Introduction
SignCast offers a dashboard widget within its online Studio CMS that allows users to connect to various systems to retrieve data and display it on digital signage screens. These systems can include Tableau, PowerBI, or any system capable of exporting a CSV file.
For displaying your PowerBI dashboard on digital signs, it is recommended to use the webpage widget with the URL provided by PowerBI. Ensure your digital display can support this URL (some older displays, such as Samsung Tizen version 4, might not be compatible due to outdated webview components).
System Overview
Typically, only the creator of a PowerBI app can share reports and dashboards. Assuming SignCast owns the PowerBI app within its ecosystem, the account owner can use the PowerBI app through the online Studio CMS.
SignCast also aims to allow external users (partners, resellers, SignCast users, etc.) to fetch their own reports and display them embedded within the SignCast dashboard widget.
According to Microsoft, users wanting to use the PowerBI app via the SignCast dashboard widget must have:
– Power BI embedded analytics with a capacity (A, EM, P, or F SKU) to publish embedded Power BI content.
– A Power BI Pro license (not a trial version, but an actual Pro license).
– Capacity, which is a dedicated set of resources reserved for exclusive use, ensuring consistent performance for your content.
What Are the Different Capacities?
Power BI embedded analytics offers two publishing solutions, with Microsoft Fabric providing a third. Each solution requires different SKUs:
1. Power BI Embedded: For ISVs and developers who want to embed visuals into their applications, using an A SKU.
2. Power BI Premium: For enterprises seeking a complete BI solution, providing a unified view of the organization, partners, customers, and suppliers, using P and EM SKUs.
3. Microsoft Fabric
Getting Started with PowerBI
To determine what type of PowerBI account you have, select your profile picture in the Power BI service’s page header. If it shows a Pro or Premium Per User account, you can share content with others. If it shows Free, you can only create content in My Workspace and consume content hosted in a Premium workspace. Select “View account” for more details.
What Is a PowerBI Pro License?
A PowerBI Pro license is an individual, per-user license that allows users to create and interact with content on the Power BI service. Users with this license can share and collaborate with other Pro users. Content sharing and collaboration with Free and PPU users is possible if the content is hosted on a Power BI Premium capacity.
How to Get a PowerBI Pro License
1. Open a trial business account for Microsoft 365.
2. Go to [Microsoft 365 Business Standard Trial](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-business-standard-one-month-trial).
3. Complete the steps to create a business account.
4. Use this account to register in PowerBI and obtain a Pro license.
Limitations
When using PowerBI within the dashboard widget:
– It can run on Android 7 or higher.
– It can run on LG webOS version 4 or higher.
– Your PowerBI user can have any role; you do not need a “Global Administrator” role to use PowerBI via SignCast.
Useful Links
For more information, visit the [Microsoft Power BI End User Features](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/consumer/end-user-features) page.
PowerBI Integration with SignCast Studio
Using the Webpage Widget
1. Log in to your SignCast Studio CMS account.
2. Create a new creative by clicking “Create from Template” and choose your template.
3. From the widget arsenal on the left, select the webpage widget and drag it onto the canvas.
4. Resize and position the widget as desired.
5. In the “URL” property (in the widget properties pane on the left), enter the URL of your PowerBI report or dashboard (you should generate this URL within the PowerBI application).
6. Save the creative, add it to a playlist, assign it to a screen, and then run it on a physical player (since you cannot preview the webpage widget content within the Studio).
Using the Dashboard Widget (PowerBI Option)
Please note this option currently works only for SignCast end users and not for partners. Partners wishing to integrate their PowerBI account should contact their SignCast account manager or email info@signcast.com.
1. From the widget gallery, drag and drop the Dashboard widget onto the canvas.
2. In the dashboard widget modal window, select “PowerBI” and add it to your workspace.
3. Click the “Login” button and authenticate with your Microsoft PowerBI account.
4. To set up your dashboard: select your content type (Dashboard or Report), choose your workspace and dashboard name, and click “add dashboard”.
5. Adjust the Reload Interval of your graph (default is 15 minutes).
6. Change each set of Parameters anytime on the right panel.
7. Click “Save” and your creative is ready to use.
If you need further assistance, please contact us now!