Vibe Coding a Power BI Embedded Portal - From Zero to Hero in 60 Minutes
Description
Power BI Embedded isn't just for developers. In this fast-paced vibe-coding session, we demystified it by building a real custom portal in 60 minutes using AI to speed things up. Covered: setting up Power BI Embedded quickly, crafting a user-centric experience, improving navigation beyond the service, and unlocking powerful opportunities without heavy coding.
Key Takeaways
- Vibe coding = AI-assisted development — describe ideas in natural language, let the AI write the code. Shifts from "writing code" to "creating products."
- Domain knowledge is power — knowing relevant frameworks and technologies significantly improves AI-generated results. The more you understand, the better your prompts.
- Use with caution — vibe coding is for testing ideas and prototyping. It is NOT a replacement for architects and best practices.
- Iterate, don't expect magic — expect to debug and refine. AI is not a magic wand.
- Context7 MCP is recommended as a toolbox item for AI-assisted development (fetches live library docs).
- Power BI Embedded on F2 (External/App owns data) requires a capacity SKU; F2 + Pro/PPU for dev. F64+ = no individual licenses for consumers.
About the Speaker
Peer Grønnerup — Technical Architect & Community Advocate at Tabular Editor
- Software-developer roots, "strategically lazy" (automates to avoid repetition)
- 15+ years building BI and Data Platform solutions
- Links: LinkedIn | Blog | GitHub
Power BI Embedded Overview
What Is It?
- Embeds Power BI reports into custom applications
- Supports both internal and external audiences
- Full control and white-labeling of the experience
Two Embedding Options
| Feature | External (App owns data) | Internal (User owns data) |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | App managed | Microsoft Entra ID |
| Licensing | F, P, or A-SKU* | Pro, PPU, P, or F64+ SKU |
| Primary use case | External-facing apps | Internal business apps |
| Implementation | Custom coding | Secure embed (iframe) or custom coding |
*No user licenses required for external
Why Embed?
- Better user adoption
- Seamless UX (branding + layout control)
- Control access & navigation
- Can be low-code or no-code
- Cost saving for external users
- Intranet or customer portal scenarios
Cons to Be Aware Of
- Requires a capacity = complex pricing and capacity planning
- More engineering effort than just sharing a report
- Operational complexity
- Multi-tenant design challenges
- Life-cycle management, authentication, hosting
- Feature parity nuances vs. native Power BI service
Vibe Coding
What Is It?
- AI-powered development practice
- Requires little to no technical skills (a shift from writing code to describing ideas)
- No heavy upfront design or planning
- Let energy, ideas, and intuition lead the way
- Reference: 8-year-old girl codes with Cursor AI
Pure Vibe Coding vs. Responsible AI-Assisted Development
| Pure Vibe Coding | Responsible AI-Assisted Development |
|---|---|
| Speed | Structured iteration |
| Creativity | Domain knowledge applied |
| Easy to iterate | Code review and understanding |
| Accessibility | Security-aware prompting |
| Fast prototyping | Architecture best practices maintained |
Pros
- Speed
- Creativity
- Easy to iterate
- Accessibility
- Fast prototyping
Dangers of Pure Vibe Coding
- Messy, unstructured code
- No long-term structure
- Hard to debug
- Loss of understanding (you don't know what it built)
- Security gaps
Live Demo — Power BI Embedded Portal
The Goal
Build a fully production-ready Power BI Embedded application (External / App owns data) that:
- Has login/authentication
- Has information pages
- Supports dynamic RLS
- Includes UX enhancements: fullscreen, page navigation, and more
- Deployed and running in Azure
Toolbox
- VS Code with GitHub Copilot
- Context7 MCP — for live library docs
- Azure (App Service for hosting)
- GitHub Copilot instructions file: https://tinyurl.com/yw5f85ht
Prerequisites for Power BI Embedded
- Power BI Workspace with:
- A semantic model (no roles needed for basic setup)
- Reports for demo purposes
- Service Principal with client credentials
- Azure Resource Group (optional)
- F2+ capacity SKU (Pro/PPU for development)
Recommended Vibe Coding Tools
| Tool | Best For |
|---|---|
| VS Code + GitHub Copilot | Developers who want AI assistance in their existing IDE |
| Cursor / Windsurf | Pro developers wanting an AI-first IDE (VS Code forks, similar UX with differences) |
| Lovable | Non-coders and low-coders — most user friendly |
| Claude Code | Experienced developers — best for complex multi-file projects |
Final Tips & Takeaways
- Conceptualize first — start with a clear idea of what to build
- Domain knowledge is power — knowing relevant frameworks improves AI-generated results significantly
- Iterate your development — expect to debug and refine; AI is not a magic wand
- Use with caution — vibe coding is for testing ideas and prototyping, NOT a replacement for architecture best practices
My Notes
Attended Friday March 20, 2026. Live coding session — intentionally chaotic. The real value was seeing vibe coding in action with a non-trivial real-world use case (Power BI Embedded is genuinely complex). The "Responsible AI-assisted" vs "Pure vibe coding" contrast is worth internalizing — the danger isn't the AI, it's not understanding what gets built. Peer's GitHub has a starter repo to explore.
Notable: He mentioned Claude Code as the best tool for experienced devs on complex multi-file projects. And Context7 MCP was in his toolbox — same tool we have set up here.
Action Items
Resources & Links
- Peer's LinkedIn
- Peer's Blog — Peer Insights
- Peer's GitHub
- Vibe Coding reference — 8-year-old codes with Cursor
- GitHub Copilot Instructions Template
- Power BI Embedded Docs
Slides
Vibe coding a Power
BI Embedded Portal
From zero to hero in 60
Peer Grønnerup
WHO AM I?
