Analysis Mode for Power BI

Install

Analysis Mode for Power BI is installed from Microsoft AppSource. It signs in with navida's multi-tenant Microsoft Entra application, so no application registration is required in your own tenant; an administrator approves it once. Using your own registration instead is supported and described below, and the optional Copilot is enabled in a separate step with an Azure OpenAI resource of your own.

Before you start

  • Business Central online, version 26 or later. A sandbox works for evaluation.
  • A Power BI semantic model in a workspace, and a Power BI licence for everyone who will use the analysis. Pro is sufficient; Fabric capacity is only needed for number formats (see below).
  • An app licence per analysis user, purchased with the app on AppSource — the first month is a free trial. See Licensing below.
  • Every analysis user needs Read and Build permission on that semantic model — through a workspace role or granted directly on the model.
  • The Fabric tenant setting “Semantic Model Execute Queries REST API” must be enabled (Fabric admin portal → Tenant settings → Integration settings). It is enabled by default, so this is usually just a check — but some organizations disable it or restrict it to specific security groups; analysis users must then be members of an allowed group.
  • A Global Administrator to approve the application once.
  • Allow HttpClient Requests — the app enables this Extension Management setting automatically during installation (it is what lets the extension call the Power BI and Fabric APIs). No action needed on a fresh install; only after copying an environment must it be switched on again, because Business Central resets it for every app then. The setup page shows the current state under Outbound HTTP Requests.
  • Browsers must allow pop-ups and cookies for businesscentral.dynamics.com and login.microsoftonline.com.
  • Optional, for the AI features (Copilot analysis creation and Ask your data): an Azure OpenAI resource of your own with a chat-completions deployment of a current model. Both are part of the app licence; the AI consumption is billed by Microsoft on that Azure resource.

Set-up steps

1 · Install and grant access

Done once per environment, by an administrator.

1
Install Analysis Mode for Power BI from Microsoft AppSource into your Business Central environment.
2
Allow HttpClient Requests is switched on automatically by the installation — installing the app is the consent to let it call the Power BI service. Nothing to do here on a fresh install. Only after copying an environment: Business Central then resets the setting for every app, so switch it on again under Extension Management → select the app → Configure. The Power BI Analysis Setup page shows the current state under Outbound HTTP Requests.
3
Assign the permission sets: NBI Analysis Admin for administrators, NBI Analysis User for everyone who will build analyses.
4
Open Power BI Analysis Setup (search for it with Tell Me). The Status field confirms which application is in use and where its credential comes from.
5
Choose Grant Admin Consent and sign in as Global Administrator. This approves the application for your whole tenant, so your users are never prompted.
6
Choose Test Sign-In. A token stage of Cache or SilentSSO confirms sign-in works.

2 · Connect a semantic model

Repeat for each semantic model; multiple models per environment are supported.

1
Open Power BI Analysis Models and choose Add Model….
2
Pick the workspace, then the semantic model. Both lists only ever show what you can already access in Power BI.
3
If listing is not possible in your tenant, type the IDs instead: both GUIDs appear in the Power BI service URL of the model — …/groups/<workspace>/datasets/<model>.
4
Choose Test Connection on the row. It acquires a token and runs a minimal query against the model.

3 · Open an analysis

Performed by each analysis user.

1
Select the model and choose Open Analysis. On first use, one Microsoft sign-in window appears; afterwards it is silent.
2
In the field list, tick a measure — it goes to Values. Tick a column — it goes to Row Groups. The grid is populated with the result.
3
Drag fields between Row Groups, Column Labels and Values, expand and collapse levels, and click column headers to sort.
4
Use the + to add more analysis tabs. Tabs are saved per user automatically and are there again next time.

4 · Enable Copilot and Ask your data (optional)

One configuration enables both AI features: describing an analysis in your own words (Copilot) and asking questions answered by live queries (Ask your data). Runs against an Azure OpenAI resource in your own subscription.

1
In the Azure portal, create an Azure OpenAI resource (or reuse one) and add a chat-completions deployment of a current model. Note the endpoint, the deployment name and a key.
2
On Power BI Analysis Setup, in the Copilot group, enter the endpoint and deployment, set the key (it is stored in Isolated Storage and never shown or sent to the browser), and switch Enable Copilot on.
3
Choose Test Copilot Connection — it sends one minimal request to your deployment and reports whether the model answered.
4
The capability appears under Business Central's Copilot & agent capabilities, where administrators can switch it off at any time. When everything is in place, the designer shows Create new analysis above the grid and the Ask data pane in the side rail.
For analysis creation, Copilot receives the structure of the semantic model — table, field and measure names with their descriptions — and the user's question, never data. Ask your data necessarily goes further: to answer questions it sends the results of the queries it runs to your own Azure OpenAI resource — and only there. Each feature page has the complete data note: Copilot, Ask your data.

