A Power BI audit that shows what to fix first
A Power BI audit is a structured review of your tenant, semantic models, reports, refresh setup and access rules. It tells you what works, what carries risk and what wastes money. One of our consultants inspects the setup inside your own tenant, then writes up the findings in plain language and ranks them, so your team knows where to start.
- Findings ranked by risk
- Plain written summary
- No obligation afterwards
Last updated
What does a Power BI audit look at?
Reporting setups age quietly. Reports pile up, models grow, and each new author adds a slightly different habit. Nothing looks broken, but refresh times creep up and people begin to doubt the totals.
A review puts facts behind that unease. We open the models and check their structure, size and formulas. Then we look at how data arrives, how often it refreshes and what happens when a refresh fails.
We also study how people use the content. The activity log shows which reports get opened and which sit idle. So the final summary covers not only technical quality but also whether the work reaches its readers. For example, the audit asks whether the Power BI cash flow dashboard matches the bank and the ledger.
Six areas every review covers
Each area gets its own section in the written findings, with evidence and a suggested fix.
Model design
We check table layout, relationships and column choices, because a poor structure causes most slow pages and wrong totals.
Measures and formulas
Key measures get a test against a trusted source figure. Any that disagree go on the list with the reason.
Refresh and gateways
Schedules, failure history and gateway health all go under review, so you learn how fragile the nightly load is.
Security and sharing
Workspace roles, row-level rules and shared links show who can see what. Often the answer surprises the owners.
Report usability
We open the main reports as a reader would. Then we note cluttered pages, unclear labels and slow visuals.
Licenses and capacity
Finally, we compare the licenses you hold with actual use, since many tenants pay for seats that nobody opens.
When is an outside review worth the time?
The best moment is before a big decision. For example, a move to Microsoft Fabric, a new capacity purchase or a rollout to more departments all build on what exists. If the base is weak, the new spend inherits the weakness.
A change of staff is another good trigger. When the person who built the reports leaves, the knowledge often leaves too. A review then gives the next owner a map instead of a mystery.
Still, some teams simply want a second opinion. Their reports work, but they wonder whether the design will hold as data grows. In that case the findings may be short, and we are glad to say so. If you only want a quicker technical look at refresh, capacity and settings, a Power BI health check is the lighter option.
What a Power BI audit often finds
These issues are common, whatever the size of the company.
- Several models that load the same tables
- Relationships that filter in both directions
- Unused columns that bloat the file
- Reports shared through personal workspaces
- Refresh schedules that overlap each other
- Paid licenses with no recent activity
How our Power BI audit runs
The review follows four steps and ends with a document you can act on alone.
Scope and access
First we agree which workspaces count, and you grant read access through a guest account in your tenant.
Inspect and measure
Then we examine models, refresh logs, security and usage. Each finding gets evidence, not just an opinion.
Rank the findings
We sort issues by risk and effort, so quick wins stand apart from larger pieces of work.
Walk through the results
Finally, we present the document on a call and answer questions. After that, the next move is yours.
Power BI audit questions before you book
What do we receive at the end of a Power BI audit?
You receive a written document with each finding, the evidence behind it, the risk it carries and a suggested fix. The list is ranked, so the first page shows what matters most. We also walk through it with you on a call. Your own team can then act on it without any further help from us.
Do we have to hire you for the fixes?
No. The findings belong to you, and your own analysts can work through them. If you want our help with some items, we describe that work in a separate written quote. However, the review stands on its own. We write it so that another competent person could follow it without us.
Is a Power BI review the same as the audit log?
No, although the names sound alike. The activity log is a feature that records who viewed, shared or exported content. Our review is a wider health check of models, reports and settings. We do read the activity log during the work, because usage data helps us judge which problems deserve attention first.
Will the review disturb our live reports?
It will not. We work with read access wherever possible and change nothing during the inspection. When we need to test performance, we do it on a copy or outside busy hours. As a result, your users notice nothing, and every live report keeps running exactly as before.
How does the first Power BI conversation work?
It starts with a free 30-minute assessment by video call. You describe your setup and what worries you. We then say honestly whether a full review makes sense or whether a smaller step would do. Power BI Agency is a division of Sataware Technologies, independent of Microsoft, and we reply within 2 hours.
Let's build your first dashboard together.
Tell us what you report on today. A consultant replies within 2 hours with next steps.
Trusted partners
Microsoft Solutions Partner · AWS Partner
Cloud & AI Platforms
Azure SQL, Microsoft Fabric and the data pipelines behind your reports.
AI Business Solutions
Power BI reporting on your Dynamics 365, Business Central and Power Platform data.
Security
Row-level security and Entra ID sign-in on every report and workspace.
Amazon Web Services
Power BI on your AWS data, with connectors for Redshift, Athena and S3.