Peer Grønnerup
Technical Architect & Community Advocate at Tabular Editor
Software-developer roots and proudly “strategically lazy”
I automate so I don’t have to repeat myself!
15+ years building BI and Data Platform solutions
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peergroennerup/
https://peerinsights.hashnode.dev
https://github.com/gronnerup
WHERE ARE WE GOING TODAY?
• Introduction
• Power BI Embedded
• Vibe coding
This session is an experiment.
Things will break, code may rebel.
You might leave with absolutely nothing…
…or maybe a life-changing insight.
• Live vibe coding an MVP of a Power BI Embedded Portal
• The idea and goal for today
• Setup & prerequisites
• Wrap-up + Q&A
Buckle up, enjoy the chaos.
And let’s have some fun!
WHERE ARE WE GOING TODAY?
• Introduction
• Power BI Embedded
• Vibe coding
• Live vibe coding an MVP of a Power BI Embedded Portal
• The idea and goal for today
• Setup & prerequisites
• Wrap-up + Q&A
INTRODUCTION
POWER BI EMBEDDED
WHAT IS POWER BI EMBEDDED?
• It’s a way to embed Power BI reports etc. into your applications
• Supports both internal and externals audience
• Control and white-label the experience fully
Default experience
Your experience
POWER BI EMBEDDED OPTIONS
2 embedding options
• External
•
Requires a capacity
•
Pro or PPU for
development
• Internal
•
Require individual licenses
Feature
External users
Internal users
Authentication
App managed
Microsoft Entra ID
Licensing
F, P or A-SKU*
Pro, PPU, P or +F64 SKU
Primary use case
External facing apps
Internal business apps
Ownership
App owns data
User owns data
Implementation
Custom coding
Secure embed (iframe)
Custom coding
- No user licenses required
WHY EMBED?
• Better user adoption
• Seamless UX (branding + layout)
• Control access & navigation
• Can be low-code or no-code
• Cost saving
• Use it internally or externally
• Intranet
• Customer portal
THE CONS OF EMBEDDED ANALYTICS
• Requires a capacity = complex pricing and capacity planning
• More engineering effort
• Operational complexity
• Multi-tenant design
• Life-cycle management
• Authentication
• Hosting
• Feature parity nuances
THE CONS OF EMBEDDED ANALYTICS
• Requires a capacity = complex pricing and capacity planning
• More engineering effort
• Operational complexity
• Multi-tenant design
• Life-cycle management
• Authentication
• Hosting
• Feature parity nuances
VIBE CODING
Preparing for some groovy coding
AN INTRODUCTION TO VIBE CODING
• An AI-powered development practice
• It requires no to little technical skills
• It requires no heavy upfront design og planning
• It is a shifts from writing lines of code to creating
products simply by describing ideas in natural
language
• Let your energy, ideas and intuition lead the way
• 8-year-old girl codes with Cursor AI:
https://youtu.be/o5uvDZ8srHA?si=jE8N3eQ7fTFYKhyr
AN INTRODUCTION TO VIBE CODING
• An AI-powered development practice
• It requires no to little technical skills
• It requires no heavy upfront design og planning
• It is a shifts from writing lines of code to creating
products simply by describing ideas in natural
language
• Let your energy, ideas and intuition lead the way
• 8-year-old girl codes with Cursor AI:
https://youtu.be/o5uvDZ8srHA?si=jE8N3eQ7fTFYKhyr
Pure vibe coding
vs.
Responsible AI-assisted
development
FEEL THE VIPE - IT’S PURE AND IT’S ALL GOOD
• Speed
• Creativity
• Easy to iterate
• Accessibility
• Fast prototying
THE DANGERS OF PURE VIBE CODING
• Messy code
• No long-term structure
• Hard to debug
• Loss of understanding
• Security gaps
VIBE CODING
A Power BI Embedded Portal
POWER BI EMBEDDED
The goal for todays session….
THE IDEA AND THE GOAL FOR TODAY
A Power BI Embedded Portal
The goal
• Targeted externals (App owns data)
• A fully production ready application
• Login/authentication
• Deployed and running in Azure
• With information pages
• Support for dynamic RLS
• Add additional UX
• Fullscreen
• Page navigation and more…
PREREQUISITES,
TOOLING & SETUP
Overview of the foundation for vibe
coding a Power BI embedded app
THE TOOLBOX AND WHAT I PREPARED
The toolbox
Pre-requisites for Power BI Embedded
• VS Code
• Power BI Workspaces containing
• GitHub Copilot
• A semantic model (no roles)
• Context7 MCP
• Reports for demo purposes
• Azure
• Azure App Service
• Service Principal with client credentials
• Resource group (optional)
• GitHub Copilot instructions file
https://tinyurl.com/yw5f85ht
LET’S GO FEEL
THE VIBE!
WRAP-UP + Q&A
FINAL TIPS & TAKEAWAYS
Conceptualize First
Start with a clear idea of what to build
Domain knowledge is Power
Knowing relevant frameworks, technologies etc. significantly improves AI-generated results
Iterate your development
Expect to debug and refine. AI is not a magic wand.
Use with caution
Use vibe coding for testing ideas and for prototyping.
Vibe coding is NOT a replacement of architects best practices
MY RECOMMENDED VIBE CODING TOOLS
VS Code w/ GitHub CoPilot
For developers who want AI assistance in their existing IDE.
Cursor and/or Windsurf
VS Code forks. Very similar but with a few differences in the UX.
Best for pro developers who want an AI-first IDE.
Lovable
Most user friendly for non-coders and low-coders.
Claude code
Best for experienced developers. Handles complex multi-file projects.
MY REPO FOR YOU TO GET STARTED
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peergroennerup/
https://peerinsights.hashnode.dev
https://github.com/gronnerup
THANK YOU