How to embed a Power BI report in Zendesk, filtered to the customer

By Jake Marsh · Updated

To show a Power BI report inside Zendesk, filtered to the customer on the ticket, install Panewell, open Panewell > Set up > New panel, and paste the report's secure embed link (in Power BI, File > Embed report > Website or portal). Add a filter written Table/Field, such as Customers/Email = the requester's email, choose the ticket sidebar, preview on a real ticket and click Save panel. Agents sign in to Power BI once and see that customer's report.

Which Power BI link to use

LinkFilter by customer?Who can open it
Report URL from the browser (/groups/.../reports/...)YesAgents signed in to Power BI with access to the report. Panewell turns it into the secure embed link.
Secure embed (File > Embed report > Website or portal, /reportEmbed?reportId=...)YesSame as above.
Publish to web (app.powerbi.com/view?r=...)NoAnyone with the link. Every ticket shows the same report.
Power BI Embedded with an embed tokenNot supportedNeeds a server to sign each link. Panewell refuses it and says so.

Power BI's own documentation confirms that URL query string filters don't work with Publish to web.

Steps

  1. Copy the link. Open the report in Power BI and either copy the address bar or use File > Embed report > Website or portal.
  2. Create the panel. In Zendesk, open Panewell from the left navigation bar, choose Set up, then New panel. Name the tab, for example "Account health", and paste the link under Dashboard link.
  3. Allow the hosts. Allow app.powerbi.com when Panewell asks. Because agents sign in, the editor also offers to allow login.microsoftonline.com. If your company signs in through its own page (Okta, Entra ID and similar), allow that host too.
  4. Add a filter. Under Filter to the customer on screen, write the table and column as Table/Field, for example Customers/Email, and choose the Zendesk value, such as the requester's email or organization.external_id. Tick Number if the column is numeric. Spaces and symbols in names are handled for you.
  5. Choose where it shows. Tick the ticket sidebar, user profile, organization profile or the Panewell page, and pick a height (Small 260 px to Extra large 860 px).
  6. Preview. Enter a ticket number under Preview with a real record to see exactly what agents will see.
  7. Save panel. Agents see it the next time they open a ticket. The first time, a Sign in button appears in the frame.

Zendesk values you can filter by

TokenValue
requester.email, requester.external_id, requester.field.<key>The ticket's requester, or the user on a user profile
organization.name, organization.external_id, organization.field.<key>The ticket's organization or the organization profile
ticket.id, ticket.brand.name, ticket.field.<id>The ticket (ticket sidebar only)
agent.email, agent.idThe signed-in agent

If a value is empty for a customer, the panel isn't loaded and says which value is missing.

Keep customer data protected

A URL filter decides what the report shows first. It isn't access control: anyone who can open the report can change the filter. To limit what each agent can see, set up row-level security in Power BI, and give agents a license that lets them view the report.

Troubleshooting

What you seeWhat to do
The report ignores the filterCheck the table and column spelling in Power BI, and tick Number for numeric columns.
The panel goes blank when an agent clicks Sign inAllow the sign-in page's host in Set up, or sign in once with Open full size.
A blank frame or "refused to connect"Allow your Zendesk address and https://*.apps.zdusercontent.com wherever your tenant restricts embedding.
"This is a Power BI short link"Open it and copy the full report URL from the address bar.

What it costs

Panewell is $5 a month per agent, billed monthly by Zendesk, with a 14-day free trial (Zendesk asks for a card at install). One plan has every feature. The Panewell documentation lists every tool and setting.

Panewell

Customer BI dashboards in the ticket, filtered to the customer on screen. Looker, Power BI, Tableau. $5 a month per agent.

Install PanewellAbout PanewellDocumentation

Questions

Do agents need a Power BI license?

For a secure embed, yes: each agent signs in with their Microsoft account and needs a license that lets them view the report. Publish-to-web links need no sign-in but can't be filtered.

Can I filter by two fields?

Yes. A panel takes up to 6 filters, joined with "and" in Power BI's URL filter. Power BI accepts at most 2,000 characters of filters in a link, and Panewell tells you when a link goes over.

Can I connect Zendesk data to Power BI with this?

No. Panewell shows reports you already have inside Zendesk. It doesn't send Zendesk data to Power BI.

Can each agent see a report filtered to themselves?

Yes. Put the panel on the Panewell page and filter by agent.email. Use row-level security if agents must not see each other's numbers.

More Panewell guides

More Zendesk guides