I am trying to use Power BI to reproduce report functionality currently developed in IBM Cognos Analytics. I'm having trouble with the limited feature set in Power BI. Today's problem:
I need to allow the user to provide a data set to a report at run time. The process we currently use employs the "Manage external data" feature in Cognos. Once initially configured, each time the report is run, it will ask the user for a spreadsheet to use for the report. From there, the report then uses that data, joining it with the other data from our data mart to define numerous data ranges. To make this a bit more concrete: The data in question is linear reference data. Each row of the spreadsheet defines a linear segment:
| Description | Begin | End |
|---|---|---|
| First segment | 0.03 | 0.05 |
| Next segment | 1.12 | 6.74 |
The user defines this spreadsheet based on a template. Instructions are clear about not deviating from the defined format. If the spreadsheet they supply is incorrect, the report throws an error. Apparently, training and instructions were done very well: I have never had a complaint from a user about this report process.
Also, the required output style for the report precludes me from using Power BI Desktop. I'll need to use Power BI Report Builder to make a paginated report.
...and most of my users are NOT IT types.
And users spending time developing a new report each time they need this takes away from time they could be using performing their actual job duties.
So,
Without requiring the user to be capable of developing a report in Power BI Report Builder (understanding connection strings, tablix layouts, numeric formatting codes, SQL, etc. and each user having direct access to the source data), how can I enable a feature in a paginated report to have the user provide a supplementary data set to the report at run time?