How To Update Power BI

Introduction

Do you really need to update Power BI? Yes. Microsoft team updates Power BI from time to time. But how you can update your application? Here you will find the answer in this article.

There are two ways to install Power BI:

Download it directly from the web.
From the Microsoft Store.

If you download the app from the Microsoft store, you need to have a Microsoft account. You need not pay for Power BI. This app is free in the Microsoft store.

Auto Update Power BI Desktop

If you Install Power BI from the Microsoft store then it will be updated automatically. This is the main difference between the installation of Power BI from store and directly from the web. As soon as the Power BI developer updates anything, the Microsoft store version will automatically update itself to the latest version. You need not do anything to keep it up-to-date.

Manually Update Power BI Desktop

Power BI team updates this application every month. If you download this application directly from the web then you need to update it manually. But how do you know when you update it?

First, you need to check which version you are using. To know it, go to the File tab and click on ‘About’.

Once you are clicked on ‘About’ you can see which version of Power BI you are using.

As per the above image, I am using the ‘September 2020’ version. So, I need to update it. My first priority is to get a notification to update my app. So I am going to apply for notification for an update.

To do so, go to the ‘File’ tab and click on ‘Options and Settings’, and then click on ‘Options’.

Click on ‘Updates’ to get a notification when your application needs to update.

Click on the check box and then click on ‘Ok’. Now you will get a notification when you open the application.

Once you open your application and if it needs to update then a small pop-up will reflect at the lower-right corner. See the below image.

This highlighted update icon will be removed after a few seconds. But you will still get this at the same side link in the below image.

Click on it and you will go to the below link.

Here you can get the detail of new released Power BI version. You can download the latest version by click on ‘Download Power BI Desktop’.Once you click on it you will get the below message.

Select the check box and click on ‘Open’. The Microsoft Store will be opened and now you are able to install the latest version.

After clicking on install, you need to log in with your Microsoft account. After login, it will start downloading the app.

After completion of downloading you will get a notification. You can launch it.

If you missed the click on it and this notification disappears after a few seconds, open the Microsoft store and click on ‘Launch’ as ‘Install on my devices’.

The latest version will be installed on your PC. You can check it to click on ‘About’ at the ‘File’ tab.

What’s new in the November 2020 Version

Let have a look at the update coming to this version. Here is the full list of November Power BI updates:

Reporting

New Field List
New Model View
Apply all filters is now generally available
Visual Zoom Slider
Datapoint rectangle select extended to Map visual
Certificate revocation check for web connections
Paginated Reports Updates
Crediting total labels for stacked visuals (Sept 2020)

Analytics

Anomaly Detection
Q&A now supports partial matching data values

Data connectivity

Hive LLAP connector generally available
New connectors: Actian, Anaplan, Starburst Presto

Service

Certified and Promoted reports and apps
The ‘new look’ of the Power BI service is live

Visualizations

New Visualizations
Zebra BI 4.4
New Visual by ZoomCharts: Drill Down Map PRO
xViz Scatter/ Bubble chart
Editor’s picks

Developers

Power BI Automation and APIs
Fetch more data API 3.4
Enhanced testing of your developed custom visual

Summary

I hope you understand how to update Power BI. If you have any doubts then leave a comment below. I will try to help. Thanks for reading and have a good day.