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5.3.3. Reports vs. Dashboards
💡 First Principle: The distinction between Reports and Dashboards is about depth versus breadth. Reports enable deep exploration of a single topic; Dashboards provide a surface-level overview of many topics. Using the wrong one frustrates users—an executive doesn't want to click through 20 pages; an analyst doesn't want a single-page summary.
| Feature | Report | Dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Created in | Power BI Desktop | Power BI Service |
| Pages | Multiple | Single |
| Purpose | Deep analysis | Executive summary |
| Content | One dataset | Tiles from multiple reports |
| Interactivity | Full filtering, slicing | Limited (click to underlying report) |
⚠️ Exam Trap: This distinction is heavily tested! If the scenario asks for a "single-page overview" or "executive summary with tiles from multiple reports," the answer is Dashboard.
Written byAlvin Varughese
Founder•15 professional certifications