Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about the BI Pixie Workload. Click any section below to jump directly to it.

BI Pixie in Microsoft Fabric
General
Getting Started
Add Pixies
Data and Privacy
Plans and Billing
Dashboard and Analytics
Team and Collaboration
Troubleshooting

1. BI Pixie in Microsoft Fabric

What's the difference between BI Pixie in Microsoft Fabric and other ways to use BI Pixie?

BI Pixie is the same product: same Pixies, same dashboards, same telemetry data, same subscription. BI Pixie in Microsoft Fabric provides a native experience inside the Fabric portal so you can track engagement on your Power BI reports without leaving Fabric. Everything you do in the BI Pixie item is backed by the same service and stores data in the same way.

Do I need a separate subscription for the Fabric Workload?

No. A single BI Pixie subscription covers every BI Pixie product. Subscribe once, through the Azure Marketplace SaaS offer or at the BI Pixie subscription portal, and your entitlement applies to every BI Pixie item in your tenant.

Where is my telemetry data stored?

Telemetry is stored in your Fabric capacity's region via OneLake. Your data stays inside Microsoft Fabric's data plane, governed by the same residency boundaries as your other Fabric items. See Data Management for retention controls and Data Residency for where your telemetry rests and how to deliver it to your own OneLake.

Is BI Pixie certified by Microsoft?

The BI Pixie Workload is currently submitted for Microsoft Fabric workload certification. The product runs on Azure with enterprise-grade security: dedicated per-tenant storage, encryption at rest and in transit, identity-based access control via Microsoft Entra ID, and OneLake-resident telemetry. For our current attestation status, contact support@bipixie.com.

Does BI Pixie support OneLake shortcuts?

Yes. Telemetry written by BI Pixie lives in OneLake and can be reached from other Fabric items (lakehouses, semantic models, notebooks). See Data Residency for where your telemetry lives, lineage, and sensitivity labels.

Can I add BI Pixie at the tenant level or only per workspace?

Both. A Fabric tenant administrator adds BI Pixie to the tenant via Workload Hub (see Add BI Pixie to Your Tenant). Once added, individual workspace users with a permitted role create BI Pixie items in their workspaces as needed; there is no per-workspace setup step.

2. General

What is BI Pixie?

BI Pixie is an AI Readiness and usage analytics platform for Power BI, available natively inside Microsoft Fabric. It adds Pixies, invisible tracking pixels native to Power BI, to your published reports to capture user engagement data: page views, visual clicks, filter selections, bookmark navigation, tooltip views, drill-through actions, NPS surveys, and feedback responses.

How does BI Pixie work?

BI Pixie adds tiny, native Power BI visuals and hidden measures to your reports through the Microsoft Fabric API. These Pixies detect interactions and send events to BI Pixie's hosted infrastructure. You analyze the collected data using the BI Pixie Dashboard, a Power BI template app.

Do I need to install anything in my Azure or Power Platform environment?

No. BI Pixie is a fully hosted service. A Fabric tenant administrator enables the BI Pixie Workload from Workload Hub, and from that point on, workspace users create BI Pixie items directly in Microsoft Fabric. There is nothing to install or deploy in your Azure environment.

What Power BI interactions does BI Pixie track?

BI Pixie can track page views, visual clicks, slicer/filter selections, bookmark navigation, tooltip views, drill-through actions, link clicks, feedback responses, and survey answers. You can enable or disable each interaction type individually in Tracking Setup.

What exactly is a "Pixie"?

A Pixie is a 1x1 pixel native Power BI table visual placed in the corner of a report page, along with hidden DAX measures stored in the semantic model. Pixies are invisible to report consumers and grouped under a { BI Pixie } label in the Selection pane and Data pane for easy identification by your BI team.

How is BI Pixie different from the native Power BI usage metrics?

Power BI's built-in usage metrics show page-level views and a list of users. BI Pixie goes much deeper: it tracks visual-level clicks, filter and slicer selections, bookmark navigation, tooltip views, drill-through actions, link clicks, and user feedback responses. It also lets you embed NPS surveys, analyze heatmaps of visual interactions, and track Row-Level Security context. BI Pixie gives you a complete picture of how your audience interacts with reports, not just whether they opened them.

Does BI Pixie work with Power BI Embedded?

Yes. Pixies track interactions in reports viewed through Power BI Embedded scenarios. Events are captured whenever a user interacts with a report served from Power BI Service, regardless of how it is embedded.

What is AI Readiness?

AI Readiness scores each of your semantic models on how well AI agents and Copilot can answer questions from it, and gives you a prioritized list of fixes to raise that score. See the AI Readiness guide to run your first Readiness Check.

