Existing Instance
If you created the instance, you can update its report, page, filters, and display settings at any time from the Connected account panel, rather than building a new instance from scratch.
Showing the Microsoft Power BI App on a Screen
The Power BI app is added within a Collection, so it reaches a screen when that Collection is assigned to one.
Open your Collection and select the Screens tab.
Click Connect a screen to see your available paired screens.
Select the screen you want. The Collection, including your Power BI app, will begin playing there.
See Assigning a Collection to a Screen for more.
Supported Layouts
The Power BI app can be added to the following zones:
Layout Zone | Supported |
Main | Yes |
Side | No |
Bottom (Ticker) | No |
Corner | No |
FAQ
Can I connect Excel to Power BI?
Yes, Power BI supports connecting Excel as a data source. See Microsoft's own Power BI documentation for how to set this up.
My Power BI zoom is stuck and can't be adjusted in the app. How can I fix this?
This can happen if zoom settings were adjusted directly in Power BI rather than through the app. Re-create your report or dashboard from scratch and copy the elements over; this clears any settings causing the issue.
Why is my Power BI app only showing the Power BI logo?
If your report or dashboard won't display and you only see the Power BI logo, your hardware may be running an outdated Chromium build. If your hardware is compatible, check that your network isn't blocking required domains; see Domains and Servers to Whitelist for ScreenCloud and share it with your network admin.
Why is my Power BI report or dashboard taking a long time to load?
This is usually caused by data-heavy dashboards with complex visuals or live queries, combined with the processing limits of the device running them.
Use capable hardware: Power BI performs best on Windows PCs or macOS devices. Lower-spec devices, such as Amazon Fire TV Sticks or consumer-grade Android TV players, are more likely to struggle with complex dashboards.
Adjust your Collection: place another piece of content before the Power BI app so it plays for at least 30 to 60 seconds first, giving Power BI time to pre-load in the background. Also set the Power BI app itself to display for at least 1 minute.
Simplify your dashboard: remove unnecessary visuals or data points, or split a complex report into two lighter ones.
My Power BI app shows an authentication error and isn't loading content. How do I fix this?
This is usually an authentication issue, for example an expired password or an unused connection. If you're the creator of the instance, open it, go to Connected account, select Update credentials, then either log in again or select an existing valid connection.
Can I use a Microsoft Power BI government account?
No, government accounts aren't currently supported with the app.
Can I edit a Power BI instance after I've set it up?
Yes. If you created the instance, you can change the report, page, filters, and display settings at any time from the Connected account panel, without needing to build a new instance.