Power BI Desktop vs Power BI service (author vs publish and share)
Verdict: Author and model in Power BI Desktop; publish, share, and schedule refreshes in the Power BI service. Dashboards and apps package published content for consumption; the phone app is for mobile viewing only.
| Criterion | Power BI Desktop | Power BI service |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows application | Cloud service |
| Used to | Import data, build the model, design reports | Publish, share, and schedule data refreshes |
Rules
- Power BI Desktop is the authoring tool: import data, build the model, design reports.
- The Power BI service is the cloud home for publishing, scheduling refreshes, and sharing.
- A dashboard aggregates related reports into one consolidated view inside the service.
- A Power BI app bundles related reports and dashboards into one easy-to-consume location for distribution.
Traps
- The service supports only limited modelling and editing; full authoring happens in Power BI Desktop.
- Desktop is for authoring on one machine; it does not host shared cloud reports or scheduled refreshes.
- A dashboard does not import or model data itself; that happens in Power BI Desktop.
- The phone app is a consumption client; it does not publish reports or schedule refreshes.