3. Getting Started

How do I start using BI Pixie?

A Fabric tenant administrator adds BI Pixie via Workload Hub (see Add BI Pixie to Your Tenant). Once added, open a Fabric workspace where you have Contributor, Member, or Admin role, click Create, choose BI Pixie, and the BI Pixie item opens. From there, follow the Getting Started guide.

What type of account do I need?

You need a Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) work or school account, the same account you use to sign in to Microsoft Fabric and Power BI Service. Personal Microsoft accounts (outlook.com, hotmail.com) are not supported.

How long does setup take?

Most users complete the full setup in under 10 minutes: create a BI Pixie item, choose reports from your workspace, and click to add Pixies. Events start appearing within seconds of interacting with a tracked report.

Can I try BI Pixie before buying?

Yes. On Microsoft Fabric, BI Pixie starts free: a first AI Readiness score for each of up to 500 semantic models, one tracked report and one tracked semantic model, one benchmark run in total on your tracked semantic model, and community docs and MCP access, with no credit card required. Your one tracked semantic model is the one you can reassess and optimize afterwards. Upgrade to a paid plan whenever you are ready.

What permissions does BI Pixie need?

BI Pixie operates inside Microsoft Fabric using your existing workspace permissions. It needs read/write access to the items in workspaces where you create BI Pixie items so it can read report definitions, add Pixies, and save the updated reports back. Tenant administrators may also need to grant the workload's required Fabric API consent; see Add BI Pixie to Your Tenant.

4. Add Pixies

How are Pixies added to my reports?

BI Pixie reads your report and semantic model definitions through the Fabric API, scans each page and visual, inserts invisible Pixie elements, and writes the updated definitions back. You can choose to have BI Pixie auto-save directly to your workspace or download the updated files and publish them yourself. See Add Pixies to Your Reports for the full walkthrough.

Will Pixies affect my report performance?

No. Pixies are 1x1 pixel visuals and lightweight DAX measures. They add negligible overhead to report rendering and do not query your data sources.

Can my report consumers see the Pixies?

No. Pixies are invisible to end users viewing the report in Power BI Service. They are only visible to report authors in the Selection pane and Data pane of Power BI Desktop, grouped under a clearly labeled { BI Pixie } folder.

Do I need to update Pixies after editing my reports?

Yes. We recommend updating Pixies after any change to the report definition that goes to production. Use the Update Pixies action from the Managed Reports view. See below for the full list of changes and their impact.

What happens if I change my report and don't update the Pixies?

When you change a report definition and publish it to production without updating Pixies, the Pixies are based on the old definition and may miss new elements or show stale information in the BI Pixie Dashboard. You do not need to update Pixies after a data refresh; refreshes only update the data, not the report definition. Here is what happens for each type of change:

Report Change	Impact Without Updating Pixies
New pages added	No usage data captured for the new pages.
Pages deleted	Dashboard will show unused pages that no longer exist in the report.
New visuals added	No usage data for the new visuals. Heatmaps will not include them.
Different fields in existing visuals	No auditing of the newly selected data.
Visuals moved or resized	Heatmap will show the old location of the visual in the Dashboard.
Visual type changed	Heatmap will display the old visual type in the Dashboard.
Visuals renamed	Dashboard will show the old names of the visuals.
New slicers added	Slicer interactions will not be captured.
Bookmarks changed	New or modified bookmarks will not be tracked.
Buttons, images, or tables with hyperlinks changed	Link clicks will not be captured for the new or updated hyperlinks.

To avoid these gaps, open the Managed Reports view, open the action menu for the changed report, and select Update Pixies after each deployment to production.

Does BI Pixie work with Power BI Desktop?

BI Pixie tracks reports that are published to Power BI Service. Events are only captured when users interact with reports in Power BI Service (or embedded scenarios). Opening a report in Power BI Desktop does not send events to BI Pixie.

Can I use BI Pixie with Power BI Deployment Pipelines?

Yes. The recommended workflow is: keep original reports in the Development stage, deploy to Test, create a BI Pixie item in the Test workspace and add Pixies there, verify the Pixies are firing, then deploy from Test to Production.

Can I remove Pixies from a report?

Yes. Use the Remove Pixies action on the Add Pixies tab to clean all Pixies from selected reports. This stops tracking for those reports. Removing Pixies is available even when your subscription has expired.

5. Data and Privacy

Where is my data stored?

Telemetry is stored in your Fabric capacity's region via OneLake. Each BI Pixie item writes to a dedicated, isolated container governed by Fabric's data residency model. See Data Residency for details.

