In this blog, you will gain a detailed understanding of the comparison between Power BI Premium Per Capacity vs. Microsoft Fabric Capacity.
This table compares Power BI Premium Per Capacity and Microsoft Fabric Capacity licenses.
While both offer dedicated capacity for large-scale analytics, Microsoft Fabric Capacity provides a broader range of services beyond Power BI.
It covers the entire data lifecycle, including data engineering, real-time analytics, and machine learning capabilities
| Feature/Aspect | Power BI Premium Per Capacity | Microsoft Fabric Capacity |
| Primary Focus | Power BI reports, dashboards, and analytics. | End-to-end analytics platform (includes Power BI + Data Engineering, Data Science, and Real-Time Analytics). |
| Services Included | Only Power BI services (reports, dashboards, paginated reports, dataflows, AI features). | Comprehensive set of tools: Power BI, Data Engineering, Data Science, Data Integration, Real-Time Analytics, and Machine Learning. |
| Licensing Model | Dedicated Power BI capacity for content creation, sharing, and consumption. | Dedicated capacity for multiple workloads: Power BI + Synapse-like features (for data pipelines, data warehousing, and lakehouses). |
| Target Audience | Organizations focused primarily on reporting and BI analytics. | Organizations requiring full data lifecycle management (from ingestion and transformation to visualization and real-time analytics). |
| Dataset Limit | Up to 400 GB per dataset. | Up to 400 GB per dataset (same as Power BI Premium), but with additional capacity for broader workloads (data engineering, ML, etc.). |
| Storage Limit (tenant-level) | 100 TB across the tenant (for Power BI content like datasets, reports, and models). | 100 TB across the tenant, covering all Fabric services (including Power BI, lakehouse storage, pipelines, etc.). |
| Data Refresh Frequency | Up to 48 times per day. | Up to 48 times per day for Power BI. Other services (e.g., pipelines, dataflows) may have more frequent, real-time capabilities. |
| Collaboration Features | Supports shared workspaces and unlimited report consumption by any user. | Similar collaboration features with broader integration (teams working across Power BI, data engineering, and real-time analytics). |
| AI and Machine Learning | Built-in AI features in Power BI (e.g., AutoML, cognitive services, etc.). | Advanced AI and ML capabilities spanning the entire analytics process, including real-time analytics, model training, and deployment. |
| Data Integration & Pipelines | Limited to Power BI dataflows and scheduled refreshes. | Full data pipelines (similar to Azure Synapse Pipelines) for ingestion, transformation, and integration from various sources. |
| Real-Time Analytics | Limited to Power BI’s streaming datasets and real-time dashboards. | Full real-time analytics capabilities (via Real-Time Analytics service), with much deeper integration and scaling for real-time data processing. |
| Data Science | Basic integration with Power BI for R and Python visuals. | Full-fledged Data Science environments for data scientists to run, build, and manage machine learning models. |
| Cost | Starts at $4,995 per month for dedicated Power BI capacity. | Starts at around $4,995 per month, but cost scales based on additional services (e.g., pipelines, real-time analytics, machine learning). |
| Multi-Geo Support | Yes, available for Power BI content. | Yes, for all Fabric services (allowing data residency and governance across regions). |
Key Differences:
Scope of Services:
- Power BI Premium Per Capacity focuses primarily on Power BI services, including reporting, dashboards, and AI-powered features.
- Fabric Capacity offers a comprehensive, end-to-end analytics platform, integrating Power BI with data engineering, real-time analytics, and data science functionalities.
Data Processing & Workflows:
- Power BI Premium Per Capacity is optimized for reporting and data visualization.
- Fabric Capacity supports the entire data lifecycle, from data ingestion and transformation to warehousing, real-time analytics, and machine learning.
Workloads Supported:
- Power BI Premium is best suited for organizations that require advanced reporting and visualization on large datasets.
- Fabric Capacity is ideal for organizations needing a complete data management and analytics platform, supporting real-time analytics, data science, and complex data pipelines.
I hope you enjoyed the post. Your valuable feedback, questions, or comments about this post are always welcome.
