About this article
Based on official Microsoft information as of September 17, 2026, this article clarifies the positioning of Power BI Pro and M365 E3/E5.Verification Status: 📘 Confirmed via official Microsoft documentation, untested on physical devices.
Power BI Pro is a user license required to publish and share reports on the Power BI service, as well as to collaborate with other Pro users. According to official Microsoft documentation:Each Microsoft 365 E5 subscription includes one Power BI Pro license.Since E3 is not treated the same way, make sure to check alternative licensing or capacity planning for sharing scenarios.
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, content placed in an appropriate capacity, such as Fabric F64 or higher, can sometimes be viewed by Free users. It is important to consider not just the license, but also which workspace or capacity the content is placed in.
Try this first: Read-only DAX
Create a measure in the sample model that sums an existing sales column.
Total Sales = SUM(Sales[Amount])
Check this out
Place Total Sales in a card visual and verify that it matches the detail total.
Change one thing
Add a single date slicer and verify that the measure responds to filters when the period changes. Do not update or delete the source data.
For professional use
Instead of directly replacing Excel distribution, define metric definitions, update responsibilities, workspaces, and sharing targets. The design will vary depending on whether you are sharing among Pro users or distributing broadly using Fabric capacity.
Points for administrators to check
Verify Pro/PPU assignments, Fabric capacity, workspace roles, external sharing, data source credentials, gateways, RLS, auditing, and the 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 fact that E5 includes Pro does not mean that all users can unconditionally share and view all reports. User licenses and capacity must be considered together.