Is my data encrypted?

Yes. All data is encrypted at rest and in transit. Access is controlled through Microsoft Entra ID identities and Fabric workspace roles.

Does BI Pixie access my actual report data?

No. BI Pixie reads report definitions (layout, visual metadata, and DAX measures) to add Pixies. It does not access, read, or store your underlying business data. The only data BI Pixie collects is interaction telemetry (what users clicked, when, and on which page).

Can I delete user data?

Yes. The Data Management view provides self-service tools to search for, preview, and permanently delete data for specific users, specific reports, or specific event files. This supports GDPR data subject access requests (DSARs).

How long is my data retained?

You choose your retention period in Data Management. Options range from 7 days to 1,095 days (3 years) depending on your subscription. Events older than the retention period are automatically deleted during a daily cleanup of BI Pixie's vendor-managed storage. If your telemetry is delivered to your own OneLake or your own storage account, it stays under your control and BI Pixie does not delete it on a schedule; you apply retention across the raw files, the lakehouse, and the semantic model by running the customer-run notebooks on your own Fabric capacity.

Is BI Pixie GDPR compliant?

BI Pixie provides the tools you need for GDPR compliance: configurable data retention, self-service data search and deletion, isolated per-customer storage, encryption, and identity-based access control. Certain data collection settings (user identity, data selections) require explicit consent before they can be enabled.

Can I track users without collecting personal data?

Yes. By default, user identity tracking is turned off. With identity tracking disabled, BI Pixie captures engagement data in aggregate (page views, clicks, filters) without associating events with individual users.

6. Plans and Billing

What subscription plans are available?

BI Pixie offers three plans: Standard, Pro, and Enterprise. Every plan is a flat price, sized by tracked items: the reports with Pixies and standalone semantic models you track. On Microsoft Fabric you can also start free with a first AI Readiness score for each of up to 500 semantic models, one tracked report, and one tracked semantic model. Visit the Pricing page for current details, and see Licenses for plan-by-plan feature notes.

What's included in the free plan?

On Microsoft Fabric, BI Pixie starts free with an AI Readiness Check: one tracked report and one tracked semantic model, a first AI Readiness score for each of up to 500 semantic models, one benchmark run in total on your tracked semantic model, and community docs and MCP access. Scoring runs at up to 10 assessments a day. Your one tracked semantic model is the one you can reassess and optimize afterwards. The two tracking allowances are separate, so you can measure one report and prepare one semantic model for AI at the same time. The free state also works on BI Pixie Cloud, where it includes the BI Pixie dashboard within a fair-use allowance of 5,000 monthly sessions. No credit card is required to start.

What is a "tracked item"?

A tracked item is a report with Pixies or a semantic model you are preparing for AI, and the two are counted separately: a semantic model becomes one on its second assessment, its first optimization, or a benchmark run, whether or not a report on it is tracked. The first AI Readiness score of any semantic model is free and does not claim a tracked item, for up to 500 distinct semantic models per account. The paid plans hold one pooled count, and the Free plan includes two named allowances: one tracked report and one tracked semantic model. You can see your current count on the Account view under Plan & Usage.

Does BI Pixie meter sessions or usage?

No. Sessions are never billed, and nothing on your bill is usage-based. Every plan includes a fair-use session allowance that applies wherever BI Pixie stores your telemetry. Exceeding it only slows dashboard refresh until usage drops back below it, and it never results in additional charges. With data residency your telemetry lands in your own OneLake, and there is no session quantity to meter at all.

What happens when I use all my tracked items?

Tracking continues for everything you already track, and your bill stays the same. Upgrading your plan adds more tracked items. Deleting a report does not make room: a report or semantic model keeps counting after you remove its Pixies or delete it.

Can I change my subscription?

Yes. Upgrades take effect immediately; you get instant access to the higher tier's features and limits. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing cycle. Manage your subscription at the BI Pixie subscription portal.

How does proration work when I upgrade?

When you upgrade mid-cycle, you're credited for the unused portion of your current subscription and charged the prorated cost of your new tier for the remainder of the billing period. From the next cycle onward, you're billed at the full new rate.

Will I ever be charged more than my subscription price?

No. BI Pixie plans are flat prices with no usage meters and no overage charges. Reaching your tracked-item allowance only stops you from adding new items until you upgrade; your bill stays the same.

What happens when my subscription expires?

When a subscription expires, adding and updating Pixies is disabled and some features in the BI Pixie item are shown in a limited state. You can still remove Pixies from reports and open the BI Pixie item. Renew at the BI Pixie subscription portal to restore full access.

Can I purchase BI Pixie through Azure Marketplace?

