Power BI Writeback: A Complete Solution Inside the Embedsy Portal
ByPascal Kiefer
Writeback has been one of the most requested and most painful topics in Power BI for years. Users want to enter data, set targets, correct values — but Power BI is read-only by design. Every workaround comes with trade-offs. The Embedsy Portal solves this cleanly, from within the portal itself.
The writeback problem in Power BI
Power BI is a reporting and analytics tool — it reads data, visualises it, and lets users explore it. What it does not do natively is let users write data back. This has been a fundamental limitation for years, and it creates a real problem for organisations that want to use Power BI as part of an interactive workflow — not just a passive dashboard.
Why writeback matters
Many business processes require a combination of reading and writing data. Budget planning, target setting, action tracking, annotations — all of these require users to input or adjust data, not just view it. Without writeback, Power BI becomes a dead end in those workflows. Users end up switching to Excel, a separate form, or another tool entirely — defeating the purpose of a centralised analytics platform.
The common approaches and their trade-offs
Over the years, several workarounds have emerged. Each solves part of the problem but comes with its own costs and complexity.
PowerApps embedded in Power BI
Microsoft's most promoted solution is embedding a PowerApps form directly inside a Power BI report. It works — users can submit data through the embedded app — but it requires a separate PowerApps license, adds design and maintenance overhead, and often feels visually disconnected from the rest of the report.
Custom visuals
Third-party custom visuals for writeback exist and can be powerful, but typically come at significant additional cost — separate per-user licensing on top of Power BI — and require careful setup and ongoing maintenance. They also only work within the report itself, limiting where and how users can interact with data.
Translytical task flows
Microsoft introduced Translytical task flows as a native way to add data entry to Power BI reports. It is promising but still early, requires Fabric, and involves a non-trivial setup process. For teams not yet on Fabric, or those who need a simpler and more controlled experience, it is not yet a practical solution.
The common problem
All of these approaches share the same weakness: they add complexity, cost, or dependency on additional Microsoft services. None of them feel like a natural part of the analytics experience — they feel like workarounds bolted on top of a read-only tool.
How writeback works in the Embedsy Portal
The Embedsy Portal takes a different approach. Because the portal runs inside your own Azure environment — including an Azure SQL Database that is deployed as part of the installation — it has a natural place to store writeback data.
The full flow
Define your writeback table in the portal. Through the Embedsy Portal interface, you define the structure you need — fields, data types, and purpose. The portal creates and manages the corresponding table in the Azure SQL Database automatically.
Users write data through the portal. The Embedsy Portal provides a clean interface for users to input or edit data — directly inside the analytics environment they already use, without switching to another tool.
The data is loaded back into the Power BI semantic model. Using standard Power BI data connectivity, the SQL tables are connected back to your semantic model. Reports and dashboards update to reflect the written data — closing the circle.
Why this approach works
Because the SQL database is part of your own Azure environment, there are no external dependencies, no third-party services, and no data leaving your infrastructure. The writeback experience is part of the portal — not an add-on — so it feels natural to users. And because it uses standard SQL and Power BI connectivity, it is straightforward to maintain and extend.
What you can build with it
Writeback in the Embedsy Portal is flexible. Here are some examples of what organisations are using it for:
Budget and forecast input — Finance teams enter budget figures or adjust forecasts directly inside the portal, which flow back into the financial reports immediately.
Target setting — Managers set KPI targets for their teams. Targets appear in dashboards alongside actuals without any manual export or import.
Action tracking — Teams log actions, decisions, or follow-ups against specific data points — turning a read-only dashboard into an operational tool.
Annotations and comments — Users add context to data points, visible to others through the same portal.
Included in your plan — no extra cost
One more thing worth mentioning: writeback is included in the standard Embedsy pricing. There is no additional module to purchase, no per-user writeback fee, and no third-party tool to license. If you are already running the Embedsy Portal, writeback is available to you.
If you want to see how writeback works in practice — including a live demonstration inside a real portal — book a demo and we will walk you through it.
