About this article
Official Microsoft information was verified as of September 17, 2026, to clarify the positioning of Power BI Pro and M365 E3/E5.Verification status: 📘 Official Microsoft information verified, actual device not tested
Power BI Pro is a user license required to publish and share reports on the Power BI service and collaborate with other Pro users. According to official Microsoft guidelines,each Microsoft 365 E5 subscription includes one Power BI Pro license. Because E3 does not have the same inclusion, separate licenses or capacity planning should be reviewed for sharing use cases.
Do not confuse Free, Pro, PPU, and Capacity
While Free users can create and view content for personal use, standard sharing and collaboration require Pro or PPU. On the other hand, Free users may view content hosted in appropriate capacities, such as Fabric F64 or higher. It is important to consider not only licenses but also which workspace or capacity the content is placed in.
Try first: Read-only DAX
Create a measure in a sample model that sums up an existing sales column.
Total Sales = SUM(Sales[Amount])
Check this
Place Total Sales on a card visual and verify that it matches the total of the line items.
Change one thing
Add a single date slicer and verify that the measure responds to filters when the period changes. Source data is not updated or deleted.
For professional use
Rather than simply replacing Excel distribution, define metric definitions, update responsibilities, workspaces, and target audiences. The design will vary depending on whether sharing is among Pro users or widespread distribution via Fabric capacity.
Administrator check items
Verify Pro/PPU assignments, Fabric capacity, workspace roles, external sharing, data source credentials, gateways, RLS, auditing, and migration status from P SKUs to Fabric F SKUs.
Official Microsoft information
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/enterprise/service-admin-purchasing-power-bi-pro
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/fundamentals/service-features-license-type
The inclusion of Pro in E5 is distinct from whether all users can unconditionally share and view all reports. Consider user licenses and capacity together.
