Muchas veces nos encontramos con la duda de ¿Cómo implementar Power Bi?. Nos ponemos a pensar si por ir a nube o quedarnos on premise nos estaríamos perdiendo de algo, si en ambos es posible hacer todo lo deseado, si mi necesidad puntual se puede resolver. Bueno en dichos casos traigo la comparativa ofical al día de la fecha para que puedan sacar sus conclusiones respecto a este tema.
| Features | Power BI Report Server | Power BI Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deployment | On-premises or hosted cloud | Cloud | Power BI Report Server can be deployed in Azure VMs (hosted cloud) if licensed through Power BI Premium |
| Source data | Cloud and/or on-premises | Cloud and/or on-premises | |
| License | Power BI Premium or SQL Server EE with SA | Power BI Pro and/or Power BI Premium | |
| Lifecycle | Modern lifecycle policy | Fully managed service | |
| Release cycle | Once every 4 months | Once a month | Latest features and fixes come to Power BI Service first. Most core functionality comes to Power BI Report Server in the next few releases; some features only meant for the Power BI service. |
| Create Power BI reports in Power BI Desktop | Yes | Yes | |
| Create Power BI reports in the browser | No | Yes | |
| Gateway required | No | Yes for on-premises data sources | |
| Real-time streaming | No | Yes | Real-time streaming in Power BI |
| Dashboards | No | Yes | Dashboards in the Power BI service |
| Distribute group of reports using apps | No | Yes | Create and publish apps with dashboards and reports |
| Content packs | No | Yes | Organizational content packs: Introduction |
| Connect to services like Salesforce | Yes | Yes | Connect to the services you use with content packs in the Power BI service. In Power BI Report Server, use certified connectors to connect to services. See Power BI report data sources in Power BI Report Server for details. |
| Q&A | No | Yes | Q&A in the Power BI service and Power BI Desktop |
| Quick insights | No | Yes | Automatically generate data insights with Power BI |
| Analyze in Excel | No | Yes | Analyze in Excel |
| Paginated reports | Yes | Yes | Paginated reports are available in the Power BI service in preview in a Premium capacity |
| Power BI mobile apps | Yes | Yes | Power BI mobile apps overview |
| ARC GIS maps | No | Yes | ArcGIS maps in Power BI service and Power BI Desktop by Esri |
| Email subscriptions for Power BI reports | No | Yes | Subscribe yourself or others to a report or dashboard in the Power BI service |
| Email subscriptions for paginated reports | Yes | No | E-Mail delivery in Reporting Services |
| Data alerts | No | Yes | Data alerts in the Power BI service |
| Row-level security (RLS) | Yes | Yes | Available in both DirectQuery (data source) & Import mode Row-level security in the Power BI service Row-level security in Power BI Report Server |
| Full-screen mode | No | Yes | Full-screen mode in the Power BI service |
| Advanced Office 365 collaboration | No | Yes | Collaborate in an app workspace with Office 365 |
| R visuals | No | Yes | Create R visuals in Power BI Desktop and publish them to the Power BI service. You can't save Power BI reports with R visuals to Power BI Report Server. |
| Preview features | No | Yes | Opt in for Power BI service preview features |
| Custom visuals | Yes | Yes | Custom visuals in Power BI |
| Power BI Desktop | Version optimized for Report Server, available for download with Report Server | Version optimized for Power BI Service, available from the Windows Store | Power BI Desktop for the report server Power BI Desktop for the Power BI service |
Tras analizar las comparativas hay que admitir que cada uno tiene su fortaleza. Depende mucho el caso de cada uno para saber si será posible aplicar uno u otro. Yo recomiendo la mayoría de las veces Power Bi Service con licencias Pro. Solo aquellos casos que la cantidad de usuarios que ingresarán es muy elevada o cuando la institución ya tiene contratos con Microsoft para acceder a un SQL Server Enterprise sin costo adicional son los que recomendaría Power Bi Report Server.