Power BI Desktop is free to download for Windows and can be used to build local reports. Sharing and collaboration in the online Power BI service depend on the publisher’s licence, the viewer’s licence and the workspace capacity. A free download does not mean every sharing method is free. Microsoft describes the different roles of Desktop and the Power BI service.

For an interview portfolio, start by deciding what you need someone else to see. A screenshot, a report file and an interactive private report are different deliverables. Choosing the deliverable first can prevent an unnecessary subscription.

On shared capacity, ordinary private sharing generally requires Pro licences for both author and viewer. Premium Per User content normally requires PPU for its viewers. Qualifying capacity can allow free viewers: for Fabric, Microsoft specifies F64 or larger and suitable viewer access. Read the current licence comparison and Fabric capacity rules before purchasing. An existing organisation subscription may already cover your needs.

Try this small, invented project: a stationery shop wants to know which product category contributed most to monthly sales. Create a CSV with columns for order ID, date, category, quantity and unit price. Include at least two months so you can demonstrate a date filter.

1. Import the CSV and set dates and numbers explicitly in Power Query.
2. Write down the grain: one row represents one order line. An order can have several lines, so row count is not order count.
3. Create line revenue as quantity multiplied by unit price. State whether the example excludes tax and returns.
4. Build a category bar chart, a monthly revenue trend and a date slicer.
5. Verify one category by hand. Three notebooks at US$80 and two pens at US$20 produce US$280, not five distinct orders.
6. Write a short explanation of the business question, the calculation and the remaining uncertainty.

This exercise lets you assess whether your modelling and explanation work before deciding how to distribute the report. A paid licence will not correct a duplicated relationship or an unclear metric.

Publish to web creates publicly accessible content without requiring viewers to sign in. Microsoft warns that underlying model data can be accessible even when it is not shown in a visual. It is unsuitable for confidential employer or customer records. Administrator settings and report restrictions also affect availability. See Microsoft’s Publish to web guidance.

For a portfolio, use an invented dataset or a dataset whose terms permit public reuse. Removing a name from a chart is insufficient if the same name remains elsewhere in the model. Review the whole model and any downloadable files. If public interaction is unnecessary, present screenshots with a readable explanation and retain a local demonstration.

Choose Desktop for the initial learning project. If you later need private interactive access, ask who will view the report, which licences they have and where it will be hosted. Check current regional pricing directly with Microsoft; a fixed USD price in a tutorial can become outdated.

In an interview, explain your choice in terms of audience and access: “I built and checked the report locally. For internal distribution, I would confirm viewer licensing and workspace capacity before choosing the sharing method.” Continue with the Power BI portfolio project guide.