Power BI and Utilisphere FAQs

Purpose/Overview:

Our goal is to help you make informed decisions, optimize workflows, and enhance productivity. This FAQ guide explains how Power BI works within Utilisphere, how to access reports, and how to get the most out of your reporting.

With Power BI in Utilisphere, you can connect to data, create charts, maps, and dashboards, and explore information interactively. You can also adjust existing reports or build new ones tailored to your needs—all without leaving the platform.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Getting Started
• Accessing Reports & Data
• Report Customization & Visualization
• Exporting & Troubleshooting
• Collaboration & Access
• Advanced & Administrative
  
  

Navigation Path:

To access this feature: Utilisphere > Analytics > Power BI Reporting

Things to Know:

• Embedded in Utilisphere: Power BI is built directly into the platform.
• Data Updates:
  • Historical dataset: Ticket records updated nightly and going back up to 7 years 
  • Live dataset: Ticket records updated hourly (some metrics are near real-time) and for the most recent 30 days
• Report Structure: Reports use dimensions (categories/groupings like ticket type or date) and measures (metrics like counts, durations, or calculations).

Key Benefits/Use Cases:

• Interactive Data Exploration: Easily filter, drill down, and adjust reports to get the insights you need.
• Centralized Analytics: Access Utilisphere data directly within the platform—no need to switch between tools.
• Timely Insights: Use live and historical datasets to monitor trends, track performance, and respond quickly.
• Customizable Reports: Create dashboards and visualizations tailored to your team, department, or workflow.
• Better Decision-Making: Turn raw data into actionable insights to improve operations, resource planning, and overall efficiency.
• Collaboration and Sharing: Share reports securely with colleagues, ensuring everyone is working from the same information.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Getting Started

The Power BI Reporting feature is designed to provide you with comprehensive insights and a deeper understanding of both Work Items and Tickets, enabling data-driven decision-making across your operations. With this tool, you can:

• Analyze metrics based on specific work item field values

• Run comparisons and cross-compare related work items

• Identify patterns and trends across your data
  
  

Q: What is Power BI, and why should I use it?
A: Power BI is a data visualization and business intelligence tool that turns raw data into interactive insights. It helps you analyze performance, communicate trends, and make better decisions.

Q: Do I need technical expertise to use Power BI?
A: No. Power BI has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface designed for all skill levels—no coding required.

Q: How do I start using Power BI?
A: Start with our Working with Reports overview, explore default reports, and use the drag-and-drop interface to build simple dashboards.

Q: What are Datasets, Reports, and Dashboards?

• Datasets: Collections of data imported into Power BI

• Reports: Visual representations of data using charts and graphs

• Dashboards:  Summary views combining visuals from multiple reports

Q. What is a Work Item, and how does it relate to Power BI?

A. A Work Item is a task or record that your organization creates and manages within Utilisphere. Unlike tickets, which originate from a One Call center, Work Items are fully customizable and can be used to track inspections, maintenance, projects, or other internal activities. Each Work Item functions as an individual dataset tied to a form, allowing you to collect and organize data specific to your workflows.

Accessing Reports & Data

Q: How do I view Work Item measures and dimensions?
A: Go to Analytics > Power BI Reporting. Select Create New Report or choose an existing report from the dropdown menu.

Q: My forms aren’t listed in the Templates dropdown when creating a new report. What should I do?
A: In App Designer (Navigation path: System Management > Administration > Work Management > App Designer), resave and publish the desired forms. After a few minutes, they should appear in the Template dropdown.

Q: Can I create a single report with multiple forms or app visuals?
A: Not for detailed record data, but you can pull global utilization details for all forms by using the Work Item Summary Overview template.

Q: Can I compare related or dependent forms?
A: Yes, if forms share fields that act as unique identifiers. If they don’t, you can add such fields in App Designer (set as hidden or view-only) for future records. Note: this does not apply retroactively to past records.

Q: Can live data and historical data be combined?
A: No. Live and historical datasets must be used separately.

Q: What are the retention timelines?

• Live data: Ticket records updated hourly (some metrics are near real-time) and for the most recent 30 days

• Historical data: Ticket records updated nightly and going back up to 7 years
  
  

Report Customization & Visualization

Q: What are Measures and Dimensions?

• Measures: Calculated values (e.g., counts, durations)

• Dimensions: Categories for grouping (e.g., ticket types, dates)

Q: How do I create meaningful visualizations?
A: Combine measures with dimensions. Example: visualize historical ticket counts (measure) by month (dimension).

Q: What’s the difference between Drill Down and Drill Through?

• Drill Down: Navigate within a hierarchy (Year → Month → Day).

• Drill Through: Navigate to a new report page for deeper analysis of a data point.

Q: Can I rename fields in visuals or dashboards?
A: No. Renaming fields may cause system issues and break future visuals.

Exporting & Troubleshooting

Q: I’m not seeing the expected values in my exported Excel file. How can I fix this?
A: You may be exporting a summary visual. Try copying the visual, switching it to a Table or Matrix, or creating a hidden Drill Through page for detailed exports.

Q: The measure I need is in the live dataset but not historical. Can anything be done?
A: Submit a request in the User Feedback Forum. The data team is actively working to reconcile differences between live and historical datasets.

Collaboration & Access

Q: Can I share Power BI reports with others?
A: Yes. You can securely share reports and dashboards with colleagues to ensure everyone has the same insights.

Q: Can I access reports on mobile devices?
A: Yes. When editing a dashboard, toggle to Mobile View and drag/drop visuals into the phone layout for a tailored experience.

Advanced & Administrative

Q: What version of Power BI is used in Utilisphere?
A: Utilisphere uses Microsoft’s Embedded Power BI. Some advanced features are restricted. For organizations that want full Power BI, refer to our article on Configuring Self-Hosted Reporting.

Q: Are there best practices for reporting?

• Always include the dataset name in report titles (e.g., “Live OCC Tickets”)

• Use historical datasets for reports covering a full month or more

• Do not rename fields in visuals

Related Features/Next Steps:

• Getting Started with Reports in Power BI
  
• Customizing Reports in Power BI
  
• Exporting & Sharing Reports in Power BI 

Questions?  Contact us!