Power BI Embedded (Service Principal and User Account Authentication)

Power BI Embedded (Service Principal and User Account Authentication)

This guide walks you through the process of setting up authentication for Power BI Embedded, to enable you to display insights into your Vibe slides, including licensing requirements, Service Principal and User Account Authentication options, setup steps, and best practices.
Notes
Alert
Customer Licensing Requirements: To use Power BI Embedded capacity (A SKU), customers must provision an Azure-based Power BI Embedded resource (A1–A6) through the Azure Portal. This capacity is required to support the embedding of Power BI reports and dashboards in applications or digital signage without requiring end-user Power BI licenses.

Two Authentication Methods Are Supported

  

1) Service Principal Authentication

  • Suitable for server-to-server scenarios.
  • Uses an Azure AD app registration with application permissions.
This video steps through the setup process for the Service Principle Authentication method.

  1. Granting consent allows our "Vibe.fyi - Power BI module" Azure App to communicate with your Power BI data.
  2. The reports and data that our app has permissions to access will be set in step 3 below.
    1. Open this link and grant admin consent for the Vibe.fyi - Power BI module 

Step 2: Create security group in Azure

  1. An Entra Security Group is required to be able to assign permission to the reports and dashboards that you would like to embed.
    1. In https://portal.azure.com, create a new security group
    2. Add the Vibe.fyi - Power BI module service principal as a member of the group

Step 3: Enable Power BI API Access & Embedding

  1. Open this page and go to Tenant settings scroll down to see the developer settings and enable the following:
    1. Embed content in apps
    2. Service principal can use Fabric APIs
      When enabling service principal can use Fabric APIs, use the group which you created earlier. For more information, refer to step 3 in this Microsoft Learn guide. 

Step 4: Power BI Workspace Permissions

  1. Log into https://app.powerbi.com and find the workspace(s) that contain the reports and dashboards to be embedded, then:
  2. Click the Manage access button in the top right
  3. Click Add people or groups
    1. In the Enter name or email box, enter the name of the security group that you created in step 2 above 
    2. Set the permission to be member
    3. Click the Add button 
Warning
If your reports get their data from a source in a different workspace, you will need to repeat the access setting changes on those workspaces

Step 5: Find your Tenant ID 

  1. Log into https://portal.azure.com 
  2. Search for and select tenant properties
    A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated
  3. On the Tenant Properties page, copy the Tenant ID value (to refer to later)

Step 6: Complete the authentication

  1. Vibe Administrator:
    1. Log into your Vibe.fyi site’s admin console
    2. In the Vibe admin menu, open Add-On Modules > Power BI > Authentications
    3. Click the Authenticate a Service Principal for your tenant button

    4. Enter your Tenant ID and click OK 
      A screenshot of a computer screen Description automatically generated

Create Power BI Slides in Vibe

  1. When all steps above are complete, your Vibe content creators (portal users) can now create Power BI slides.

2) User Account Authentication

Follow these steps to enable embedding Power BI Reports and Dashboards using a dedicated user account
  • Authenticates users individually.
  • Suitable when user-specific data restrictions are needed.
  • More control over user-specific access.
This video steps through the setup process for the User Account Authentication method.

  1. Same as in the Service Principal setup, authorize your Azure application's access.
  2. Open this link and grant admin consent for the Vibe.fyi - Power BI module 

Step 2: Create a Service Account in Entra (Azure)

  1. Create a dedicated user account that will be used for embedding purposes.
  2. Ensure you have the email address and password for this account, as they are required later.
  3. To create:
    1. Go to Azure portal > Azure Active Directory > Users > New user.
    2. Specify the email and password details

Step 3: Create a Security Group in Azure 

  1. An Entra Security Group is required to be able to assign permission to the reports and dashboards that you would like to embed.
    1. In https://portal.azure.com, create a new security group
    2. Add the service account as a member of the group

Step 4: Enable Power BI API Access and Embedding

  1. Open this page and go to Tenant settings scroll down to see the developer settings and enable: Embed content in apps.

Step 5: Power BI workspace permissions

  1. Log into https://app.powerbi.com and find the workspace(s) that contain the reports and dashboards to be embedded, then:
    1. Click the Manage access button in the top right
    2. Click Add people or groups
      1. In the Enter name or email box, enter the name of the security group that you created in step 3 above 
      2. Set the permission to be member
      3. Click the Add button 

Step 6: Complete Authentication in Vibe.fyi Admin Console

  1. Log into your Vibe.fyi site’s admin console.
  2. Navigate to: Add-On modules > Power BI > Authentications.
  3. Click the “Authenticate a user account” button.
  4. Enter the name of the account (the email of your service account).
  5. Log in as this user by providing the email and password created earlier.
  6. Confirm authentication and save.

Create Power BI Slides in Vibe

  1. After completing setup, your Vibe content creators (portal users) can now proceed with creating Power BI slides.

    • Announcements

    • Available Now: Sports Tournament Infotainment

      Get ready for the Women’s Rugby World Cup! We’ve updated our Sports Tournament Infotainment slide with fixtures and live leaderboard updates. Perfect for keeping your workplace in the spirit of the game. You'll find it in the Infotainment Category when

    • Template Design Guide

      Our Template Design Guide is for external designers, we recommend reviewing it if you plan to design your own Vibe templates: 👉 Vibe Template Design Guide This guide is designed to support brand and design teams in preparing template briefs—not building

    • Coming Soon: New Look for System Settings

      Behind the scenes, our team has been busy building a new System Settings interface in the Portal. This refreshed design will make managing Vibe smoother, faster, and more intuitive. Over time, we’ll be migrating all administration features and settings

    • Vibe.fyi Achieves ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Re-Certification

      Security isn’t optional — it’s foundational. We’re proud to share that Vibe.fyi has achieved ISO/IEC 27001:2022 re-certification, proving our commitment to: ✅ Protecting client data ✅ Managing risks in a fast-changing digital landscape ✅ Keeping our security

    • Free Mini Program: AI Adoption & Compliance in your Workplace

      AI is everywhere, but knowing how to use it safely and effectively at work can be tricky. That’s why we’ve created a free mini program for all Vibe clients to use as is or adapt to their own policies. Your team will learn how to: Use AI confidently and