Which Tool Audits Sharing of Reports and Dashboards in Power BI?
You are a Power BI administrator. You need to audit all activities related to sharing reports and dashboards in the Power BI service. Which tool should you use?
Quick Answer
The answer is the Power BI activity log, accessible through the admin API or the admin portal. This tool is correct because it captures a comprehensive, queryable record of every user action in the Power BI service, including all sharing activities such as sharing reports, dashboards, and apps with users or groups. On the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst PL-300 exam, this question tests your understanding of native auditing versus external tools—a common trap is choosing Microsoft Purview, which offers broader audit logs but lacks the granular, Power-BI-specific detail needed for sharing audits. Diagnostic settings and Microsoft Sentinel are for log forwarding and security analysis, not direct auditing. To remember, think of the activity log as Power BI’s own “black box” for sharing events—if you need to audit who shared what and when, start here.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Power BI activity log (via admin API or portal)
The Power BI activity log provides a comprehensive record of all user activities within the Power BI service, including sharing reports and dashboards. Option A (Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit log) can capture some Power BI activities but is less specific and may not include all sharing events. Option B (Azure diagnostic settings) exports telemetry data to other destinations and is not designed for direct auditing of user actions. Option D (Microsoft Sentinel) is a SIEM tool that can ingest logs but is not the primary tool for auditing Power BI activities. The Power BI activity log is the correct choice as it is purpose-built for auditing Power BI user activities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit log
Why it's wrong here
Also logs but less granular for Power BI.
- ✗
Azure diagnostic settings for Power BI
Why it's wrong here
Export logs to storage/event hub, not for querying.
- ✓
Power BI activity log (via admin API or portal)
Why this is correct
Directly logs all user actions.
- ✗
Microsoft Sentinel
Why it's wrong here
SIEM tool, not primary audit.
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Same concept, more angles
4 more ways this is tested on PL-300
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An administrator wants to monitor all Power BI activities, including viewing reports, exporting data, and sharing workspaces. Which tool should they use?
easy- ✓ A.Power BI activity log in the admin portal
- B.Power BI usage metrics report
- C.Power BI capacity metrics app
- D.Microsoft 365 audit log
Why A: The Power BI activity log captures user activities such as viewing, exporting, and sharing. Option B is wrong because the usage metrics report shows aggregate usage, not detailed activities. Option C is wrong because the Power BI capacity metrics app focuses on performance and capacity metrics, not user activities. Option D is wrong because the Microsoft 365 audit log is broader but less specific to Power BI; the activity log is the dedicated tool.
Variation 2. You need to audit Power BI activities such as viewing reports, sharing dashboards, and exporting data. Which TWO actions should you take to enable and access audit logs? (Choose two.)
medium- A.Configure Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to forward logs to Microsoft Sentinel.
- ✓ B.Access the audit log from the Microsoft 365 compliance portal.
- ✓ C.Enable the 'Create audit logs for Power BI activities' tenant setting in the admin portal.
- D.Use the 'Export' feature in Power BI to export audit logs to a CSV file.
- E.Set up a diagnostic setting in Azure Monitor to collect Power BI logs.
Why B: To audit Power BI activities, you must first enable audit logging by turning on the 'Create audit logs for Power BI activities' tenant setting in the Power BI admin portal (option C). Once enabled, you can access the audit logs from the Microsoft 365 compliance portal (option B). Option A is incorrect because Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is not the primary location for audit logs; it can integrate but is not required. Option D is incorrect because Power BI does not have an export feature for audit logs to CSV; you can export from the compliance portal. Option E is incorrect because Azure Monitor diagnostic settings are for Azure resources, not for Power BI audit logs.
Variation 3. You need to audit Power BI activity for compliance. Which tool should you use to access detailed logs of user actions?
easy- A.Microsoft Defender XDR
- ✓ B.Microsoft Purview compliance portal (Audit)
- C.Microsoft Purview Data Map
- D.Power BI Premium capacity metrics app
Why B: Microsoft Purview compliance portal (Audit) provides unified audit logs that capture detailed user actions in Power BI, such as viewing reports, creating dashboards, and accessing data. Option A is incorrect because Microsoft Defender XDR is primarily used for threat detection and security monitoring, not for compliance auditing of user actions. Option C is incorrect because Microsoft Purview Data Map is designed for data cataloging and mapping, not for auditing user activities. Option D is incorrect because the Power BI Premium capacity metrics app is used to monitor performance and capacity utilization, not to access detailed audit logs of user actions.
Variation 4. A Power BI administrator needs to audit which users have exported data from a specific report in the last 30 days. What is the most efficient way to retrieve this information?
medium- A.Use the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to search for 'Export' events.
- B.Check the report's usage metrics report for export counts.
- ✓ C.Query the Power BI activity log using the audit log search in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
- D.Review the 'Export to Excel' metrics in the Azure Monitor for Power BI Premium.
Why C: The Power BI activity log, accessible via the audit log search in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal (or the Purview compliance portal), records detailed events including data exports (e.g., ExportToExcel, ExportToCSV). It can be filtered by report, user, and date range, allowing the administrator to identify which users exported data from a specific report in the last 30 days. Option A is incorrect because the Microsoft Purview compliance portal is one way to access the audit logs, but the question asks for the most efficient method, which is directly querying the Power BI activity log. Option B (usage metrics report) only shows aggregate export counts, not individual user actions. Option D (Azure Monitor for Power BI Premium) provides performance metrics but not user-level export logs. Therefore, C is the correct answer.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PL-300 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PL-300 exam.