Yes. BI Pixie is available on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. This lets you use existing Azure commitments and consolidate billing on your Azure invoice. You can also switch billing providers later.

Do you offer annual billing?

Yes. Annual billing is available and saves you the equivalent of two months compared to monthly billing.

7. Dashboard and Analytics

What is the BI Pixie Dashboard?

The BI Pixie Dashboard is a Power BI template app available on Microsoft AppSource. It connects directly to your BI Pixie data and provides pre-built reports for analyzing user adoption, engagement, satisfaction, performance, and more.

How do I install the BI Pixie Dashboard?

Install it from Microsoft AppSource or use the link from the Overview view of the BI Pixie item. During setup, you will need your SAS Token from the Account view (or the Licenses view expanded card). The Data Lake URL is pre-filled by the install ticket. See Set up BI Pixie Dashboard for step-by-step instructions.

How often is the dashboard data refreshed?

You configure the semantic model refresh schedule in Power BI Service, just like any other dataset. Your daily refresh count is limited by your subscription and shown on the Account view under Data Refreshes.

Can I build my own reports on top of BI Pixie data?

Yes. The BI Pixie Dashboard template app installs a semantic model in your workspace. You can build additional Power BI reports on top of that semantic model, or reach the underlying telemetry in your own OneLake. See Data Residency.

Can I share the BI Pixie Dashboard with my team?

Yes. The BI Pixie Dashboard is installed as a Power BI app in your workspace. You can share it with other users in your organization using standard Power BI sharing and permissions, just like any other Power BI report.

8. Team and Collaboration

Can multiple people use the same BI Pixie item?

Yes. Access to a BI Pixie item is governed by the Fabric workspace it lives in. Anyone with a workspace role on that workspace can use the BI Pixie item according to their role. See Team Access for the role-by-role breakdown.

How are roles managed?

BI Pixie uses your Microsoft Fabric workspace roles directly. Admins, Members, and Contributors can manage BI Pixie items in their workspace; Viewers have read-only access to BI Pixie items shared with them. There is no separate BI Pixie team registry to maintain. To add or change access, follow Microsoft's workspace access guide.

Can I control which reports each team member sees?

On the Enterprise plan, your agreement can include multiple licenses, one per business unit, and you assign workspace users to specific licenses. Each license is a separately deployed estate with its own data store and member assignments, so members only see telemetry relevant to their scope. See Licenses for details.

What if I need finer-grained control than Fabric roles offer?

Fabric workspace roles are the source of truth for who can use a BI Pixie item. If you need scope-level isolation (for example, separating Marketing data from Finance data), use License Assignment on the Enterprise plan alongside workspace roles.

9. Troubleshooting

I added Pixies but no events are appearing. What should I do?

Make sure you are viewing the report in Power BI Service, not Power BI Desktop. Events are only captured from the service.
Interact with the report (navigate pages, click visuals, apply filters) and then check for recent events in the Events pane of the Managed Reports view. See Test Events for the walkthrough.
Events typically appear within seconds, but there can be a short delay.
Verify the report appears in the Managed Reports view with a "Pixies Added" status.

My BI Pixie Dashboard is not loading data.

Verify the SAS Token credential on the semantic model matches the latest Token shown on the Account view (or the Licenses view expanded card). See Set up BI Pixie Dashboard for how to update the credential in Power BI.
Check that the semantic model refresh is configured and has completed successfully.
Review the Data Refreshes count on the Account view to confirm you have not exceeded your daily refresh limit.

I cannot add more reports. I am at my subscription limit.

Check tracked-item usage on the Overview view or the Account view.
Your tracked items count does not go down. A report or semantic model keeps counting after you remove its Pixies or delete it. Deleting a report on the Managed Reports view stops tracking and removes its collected events.
Upgrading your plan adds more tracked items.

My data refresh is blocked.

The Overview view shows an estimated time when refreshes will be restored.
This happens when the daily refresh limit is reached. Wait until the limit resets or upgrade your subscription for a higher refresh allowance.

A long-running job appears stuck.

Open the progress panel in the BI Pixie item to see the run's current status, per-report results, and error details. See Managed Reports.
Use the retry action if available, or contact support@bipixie.com.

Events are appearing with a delay. Is this normal?

Events typically appear within a few seconds of interacting with a report. Occasional short delays (up to a minute) are normal during high-traffic periods. If events consistently take longer or do not appear at all, check that the report has Pixies added and that you are viewing it in Power BI Service (not Power BI Desktop).

I have a question that is not answered here.

Check the Contact Support page for ways to reach us, or email support@bipixie.com directly.