5.3Sharing, apps & Power BI Mobile
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Three channels: direct share (quick fix), workspace access (team), app (broad and clean distribution).
- The app decouples production (workspace) from consumption (audiences): updates are controlled.
- Check viewer licenses (Pro per user vs Premium/Fabric capacity); the mobile layout is prepared in Desktop (View → Mobile layout).
Running mini-case — Zineb distributes her steering at the right level in Algiers
Zineb, a management controller in Algiers, must distribute her report: two colleagues for a quick check-in, the sales team who produce, and fifty viewers (management, regional heads). She applies the distribution tree: direct share for the two colleagues, workspace roles for the producing team, and a clean app for the fifty viewers. Before promising anything, she checks the viewer licenses, then in Desktop prepares the mobile layout of her main page (KPI then trend stacked) and tests everything on Power BI Mobile.
Standalone case for this section: it returns in the course, the diagram, the script and the 48h challenge of section 5.3.
1. Three distribution channels
Distributing means choosing the right level of formality. Direct sharing of a report is a quick fix for two colleagues, but becomes unmanageable beyond that — it's troubleshooting, not architecture. Access to the workspace (via its roles: admin, member, contributor, viewer) serves the team that collaborates and produces. And the app is clean distribution at scale: a selection of reports packaged, with its home page and its managed audience. Zineb reserves each channel for its audience.
2. The app and viewer licenses
The app decouples production (in the workspace) and consumption (by audiences): the update is controlled — you republish the app when you decide to. But before promising any distribution, you check viewer licenses: in a Pro capacity, each viewer needs a Pro license; in Premium/Fabric, viewers consume without a Pro license. Zineb frames this point with IT before announcing the app.
3. Think mobile
Power BI Mobile has its own dedicated screen layout, prepared in Desktop via View → Mobile layout: a vertical rearrangement of the existing visuals for the phone. Five minutes that change mobile usage. Zineb first stacks her KPIs, then the trend, and republishes. The report becomes readable "in the elevator".
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — The distribution tree
Zineb distributes her viewers by channel:
2 colleagues → Direct share
The producing team → Workspace roles
50 viewers → App (navigation, managed audience)
+ Mobile layout (Desktop): KPI then trend stackedReading: the channel is chosen according to the audience — not "everyone via direct share".
Lesson: the app is made for broad distribution; the mobile layout is prepared in Desktop.
Section vocabulary
- Direct share
- A report's Share button: quick, but soon unmanageable beyond a few people.
Simple example: Zineb helps two colleagues out with a direct share.
What it is not: a structured distribution to fifty viewers.
Reflex: a few people → direct share.
- Workspace roles
- Admin, member, contributor (produce) vs Viewer (consumes): structured team access.
Simple example: Zineb gives the Viewer role to the regional heads.
What it is not: an unstructured individual share.
Reflex: team → workspace roles.
- App
- The workspace published as a clean package: navigation, differentiated audiences, controlled update.
Simple example: Zineb publishes an app for her fifty viewers.
What it is not: a case-by-case share.
Reflex: broad distribution → app.
- Viewer license
- In a Pro capacity: each viewer needs a Pro license; in Premium/Fabric: viewers consume without a Pro license.
Simple example: Zineb checks this point with IT before announcing the app.
What it is not: promising a distribution without counting the licenses.
Reflex: promise → check the licenses.
- Mobile layout
- View → Mobile layout (Desktop): the vertical rearrangement of the existing visuals for the phone.
Simple example: Zineb stacks KPI then trend for mobile.
What it is not: enduring the PC display on a phone.
Reflex: mobile usage → prepare the mobile layout.
In practice — In practice — Choosing the channel and thinking mobile
- Build the distribution tree of YOUR report: 2 colleagues (direct share)? the producing team (workspace roles)? 50 viewers (app)?, like Zineb.
- With a Pro license: from the workspace → Create an app — title, navigation, audience — and publish.
- In Desktop: View → Mobile layout on your main page — stack KPI then trend, republish.
- Install Power BI Mobile, open your report: test slicers and exploration by touch.
Step-by-step script — distributing like Zineb (4 min)
1) List Zineb's audiences: two colleagues, the producing team, fifty viewers. 2) Assign a channel to each: direct share, workspace roles, app. 3) If you have Pro, create the app from the workspace (title, navigation, audience). 4) In Desktop, open View → Mobile layout and stack KPI then trend. 5) Test on Power BI Mobile, then check the viewer licenses before promising the distribution.
Check the viewers' licenses BEFORE announcing the app: it's the point that causes trouble when forgotten.
Copy-paste template — my distribution tree
Audience 1: ___ → [ ] direct share [ ] workspace roles [ ] app
Audience 2: ___ → ...
App (if Pro): title ___ | navigation ___ | audience ___
Viewer licenses checked? [ ] Pro per user / [ ] Premium/Fabric capacity
Mobile: Desktop → View → Mobile layout (KPI then trend)Quick fix
Zineb shares a report directly with two colleagues, for the length of a check-in.
Producing team
Zineb gives the Contributor role to the sales team: it collaborates in the workspace.
Broad distribution
Zineb publishes an app for fifty viewers, with navigation and a managed audience.
Mobile
Zineb prepares the mobile layout in Desktop: the report stacks cleanly on a phone.
✓ Best practices
- Choose the channel according to the audience (direct / workspace / app).
- Check the viewer licenses (Pro per user vs Premium/Fabric capacity) before promising.
- Prepare the mobile layout in Desktop (5 useful minutes).
✗ Common pitfalls
- Using direct sharing beyond a few people (unmanageable).
- Promising a distribution without having checked the viewer licenses.
- Publishing non-public data "to the web" (exposed to everyone).
Key takeaways
- Direct share = quick fix; workspace = team; app = broad and clean distribution.
- The app decouples production (workspace) and consumption (audiences): controlled update.
- Check the viewer licenses (Pro per user vs Premium/Fabric capacity).
- The mobile layout is prepared in Desktop: 5 minutes that change mobile usage.
48h challenge — apply it tomorrow
Draw the distribution tree of one of your reports like Zineb: who (2 colleagues? the team? 50 viewers?) for which channel (direct / workspace / app). Publish an app if you have Pro, then prepare the mobile layout of your key page and test it on Power BI Mobile.
- I choose the distribution channel suited to each audience.
- I know what an app brings and I check the viewer licenses.
- I prepare a mobile layout in Desktop and test it on a phone.
Frequently asked questions
Can I share a report with people outside the organization?
It's possible via Microsoft Entra B2B guest users, but it is subject to your organization's policies and to adapted licenses: a subject to frame with IT, never a simple click. Special case: "Publish to web" makes the report accessible to everyone, without authentication — to be reserved strictly for genuinely public data.
Do alerts exist on mobile?
Yes, on dashboard tiles (KPI, gauges, cards): set a threshold and receive a notification as soon as it is crossed. It's one more reason to pin your critical KPIs to a dashboard (seen in 5.1): monitoring becomes proactive, without opening the report to watch.
Which channel to choose for a broad and clean distribution (50 viewers)?