Power BI
Power BI9 min read•
Power BI External Tools Ecosystem
Extend Power BI capabilities with community and third-party tools.
By Administrator
External tools extend Power BI Desktop with capabilities not available in the native interface.
What Are External Tools?
Applications that connect to Power BI models: - Via Analysis Services port - Access internal model - Provide specialized features
Popular External Tools
DAX Studio Query and debug DAX: - Write and test queries - Performance profiling - Query tracing - DMV access
Tabular Editor Advanced modeling: - Calculation groups - Perspectives - Scripting - Best practice analyzer
ALM Toolkit Model comparison: - Compare versions - Deploy changes - Document differences
Bravo Formatting and analysis: - Date table generation - Measure formatting - Model analysis
Setting Up External Tools
Installation Most tools install and register automatically: - Download and run installer - Tools appear in External Tools ribbon
Manual Registration Add custom tools: - Create JSON definition file - Place in External Tools folder - Restart Power BI Desktop
Common Use Cases
Performance Tuning DAX Studio for: - Identifying slow measures - Query analysis - Storage engine vs formula engine
Enterprise Modeling Tabular Editor for: - Bulk operations - Version control integration - Advanced patterns
Documentation Various tools for: - Model documentation - Change tracking - Audit requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
Are external tools officially supported by Microsoft?
External tools use supported interfaces but are not Microsoft products. Microsoft provides the external tools infrastructure and recognizes popular community tools. Support comes from tool authors and community.
Can external tools corrupt my Power BI model?
External tools with write access can modify models. Use version control, make backups before significant changes, and test thoroughly. Tools like DAX Studio are read-only by default for safety.
Power BIExternal ToolsDAX StudioTabular Editor