Whether you chose to have EBM build your Power BI reports or you built them yourself, once they're embedded in Catalyst, they appear in the Visualizations menu. This guide shows you how to access, interact with, and make simple updates to your embedded Power BI dashboards as an end userāincluding the common year-end task of updating default year selections.
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Overview
After Power BI reports are built and embedded in Catalyst (whether by EBM or your team), they become accessible through the Visualizations menu. These interactive dashboards connect directly to your Catalyst data, providing real-time insights into your business metrics. This guide covers how to view reports, interact with filters, and make simple updates like changing default year selections.
Finding Your Dashboards
Power BI reports are accessible through the Visualizations tab in your Catalyst website's left navigation bar. Each visualization is an embedded Power BI report using your Catalyst data.
Common Dashboard Examples
| Dashboard Type | What It Shows | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Dashboard | Revenue, expenses, profit margins, P&L statements | Monthly financial reviews, budget comparisons |
| Profitability Dashboard | Gross margin, product profitability, cost analysis | Product line analysis, pricing decisions |
| Sales Dashboard | Daily sales, trends, YoY comparisons, top customers | Sales performance tracking, forecasting |
| Custom Reports | Varies based on your business needs | Specialized analysis for your industry |
š” Tip: Don't see any visualizations? Check with your administrator to ensure you have Navigation Access to the Visualizations section. You also may not have any embedded reports yetācontact EBM Support to learn how to get your first dashboard.
Reading Your Dashboards
Click any visualization in the menu to open it. Dashboards may contain multiple report pages (tabs) with different views of your data, or they may be single-page reports.
Interacting with Reports
ā What You Can Do
- Click tabs at the bottom to view different report pages (if available)
- Use slicers and filters to change date ranges, companies, or scenarios
- Hover over visuals for detailed tooltips
- Click on charts to cross-filter related visuals
- Export data to Excel (if enabled)
- Subscribe to receive reports via email
š What You Can't Do
- Edit report layout or visuals
- Add new pages or charts
- Permanently change filter defaults
- See data you don't have security access to
- Delete or modify the report structure
Good News: You can't break anything! Filter changes are temporary and reset when you leave the page. Feel free to explore different views without worry.
Understanding What You See
The data you see in reports is automatically filtered based on your Catalyst security permissions. For example:
- Regional managers see data only for their assigned region
- Sales reps see data only for their assigned customers
- Executives typically see all company data
If you need access to additional data, contact your Catalyst administrator about updating your security permissions.
Editing Your Dashboards
Most users only need to view dashboards. However, you may occasionally need to edit default filter settingsāmost commonly at the start of a new fiscal year when reports need to be updated to show the current year by default.
Most Common Use Case: Year-End Updates
When a new year begins (e.g., January 1, 2026), your dashboards may still default to the previous year's scenario (2025). You'll need to update each reportāand each tab within each reportāto select the new year as the default. This is the most common reason users edit dashboards in Power BI Service.
ā ļø Important: When to Edit vs. When to Contact Support
Edit yourself when you need to change default filter selections (like year, scenario, or company).
Contact EBM Support for all other changes:
- Layout or visual changes
- New reports or pages
- Data or security issues
- Adding new measures or calculations
Prerequisites for Editing
Before you can edit dashboards, you need:
- Power BI Pro license: Required for editing (viewing in Catalyst doesn't require a license)
- Workspace access: You must have Contributor or Member access to your EBM Power BI workspace
- Microsoft 365 work account: The same account used to access Catalyst
Year-End Scenario Updates: Step-by-Step
This section walks you through the most common editing task: updating your dashboards to default to the new fiscal year. Follow these steps at the start of each new year (or whenever scenario defaults need to change).
š Before You Begin: Planning Checklist
- Identify all reports that need updating in your workspace
- Note which tabs exist within each report (you'll update each one)
- Decide which tab should display first when users open each report
- Coordinate timing so all reports are updated together for consistency
Step-by-Step: Updating Default Year Across All Reports
Sign Into Power BI Service
Navigate to app.powerbi.com and sign in with your Microsoft 365 work account (the same credentials used to access Catalyst).
Navigate to Your Workspace
In the left sidebar, click Workspaces. Scroll to From External Orgs and click your workspace (e.g., "EBM ā Your Company Name").
Select Your First Report
Click the Reports tab. Find the first report you want to updateāreports typically include "EBM" in the name along with references to the dataset, such as "Financial Tabular," "Profitability Tabular," or "Invoice Data." Click to open it.
Enter Edit Mode
In the top toolbar, click Edit to enter editing mode.
Update Year/Scenario on the Current Tab
Locate the Year or Scenario slicer (filter) on the current page. Click it and update the selection from the previous year (e.g., 2025) to the new year (e.g., 2026).
