How to Turn On Power BI Usage Metrics

How do you turn on Power BI usage metrics? You turn on Power BI usage metrics by enabling built-in tracking within the Power BI Service, which allows report owners and workspace admins to monitor user engagement, giving visibility into report views, user activity, and dataset performance.

For enterprise executives, usage metrics are essential for data governance, adoption tracking, and identifying which reports deliver the most value, empowering data-driven decisions about analytics investments.

Step 1: Access the Power BI Service

To view usage metrics, you must use the Power BI Service (web portal):

1. Go to https://app.powerbi.com
2. Navigate to the workspace that contains the report or dashboard you want to analyze
3. Locate the desired report or dashboard

Note: Usage metrics are only available for content published in the Power BI Service, not in Power BI Desktop.

Step 2: Enable Usage Metrics for Reports or Dashboards

1. In the workspace, hover over the report or dashboard name
2. Click the More options (⋯) menu
3. Select View usage metrics report

Power BI will automatically open a prebuilt report showing usage data for that asset.

Insight: This built-in report includes views, viewers, viewing trends, and workspace activity.

Step 3: Customize and Save Your Metrics Report (Optional)

To tailor the metrics to your needs:

1. In the usage metrics report, click File > Save a copy
2. Name and save the report within your workspace
3. Open the saved version and use filters, slicers, or additional visuals to customize

Example Customizations:

• Filter by department or user group
• Add slicers for specific time frames
• Combine with other usage data in a unified dashboard

Tip: Custom metrics dashboards help department heads understand how their teams are interacting with analytics.

Step 4: Enable Metrics for the Entire Workspace

To get usage metrics across an entire workspace (Power BI Premium required):

1. Go to Workspace settings
2. Under Advanced, ensure Audit logs or activity metrics are enabled
3. Optionally, connect Power BI to Microsoft 365 usage analytics or Power Platform admin center for broader insights

Enterprise Insight: This approach provides a holistic view of Power BI adoption across business units, projects, and regions.

Step 5: Use the Admin Portal for Tenant-Wide Insights

If you’re a Power BI Service admin, you can access usage metrics across the entire tenant:

1. Go to Admin Portal in the Power BI Service
2. Click Usage metrics under Tenant settings
3. Review data such as:
   • Most active users
   • Top viewed reports
   • Frequency of report refreshes
   • Workspace activity

Security Tip: Admin-level metrics help identify data sprawl, unused content, and user access issues.

Step 6: Automate and Share Usage Insights

• Schedule data refreshes for your saved usage metrics report
• Share insights with stakeholders via Power BI apps or Teams integrations
• Use alerts or thresholds to detect usage drops and prompt action

Engagement Tip: Encourage report owners to monitor their own usage metrics to drive improvement and value.

Final Thoughts

Turning on usage metrics in Power BI helps you track adoption, validate data ROI, and prioritize what’s working. Whether you’re managing a single report or an enterprise-wide deployment, usage insights empower continuous improvement and strategic planning.

Would you like a usage metrics dashboard template or a step-by-step guide to creating adoption KPIs in Power BI?