Power BI Usage Metrics vs SummitView: What's Missing
Power BI's built-in usage metrics cover the basics, but a 30-day retention limit and no adoption tracking leave gaps. Here's what you're missing and how to close those gaps.
Quick Comparison
A side-by-side look at what Power BI's built-in usage metrics provide and where SummitView adds retention, insights, and governance capabilities.
| Capability | Usage Metrics | SummitView |
|---|---|---|
| Usage data retention | Limited Activity logs retained for 30 days only | Yes Unlimited retention; historical analysis across months and years |
| Per-report view counts | Yes Usage Metrics report shows views per report within 30-day window | Yes Per-report views with unlimited history and trend analysis |
| Adoption trend analysis | No No longitudinal view of how report adoption changes over time | Yes Track adoption curves, identify declining usage, and measure growth over any timeframe |
| Inactive report detection | No No built-in way to identify reports with zero views | Yes Automatically flag reports with no views over configurable periods |
| Cross-workspace usage comparison | No Usage Metrics scoped to individual workspaces | Yes Unified usage view across all workspaces in your tenant |
| User engagement patterns | Limited Shows who viewed; no engagement depth or frequency analysis | Yes View frequency, unique users, peak usage times, and engagement trends |
| Report ownership visibility | Limited Workspace-level ownership only; no sprawl detection | Yes Full inventory with ownership, lineage, and workspace mapping |
| Data export and reporting | Limited Must build custom export pipeline via Power Automate or REST API | Yes Built-in dashboards with filtering, drill-down, and export capabilities |
Usage data retention
Usage Metrics
LimitedActivity logs retained for 30 days only
SummitView
YesUnlimited retention; historical analysis across months and years
Per-report view counts
Usage Metrics
YesUsage Metrics report shows views per report within 30-day window
SummitView
YesPer-report views with unlimited history and trend analysis
Adoption trend analysis
Usage Metrics
NoNo longitudinal view of how report adoption changes over time
SummitView
YesTrack adoption curves, identify declining usage, and measure growth over any timeframe
Inactive report detection
Usage Metrics
NoNo built-in way to identify reports with zero views
SummitView
YesAutomatically flag reports with no views over configurable periods
Cross-workspace usage comparison
Usage Metrics
NoUsage Metrics scoped to individual workspaces
SummitView
YesUnified usage view across all workspaces in your tenant
User engagement patterns
Usage Metrics
LimitedShows who viewed; no engagement depth or frequency analysis
SummitView
YesView frequency, unique users, peak usage times, and engagement trends
Report ownership visibility
Usage Metrics
LimitedWorkspace-level ownership only; no sprawl detection
SummitView
YesFull inventory with ownership, lineage, and workspace mapping
Data export and reporting
Usage Metrics
LimitedMust build custom export pipeline via Power Automate or REST API
SummitView
YesBuilt-in dashboards with filtering, drill-down, and export capabilities
Where Power BI Usage Metrics Work Well
Built-in activity log
Power BI's Activity Log API captures view events, refresh events, and admin actions for the last 30 days without any additional setup.
Workspace usage views
The Usage Metrics report in each workspace shows per-report view counts, unique viewers, and viewing methods for the last 30 days.
Per-report viewer lists
See which users viewed each report, useful for ad-hoc checks on whether a specific report is being used.
Audit log for compliance
Activity events include admin operations, export events, and sharing actions for compliance and security auditing within the 30-day window.
Gaps That Cause Firefighting
30-day retention limit
Power BI deletes activity logs after 30 days. You can't answer 'how has adoption changed this quarter?' or 'which reports lost users before we retired them?' without building your own export pipeline.
No longitudinal trends
Without historical data, you can't distinguish between a report that's always had low usage and one that's declining. There's no way to track adoption curves or measure the impact of changes over time.
No adoption tracking
You can see who viewed a report this month, but you can't track whether new reports are gaining traction, whether training drove adoption, or whether teams are actually using what was built for them.
No ownership or sprawl detection
As your Power BI environment grows, orphaned reports and unused datasets accumulate. Built-in metrics don't flag sprawl, and workspace-scoped views make it hard to see the full picture.
How SummitView Closes the Gaps
Two deployment options
Cloud Connect
No software to install. Uses a service principal for inventory, usage, and refresh monitoring. Best for quick starts.
Windows Agent (recommended)
Adds per-table refresh timing (PPU/Fabric), reliable Pro workspace status, and row count tracking. Lightweight, read-only, outbound-only.
Read-only and metadata-only
SummitView uses read-only Power BI APIs exclusively. It collects metadata (refresh timestamps, durations, row counts, usage events) and never accesses actual report data or business information. View security details
Unlimited usage retention
Every usage event is stored permanently. Build trend reports across months and years, not just the last 30 days. No export pipeline needed.
Learn moreAdoption insights
Track how report usage changes over time. Identify declining adoption early, measure the impact of new deployments, and prove ROI with data.
Learn moreReport catalog with usage data
A complete inventory of all reports across all workspaces, enriched with usage data to identify which reports matter and which are unused.
Governance and sprawl detection
Automatically flag reports with no recent views, identify orphaned datasets, and track workspace growth to prevent uncontrolled sprawl.
Cross-workspace analytics
Unified usage view across your entire tenant. Compare adoption across teams, workspaces, and report types from a single dashboard.
Learn moreUsage-based alerting
Get notified when critical reports see unusual drops in usage, helping you catch access issues or broken reports before users escalate.
Learn moreUse Cases
For Power BI Admins
- Get alerted before users report stale data
- Track refresh performance trends across all workspaces
- Flag gateways with personal connections as a security risk
For BI Teams
- Identify slow-refreshing tables for optimization
- Prove report adoption with long-term usage data
- Catch data volume anomalies after source system changes
For IT & Governance
- Audit gateway configurations and personal connections
- Report on Fabric capacity utilization for budgeting
- Maintain a complete inventory of workspaces, datasets, and reports
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Power BI usage metrics limited to 30 days?
The Power BI Activity Log API retains events for 30 days by design. After that window, events are deleted and cannot be recovered. Organizations that need longer-term usage data must export logs to an external store before they expire.
Can I export Power BI usage data to keep it longer than 30 days?
Yes, but you need to build and maintain your own export pipeline, typically involving Power Automate flows, Azure Data Lake, and a reporting layer on top. SummitView captures and retains usage events automatically with no time limit and no infrastructure to maintain.
Does SummitView replace the Power BI Usage Metrics report?
Not exactly. The built-in Usage Metrics report is still useful for quick workspace-level checks. SummitView adds unlimited retention, cross-workspace views, trend analysis, and adoption tracking that the built-in report cannot provide.
How does SummitView collect usage data?
SummitView uses the Power BI Activity Log API (with Tenant.Read.All permission) to collect usage events. Events are stored permanently in SummitView's database. The user who signs in must have the Power BI Admin role.
Learn more about deployment optionsDoes SummitView work with Pro, PPU, and Fabric workspaces?
Yes. Usage analytics work across all Power BI license tiers. SummitView collects activity events for all workspaces in your tenant regardless of license type.
See how it works by license tier