Repeat for Each Tab in the Report
Important: Each tab (page) within a report may have its own filter settings. Click through every tab at the bottom of the report and update the year/scenario selection on each one. Filters don't automatically sync across tabs.
š” Don't forget: Some reports have 5, 10, or more tabs. Make sure you update the year on every single tab before saving.
Navigate to Your Preferred Starting Tab
Before saving: Click on the tab you want users to see first when they open this report in Catalyst. Power BI remembers which tab you're on when you saveāthis becomes the default landing page for all users.
Example: If your report has tabs for "Summary," "Details," and "Trends," and you want users to land on "Summary" first, make sure you're on the "Summary" tab before you click Save.
Save Your Changes
Click Save in the top toolbar. Your changes will automatically appear in Catalyst within a few minutes.
Repeat for All Remaining Reports
Return to your workspace and repeat steps 3ā8 for every report that needs updating. Each report is independentāchanges to one don't affect others.
Your updated filters and default tab selections now appear when users open the dashboards in Catalyst. Users may need to refresh their browser to see the updates. Consider notifying your team that dashboards have been updated for the new year.
Year-End Update Quick Reference
Use this checklist to ensure you've completed all year-end updates:
š Year-End Dashboard Update Checklist
Alternative: Using Power BI Desktop
You can also use Power BI Desktop (the downloadable application) instead of Power BI Service (the web version) for editing. The steps are similar:
- Download and install Power BI Desktop
- Open Power BI Desktop and sign in with your Microsoft 365 work account
- Open your report from the workspace
- Update year/scenario filters on each tab
- Navigate to your preferred starting tab
- Publish back to the workspace (File ā Publish ā Select your EBM workspace)
For detailed guidance on using Power BI Desktop, see the comprehensive Power BI for Catalyst - Complete Integration Guide.
Getting Help
When to Contact EBM Support
Contact EBM Support for:
- Workspace access issues
- Report layout or design changes
- Creating new dashboards or reports
- Data accuracy or refresh issues
- Security and permission questions
- Adding or removing visualizations in Catalyst
When to Contact Microsoft Support
Contact Microsoft Power BI Support for:
- Power BI product features and capabilities
- Power BI licensing questions
- Issues with the Power BI application itself
ā ļø Important: EBM Support and Microsoft Power BI Support are separate. EBM manages your Catalyst integration and workspace, while Microsoft manages the Power BI platform itself.
Common Questions
Why can't I see certain dashboards?
You may not have Navigation Access to those visualizations, or the reports may not have been embedded in Catalyst yet. Contact your Catalyst administrator to request access to specific dashboards or to check if reports need to be embedded.
Why does my data look different from my colleague's?
Catalyst applies row-level security automatically. You and your colleague may have different security assignments, so you each see only the data you're authorized to view.
Can I export data from dashboards?
Yes, if export functionality is enabled. Right-click on any visual and select "Export data" to download to Excel. If this option isn't available, check with your administrator.
How often does data refresh?
Dashboard data refreshes automatically in sync with your Catalyst data refresh schedule. Check the System Status page in Catalyst for the latest refresh timestamp.
Can I create my own custom reports?
Yes, if you have the appropriate permissions and Power BI Pro license. See the comprehensive Power BI for Catalyst - Complete Integration Guide for detailed instructions.
Do I need to update every tab in every report at year-end?
Yes. Each tab within a report can have independent filter settings. When updating default years or scenarios, you must click through every tab and update the selection on each one before saving. This ensures all users see the correct year regardless of which tab they navigate to.
Why do users see a different tab than I expected when they open a report?
Power BI saves which tab you're viewing when you click Save. If you save while on the "Details" tab, all users will land on "Details" first when opening the report in Catalyst. To change the default landing tab, edit the report, navigate to your preferred starting tab, and save again.
Related Resources
- Power BI for Catalyst - Complete Integration Guide
- Access & Connect to Your EBM Power BI Workspace
- Building Reports in Power BI with Catalyst Data
- Embedding Power BI Reports in Catalyst
- Troubleshooting Catalyst Power BI Integration
- Subscribing to Catalyst Visualizations
- Catalyst Security and Permissions Guide
Embedded Power BI reports appear in Catalyst's Visualizations menu after being built and embedded (by EBM or your team). Access reports through the left navigation, interact with filters and slicers, and explore data viewsāchanges are temporary and reset when you leave. The most common editing task is updating default year/scenario selections at year-end: sign into Power BI Service at app.powerbi.com, navigate to your workspace under "From External Orgs," select your report, click Edit, update filters on every tab, navigate to your preferred starting tab, and save. Repeat for all reports. Changes appear in Catalyst automatically (users may need to refresh). Contact EBM Support for workspace access or report design changes.
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