Build custom Windows Update for Business reports using Power BI

Power BI can be an excellent tool to make your reporting more visual and based on your specific business needs. In Tailor Windows Update for Business reports with Power BI, I illustrate various ways to help you simplify device and update management. You can easily assess your organization's devices, monitor Windows update deployments, and turn those insights into action with service and device alerts – all in ways unique to your organization and strategy. To help you get started right away, I've put together a template and some step-by-step instructions.

Before getting started:

• Check that you meet the Prerequisites for Windows Update for Business reports.
• If you don't already have it, Download Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Download Center.

Now, let's start creating powerful Windows Update for Business reports with Power BI.

Kickstart your reporting journey with a Power BI template

I've included a Power BI template containing all the visuals from Tailor Windows Update for Business reports with Power BI to provide you with a starting point. The template does not contain any data. All the tables from Windows Update for Business reports are already added, and the relationships between tables are already defined.

Power BI template

An introduction to the sample Power BI dashboard

To ensure ease of use, each visual showcased in Tailor Windows Update for Business reports with Power BI is on an individual page.

Screenshot of the Power BI template open at the Start here tab with a few basic visuals.

You'll also find the following visuals on most pages to help build familiarity:

• Latest time generated (using TimeGenerated field): A card visual displaying the latest time the data snapshot was generated
• Filter date range (using TimeGenerated field): A slicer visual to enable choosing a date range to filter data
• OS version (using OSVersion field): A slicer visual to select specific OS versions from a list to filter data

Interact with the different components on each page to familiarize yourself with the various customizations that Power BI has to offer.

The following steps allow you to start using the template and customize it to your needs.

Step 1: Retrieve workspace ID from Log Analytics

1. Visit portal.azure.com.
2. Go to Log Analytics workspaces. Select your workspace.
3. Go to Settings > Properties.
4. Copy your workspace ID.

Screenshot of Log Analytics workspace properties to copy workspace ID.

Step 2: Open Power BI template

1. Method 1: Double-click or select the template to automatically launch Power BI Desktop and load the template.
2. Method 2: Select File > Import > Power BI template from within Power BI Desktop.

Screenshot of a Power BI File settings to import a Power BI template.

Step 3: Add workspace ID in Power BI

1. Add your copied workspace ID to dialog box and select Load.

Screenshot of a dialog box to input workspace ID in Power BI dashboard.

Step 4: Connect Log Analytics to Power BI

1. You will be prompted to Access Web content. Go to Organizational account section and select Sign in.

Screenshot of a dialog box to connect a web source in Power BI Desktop.

Screenshot of a dialog box prompting to select an account to sign in.

2. Select Connect to establish connection between Log Analytics to Power BI.

Screenshot of a dialog box to connect Log Analytics as a web source in Power BI Desktop.

The tables will automatically load the most updated data from the workspace ID you added.

Screenshot of a popup status box showing the update status for Windows Update for Business reports data tables.

Step 5 (Optional): Update workspace ID in Power BI

1. Go to Home > Transform data > Edit parameters.

Screenshot of the option to update workspace ID in Power BI dashboard.

2. In the dialog box, replace the text with your copied workspace ID and select OK.

Screenshot of a dialog box to update workspace ID in Power BI dashboard.

3. Select Apply Changes. This will prompt all tables in the dashboard to import data from the updated workspace ID.

Step 6: Interact with visuals

Selecting anywhere on a visual will highlight all the customizations and settings across Data, Filters, and Visualizations tabs.

Screenshot of the Device overview tab in the Power BI template, highlighting settings in Filters, Visualizations, and Data sections.

Step 7: Create new visuals

1. Go to Insert > New page or select the green plus button at the bottom of the page to add a new page.

Screenshot of the options to create a new page in the Power BI template.

2. Choose the desired visualization option from the Visualizations section.
3. Expand the table in the Data section and locate the fields to populate the visual.
4. Drag and drop data fields to appropriate sections such as category, legends, values, details, and tooltips in the Visualizations section.
5. Add slicers from View > Sync slicers to narrow down the dataset and manage how slicers across your pages interact.
6. Add visual level, page level, or report level filters in the Filters section.
7. Use the Selection section to hide or unhide components on the page.

Screenshot of customization options in the Power BI template, including filters, selection, sync filters, visualizations, and data.

Learn more about different types of visualizations, filters, and slicers in official documentation:

• Visualization types in Power BI
• Filters and highlighting in Power BI reports
• Slicers in Power BI

Step 8: Save your Power BI dashboard

1. You can save the file from File > Save as.
2. Select the file extension dropdown to save as a Power BI Desktop document (.pbix) or template file (.pbit).

Consult Create and use report templates in Power BI Desktop to learn more about templates.

Step 9: Publish the report to your Power BI workspace

1. Once ready, press Publish (the last option in the toolbar).

Screenshot of the Publish option on the top toolbar in Power BI.

2. Confirm your choice by selecting Yes on the following prompt.
3. Name the file and specify the location on your system to save it. Choose the Sensitivity level from the list and Save.
4. Choose a destination in Power BI Online to publish the report. Select My workspace from the available list of workspaces. This action will securely save the report, including the data model and data connection, to your designated workspace.

Screenshot of a menu of Power BI publishing options focused on My workspace.

5. Press the link on the “Success” dialog box to open the report in the Power BI workspace.

Screenshot of a dialog box confirming successful publication of the Power BI report and options to open it.

6. View this report in your workspace at http://app.powerbi.com. Select it to open a pane on the right with the report details. Press on Open report button to view the report in your workspace.

Screenshot of My workspace in Power BI with report details offering the option to open the report.

Consult Publish datasets and reports from Power BI Desktop to learn more about publishing datasets and reports along with republishing and replacing published datasets.

Step 10: Manage permissions and access to reports

1. Locate your data model or report in your Power BI workspace.
2. Press on the three dots to bring up more options.
3. Select Manage permissions to create access links, provide people and groups with access, and track shared views.

Screenshot of the option to manage permissions for a selected report in My workspace in Power BI.

Step 11 (Optional): Troubleshooting guidance

You might encounter unexpected outcomes when publishing your dataset and report from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI service. Learn more about troubleshooting guidance for some common problems: Troubleshoot Power BI Desktop publishing.

Customize it!

Now that you've replicated some of the capabilities shown in Tailor Windows Update for Business reports with Power BI, you're ready to make them your own. Sometimes you might need to play around with multiple fields until you build the right visual for the best impact. Just drag and drop different elements to find what you're looking for. If you're new to Power BI, learn how to Create and share your first Power BI report.

The Power BI journey looks different for everyone. The more you build familiarity, the deeper you can customize your reports. I hope this starter kit helps you and your organization with your unique monitoring, reporting, and compliance goals!