Microsoft Announces General Availability of Copilot for Power BI

Microsoft recently announced that Copilot in Microsoft Fabric within the Power BI experience will become generally available soon. We are excited to share that, starting this week, Copilot for the Power BI workload is being rolled out into production. These capabilities are available to all customers with Power BI Premium capacity or Fabric capacity.

Newly Available Features in Power BI

Create Stunning Power BI Report Pages with Copilot

The ability to use simple conversational language to create impressive Power BI report pages is now generally available. Users can provide a high-level prompt, and Copilot will generate an entire report page. By entering the Copilot pane in edit mode, you can request actions such as “create a page to help me analyse sales” or “help me build a report page to understand customer demographics.” Copilot identifies the relevant tables, fields, measures, and charts, adding the most pertinent visuals to highlight insights in your data.

For those uncertain about what to include on a report page, the 'suggest topics' button allows Copilot to analyse your semantic model and suggest helpful topics. Additionally, if you are unfamiliar with your data, Copilot can summarise your semantic model, providing a high-level overview.

Summarise and Answer Questions About Your Data

Previously in preview, the feature allowing Copilot to summarise and answer questions about the data on your report page is now generally available. This capability has been expanded to enable Copilot to answer questions across all report pages. In the Copilot pane, whether in view or edit mode, you can ask questions about the visuals on your page or request a comprehensive summary. Queries can range from general questions like “Give me a summary with bulleted insights for this page” to more specific ones such as “Which team had the highest sales?” or “What are some factors behind the major increase in accessories sales?”

Preview Features in Power BI

Get Answers from Copilot About Your Data

Currently in preview, Copilot can answer questions about the underlying data in your semantic model. This feature is available in both edit and view modes in the Power BI service. Utilising Copilot to explore your data can unlock new insights, with queries such as “What are my top categories by a certain metric?” or “Can I see how this measure has changed over time?” If the answer is not already present in your report, Copilot will query your model and return the answer as a visual.

How to Access Power BI Preview Features

To ensure you have access to the latest Copilot features, Microsoft is introducing a preview toggle in the Power BI Copilot chat pane. This toggle allows you to test new and improved capabilities early. Simply click on the preview toggle to get started. Once the toggle turns green, you have activated all Copilot chat pane preview features and are welcomed into the preview experience.

The general availability of Copilot in Power BI marks a significant advancement in the way users interact with their data. By leveraging conversational language to create detailed report pages and providing comprehensive summaries and answers, Copilot enhances the user experience, making data analysis more intuitive and accessible.

The ongoing preview features promise to unlock even deeper insights, demonstrating Microsoft’s commitment to continuous innovation. With these powerful tools at their disposal, Power BI users can look forward to a more streamlined and insightful data exploration process. As these capabilities roll out, organisations can harness the full potential of their data, driving better decision-making and achieving greater business outcomes.

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