R is among the most popular languages for data analytics and visualization. Microsoft says the durable base of R has been available to Power BI users for some time. However, they have been limited to report plug ins to help authors create custom visuals. While this is a powerful ability, adding interactive support make R support on Power BI more useful. The new offering generates HTML as a visual as opposed to a static image. This allows R custom visual that can support tooltips and selections. Microsoft has already launched the following R custom visuals in the Power BI store. The company says there are more coming in the near future. Developers will also be able to create their own visuals:
Forecasting chart Clustering Spline Forecasting with ARIMA
Developers interested in creating custom visuals powered by R can find information on the relevant GitHub documentation. Microsoft used Plotly R library and htmlwidgets for R interactivity within Power BI service and Desktop.
Power BI in June
Microsoft has already issued major improvements to its data visualization platform during this month. The company’s June update introduced new data bars to the new table view, as well as high-density line sampling, map themes for Bing, and five new connectors. The company also rolled out its Power BI Premium service. Premium pushes some features behind a subscriber-based paywall. For example, users cannot share private dashboards in the free powerbi.com version anymore. All shared content for private users is now only available to paying customers. Premium comes a new Report Server feature. This gives companies the tools to store data safely behind a security firewall. Embedded and Power BI Service are converged in the Premium offering, improving the way content is embedded into apps.
