Power BI architecture diagram
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Power BI Architecture Diagram v3 is Now Available!

20 Comments

Download the latest version of the Power BI Architecture Diagram here!

Over the past couple weeks there has been a ton of news and announcements around the direction Microsoft is taking Power BI. Between Power BI Premium and Power BI Report Server, my head has been spinning trying to stay educated on all the new changes and enhancements. With all these announcements, it was definitely time to update my Power BI architecture diagram to reflect the addition of Power BI Premium and Power BI Report Server.

Here’s how to install and set up Power BI Report Server (Preview)

I’ve made a few changes in v3 of the Power BI architecture diagram.

Power BI architecture diagram
Power BI architecture diagram

Download the Power BI Architecture Diagram here (.pdf & .png files).

First, I decided to get rid of the legend on the right that explained each point of the architecture. You can download the legend here.

Secondly, I included Power BI Premium and Power BI Embedded within the umbrella of the Power BI graphic in the middle of the screen to represent the new services. Prior to this diagram, Power BI Embedded was not mentioned and after the announcement of Power BI Premium bringing the Embedded functionality, I decided to include it here.

I updated the diagram to include the on-premises deployment of Power BI with Power BI Report Server.

I also included another icon to the right of the Power BI service to represent a custom application running Power BI Embedded content.

I hope you find this helpful and that it’s useful as a resource for your learning and work. As always, if you have any feedback or comments feel free to leave a comment down below!

PS. If you’re interested in how I created this diagram and would like to create something similar on your own, take a look at this.

20 thoughts on “Power BI Architecture Diagram v3 is Now Available!”

  1. Pingback: Power BI Architecture Diagram v2 is Now Available | Data and Analytics with Dustin Ryan

      1. I’d agree with @dr_mattia. You indicate each component that is directly to Power BI with some yellow background and the Power BI logo. Even though the Power BI Report Server is On Premise, it might be good to distinguish it as a direct component of Power BI.

        Either way, it’s a fantastic diagram – thanks!!

    1. I’m putting together a separate document that describes each component. In an earlier version the descriptions were in the diagram but there’s no longer any space for that.

      2. You’re welcome! On my previous versions of the diagram the numbers corresponded with a legend that described each component. But now I’ve run out of space on the diagram to include the legend but the numbers remain. I’m hoping to create a separate document to include the legend soon.

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  5. Fantastic Dustin. There are couple of points :
    a ) Isn’t the PowerBI Desktop Optimized for Power BI Report Server.
    b) Do you have the document to explain the legends ?

    Thanks

    1. Thank you. There is a separate version of Power BI Desktop that is optimized for Power BI Report Server. Also, I do not have the document for the legend yet, but I hope to have time to complete that soon.

  8. Dustin …
    Did you ever get around putting the legends for the diagram?
    Also, are you able to share the visio diagram?

  9. HI Dustin, love the diagram! Very easy on the eyes.

    I’m just a little unclear about the blue “workflow” lines … do you have an example of they represent? My question comes about because I’m working on a diagram for my org and need to depict ADFS authentication for external access.

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