Installing a Custom Power BI Template

Introduction to BI for Defender Custom Templates

Welcome to an exciting addition to the BI for Defender ecosystem! At PowerStacks, we are dedicated to providing innovative solutions that elevate your Microsoft Defender for Endpoint reporting experience. With BI for Defender, our game-changing Power BI template app available on the Microsoft Marketplace, we’ve made it easier than ever to access, share, and install comprehensive Defender reports.

Now, we’re taking things a step further by introducing a GitHub repository to host additional custom report templates. This new initiative is designed to bring you an expanding collection of specialized reports, such as KPI dashboards, support desk analytics, and other purpose-driven insights that go beyond the default templates included with BI for Defender. These templates are crafted to save you time and effort while delivering unique perspectives tailored to your organizational needs.

In addition to accessing our curated templates, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with the broader Defender and PowerStacks communities. We encourage our customers to contribute their own templates to the repository, fostering a space for shared knowledge and innovation.

Note that these custom templates are provided “as-is,” without warranty or formal support. This allows us to keep this repository a dynamic and collaborative resource for everyone involved.

We’re thrilled to offer this new way to enhance your BI for Defender experience and look forward to seeing how these templates help you unlock even greater value from your Defender data. Let’s get started! Templates Repository

Step 1: Download and Open the Template

1. Ensure that you have the latest version of Power BI desktop installed.
2. Ensure that BI for Defender has been upgraded to the latest version.
3. Download a .pbit file from our Github.
4. Open Power BI desktop and log in using the same credentials that you use to view BI for Defender reports in the Power BI service.
5. Open the .pbit file in Power BI desktop.

Step 2: Dismiss the Connection Error

1. On the Unable to Connect dialog select Edit.

Step 3: Ignore Warning Messages

1. If you see any warnings messages simply ignore them.

Step 4: Select the Production Dataset

1. On the Select a dataset to create a report dialog select your production bi_for_defender dataset then select Create.

Step 5: Save the Report as a PBIX File

1. In Power BI Desktop select File > Save as then select a location to save the file. Provide a name for the file, for example Defender KPI Dashboard. (this will be visible when you publish to the Power BI service). Select .pbix as the file type. Select Save.

Step 6: Publish to Power BI Service

1. On the Home ribbon of Power BI desktop select Publish.

Step 7: Save Your Changes

1. If prompted to save your changes, select Save.

Step 8: Select the Destination Workspace

1. On the Publish to Power BI dialog select your production BI for Defender workspace. Select Save.

Step 9: Confirm Publishing Success

1. At the Publishing to Power BI Success message select Got it.

Step 10: Open the Report in Power BI Service

1. Log in to the Power BI service using your favorite browser.
2. Go to your production BI for Defender workspace.
3. Open the Defender KPI Dashboard. (The name might vary; it will be whatever you saved the .pbix file as in step 9 above.

Step 11: Enjoy Your New Reports

1. Enjoy your new reports!

Side Note:

For the best experience, we advise that you edit custom templates exclusively in Power BI Desktop and maintain a local backup of your changes as a .pbix file on your computer. While not mandatory, this practice helps prevent conflicting versions of your reports that can arise from making edits in both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service, which can be confusing.