As you use PowerBI in the cloud you’ll want to ensure that your data is always up to date. While you can do that manually using the PowerBI Desktop application, you can automate the process using the PowerBI On-Premises gateway. This is a free tool that will keep your data in Rock in sync with the PowerBI cloud. Below are steps for getting this tool configured. If you prefer a video tutorial, this YouTube video from Microsoft covers the steps in detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwuRQhm241c. Download the ‘On-premises data gateway installer’ to your Rock server from your PowerBI account (located under the Download link).Run the installer and select the ‘On-premise data gateway’.After the install, you’ll be asked to enter an email address that is assigned to your account. This will allow you to link the gateway to your account.Once your gateway is linked, you’re ready to define a source to your Rock SQL Server. To do this follow these steps:Select the Settings option on the PowerBI web portal (the gear icon), then select ‘Manage Gateways’. You should see the gateway you just named and registered listed.Place your cursor over the gateway. This should display an ellipsis. Click the ellipsis and select ‘Add a datasource’.Give your new datasource a name and enter the configuration info needed for a SQL Server Data Source Type. (Tip: you might consider using the same database username and password that is defined in your website’s connection string). Finally, create a new PowerBI project using the desktop application. Connect to the same SQL Server and select the Rock BI models. (Hint, they’re the tables and views that start with the word “Analytics”). Power BI options and costs Rock can embed Power BI reports right on a page with the Power Bi Report Viewer block, so staff can see them without learning a separate reporting tool. Power BI is sold by Microsoft, not Rock, and its prices change over time. The following table compares your options, from free to the most expensive ($$$). Check Microsoft's current pricing before you choose one. ProductCostNotes Power BI Desktop (Windows app)FreeThis application can be pointed at your Rock database to run BI reports at zero cost. Reports are not shareable and exist only in the local instance of the Power BI desktop app. Any number of users in your organization can run this app for free, but each would need their own local report templates to run (meaning, sharing of reports is difficult.) Power BI Professional$ per person, per monthThis is an Office365 subscription that is necessary to publish any Power BI report from the Desktop app to the cloud, which is necessary for sharing any report. You will need at least ONE license of Power BI Pro in order to publish to the cloud, and any additional users that want to see those shared reports would also need a license (unless you embed the report per below). You purchase these subscriptions within your Office 365 Admin portal. Power BI Embedded$$ billed by the hourThis is where you might get sticker shock. While embedding a BI report into Rock is pretty amazing (and easy), this feature does not come without cost. While Microsoft lets you get an "embed token" for free, these are ONLY intended to be used for dev/testing purposes. For "production" use, you're supposed to purchase a Power BI Embedded Node via Azure. This concept is explained in the Power BI FAQ and the pricing for these nodes can be found here. Nodes are billed for every hour they run, so leaving one on around the clock gets expensive. The node can be paused any time you don't need to use it, and thankfully you only get charged for the actual time you have the node running, but this obviously makes consuming the embedded reports in Rock much less useful, because you'd need to manually start/stop the node every time you wanted to see a report. Unless a way can be found to automate the pausing/starting of the node whenever a report is requested via Rock, this is the current reality for embedded Power BI reports in Rock. Power BI Premium$$$This option is so far out of reach that we're only mentioning it for the sake of completeness. Power BI premium also allows embedding reports (and gets around the need to purchase an Embedded Node). If for some reason you want this version, you can purchase it via your Office365 Admin portal.