Power BI Embedded with Python -Enhanced Excel Dashboards
Excel and Power BI are often treated as two distinct tools: Excel for hands-on modeling and Power BI for sleek, interactive dashboards. But what if you could combine them into a single, integrated experience—where the storytelling power of Power BI lives inside the flexibility of Excel, supercharged with Python-calculated insights?
In this post, we explore how to embed Power BI visuals directly into Excel dashboards and enhance those dashboards with Python-powered logic. The result? A dynamic hybrid reporting tool that lets analysts model, calculate, and visualize within one unified environment.
This isn’t about choosing between Excel and Power BI. It’s about combining the best of both—interactive dashboards and flexible modeling—with the added benefit of Python's analytical muscle.
Why Integrate Power BI with Excel?
Excel is familiar to most teams, making it the perfect base for distributing interactive reports.
Power BI visuals add polish, interactivity, and storytelling power that Excel charts can’t match.
Python fills analytical gaps—generating advanced stats, models, or custom KPIs that neither Excel nor Power BI alone can easily compute.
Use Case Example:
Imagine you're building a quarterly performance dashboard for a portfolio of private investments. You want:
IRR and MOIC calculations done in Python
Cash flow forecasts visualized with Power BI
Real-time Excel data entry for scenario tweaking
One file that communicates all of it
Here’s how to make that a reality.
Step 1: Build Your Visuals in Power BI
Use Power BI Desktop to create the core visuals:
Line charts for performance over time
Bar charts comparing portfolio companies
Heat maps for risk metrics by sector
Once your report is built, publish it to the Power BI Service.
Step 2: Generate Embed Link from Power BI Service
Power BI allows you to generate secure links to embed reports using the "Publish to web" feature (or better, for internal use, via Power BI Embedded or SharePoint).
Go to your report > File > Embed > Website or portal
Copy the `<iframe>` code or secure link
Step 3: Embed Power BI in Excel
Open Excel and insert a Web control object:
Go to Developer Tab > Insert > More Controls
Select “Microsoft Web Browser”
Paste the Power BI embed link into a macro or VBA function
Here’s a simplified example using VBA:
```vba
Sub EmbedPowerBI()
Dim ie As Object
Set ie = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
ie.Visible = True
ie.Navigate "https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=yourReportLinkHere"
End Sub
```
You can also use Office Add-ins to embed Power BI directly in newer versions of Excel via SharePoint or Teams integrations.
Step 4: Layer Python-Powered Calculations
Use Python (via xlwings or OpenPyXL) to inject advanced metrics directly into your dashboard:
Time-series forecasts (e.g., ARIMA, Prophet)
Scenario modeling or sensitivity analysis
Outlier detection or Monte Carlo simulations
Example with xlwings:
```python
import xlwings as xw
import numpy as np
wb = xw.Book('Dashboard.xlsx')
sht = wb.sheets['Data']
returns = np.array(sht.range('B2:B101').value)
cumulative = np.cumsum(returns)
sht.range('C2').value = cumulative.tolist()
```
You can use these calculated values as dynamic inputs that drive Power BI visuals through linked data tables.
Step 5: Create Seamless Interaction
Use Excel dropdowns or slicers as input parameters
Have Python re-calculate based on input changes
Refresh Power BI-linked tables to reflect changes in visuals
Additional Enhancements:
Use Power Automate to trigger refreshes on Power BI when Excel data changes
Add tooltips, annotations, and commentary via Excel cells for executive-friendly output
Include audit trails using Python-generated logs or cell versioning
Benefits of the Hybrid Stack:
All-in-one interface for exploration, modeling, and presentation
Sharable dashboards that remain interactive without leaving Excel
Support for advanced analytics beyond what DAX or native Excel can offer
Challenges to Watch For:
Embed security: ensure proper authentication if using internal dashboards
Power BI refresh latency: reports may not reflect instant Excel changes unless automated
Python execution limits: avoid long-running scripts for real-time dashboards
By integrating Power BI into Excel and layering on Python automation, you empower analysts to create dashboards that are both visually compelling and analytically rigorous—all within a format that clients and executives already trust.
At CFS Inc., we specialize in building custom Excel-Python-Power BI ecosystems that deliver real-time insights, seamless interactivity, and robust storytelling. Whether you're building investor dashboards, operational trackers, or risk models, our hybrid solutions give you clarity, confidence, and control.
Power BI makes your data shine. Python makes it smart. Excel makes it usable. CFS Inc. brings it all together.