Licensing

Analysis Mode for Power BI is licensed per user per month and sold directly through Microsoft AppSource — current pricing is shown on the AppSource listing. Every subscription starts with a one-month free trial that can be cancelled at any time during the trial.

  • Buying: choose Get it now on the AppSource listing and complete the checkout. Billing is handled entirely by Microsoft and appears on your Microsoft invoice.
  • Assigning licences: purchased licences appear in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Billing → Licenses. Assign one to every user who opens analyses — exactly like Microsoft 365 licences.
  • Without a licence a user can still open the setup page and the model list; opening an analysis then shows a message pointing to the licence assignment instead of the designer.
  • Sandbox environments are not licence-enforced, so you can evaluate the app in a sandbox before buying.
  • Partner support: delegated administrators (CSP partner roles) have access without consuming a licence, so your partner can configure and troubleshoot.
  • Copilot is included in the app licence — no separate plan and no surcharge. The AI consumption runs on your own Azure OpenAI resource and is billed by Microsoft Azure, so you keep full control over model choice and cost.

Optional settings

Number formats. Choose Refresh Format Strings on the model row to take currency, percentage and decimal formats from the model definition — this works on Pro and Fabric/Premium workspaces alike. It takes about 15 seconds. The user who runs it needs write permission on the model (workspace role Member or Contributor), and the app registration needs the optional ReadWrite scope with admin consent; one successful refresh then serves every user from the cache. Until such a refresh has run, the app formats by data type, and you can maintain individual formats under Format Strings. Manual entries always win.

Run DAX through AL proxy. Off by default. When switched on, queries travel through the Business Central server instead of directly from the browser. It is slower, but avoids the browser sign-in window in environments with restrictive browser policies.

Your own app registration. If your organisation prefers to use its own Microsoft Entra application, set App Registration to Own App Registration and enter client ID and secret. Leave the tenant ID empty to use your own tenant. The registration needs a Web redirect URI https://businesscentral.dynamics.com/OAuthLanding.htm, a single-page application redirect URI https://businesscentral.dynamics.com/oauthlanding.htm (lower case), and the delegated Power BI permission Dataset.Read.All.

If something does not work

What you seeWhat it means
A sign-in window on every session instead of silent sign-in The browser is blocking storage for the sign-in library. Everything keeps working — check third-party cookie and site-data policies to make it silent.
“Unauthorized” or an empty field list The user is missing Build permission on the semantic model, or the tenant setting Semantic Model Execute Queries REST API is switched off.
Test Connection succeeds, but the designer stays empty The user is missing the NBI Analysis User permission set, or the model contains no visible measures.
Format cache shows Unavailable No refresh has succeeded yet. The signed-in user needs write permission on the model and the app registration the consented ReadWrite scope — the API itself works on Pro workspaces too. Until then the app formats by data type; manual formats are always available.
Workspaces cannot be listed Business Central could not reach Power BI for your user. Check the Power BI licence, then enter the workspace and model IDs manually.
“Business Central is blocking outbound HTTP requests …” or “The request was blocked by the runtime to prevent accidental use of production services” Allow HttpClient Requests is switched off for the extension. The installation enables it automatically, but copying an environment resets it for every app. Switch it on again under Extension Management → Configure; the setup page shows the state under Outbound HTTP Requests.
Create new analysis does not appear in the designer Copilot needs all of: Enable Copilot switched on with endpoint, deployment and key set; the capability active under Copilot & agent capabilities; and a licensed user. The setup page shows a status line for each.
Copilot answers “The Azure OpenAI resource rejected the key” Key or endpoint is wrong, or the key was rotated in Azure. Re-enter both on the setup page and run Test Copilot Connection.
A Copilot proposal shows “Filter NOT applied” in the review notes Expected behaviour, not an error: the filter value from your question does not exist in that column. Copilot never sees your data, so it cannot check values itself — pick the right value in the filter pane after keeping the analysis.

Learn more

Architecture explains how queries are evaluated, how subtotals are produced, and which components run in which tenant.

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