What is a Certified Power BI Visual?
The key benefits of choosing Power BI visuals certified by Microsoft
A Certified Power BI Visual is a custom visual from the Microsoft AppSource that has undergone a rigorous audit by the Microsoft Power BI team. This process confirms that the visual meets strict code requirements, does not access external services, and follows secure coding practices.
You can identify these visuals by the yellow "PBI Certified" badge in AppSource or the blue badge when importing them directly within Power BI Desktop or the Power BI Online Service.
1. Enterprise-Grade Security
Security is the primary reason organizations insist on certified visuals. To pass Microsoft’s audit, a visual cannot access external services or resources.
No Data Leakage: Because certified visuals are barred from connecting to external servers, you can be certain your sensitive business data stays within your Power BI environment.
Vulnerability Testing: Microsoft performs static code analysis, penetration testing, and data fuzzing to ensure the visual is free of malicious code or XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) vulnerabilities.
2. Unlocked Export Features
Many users are surprised to find that uncertified visuals often disappear or display errors when exporting reports. Certified visuals are the only custom visuals that support:
Export to PDF and PowerPoint: Ensure your charts look exactly as intended when shared in executive slide decks.
Email Subscriptions: Certified visuals will render correctly in the body of automated email reports, whereas uncertified ones may show a placeholder image.
3. Superior Performance and Stability
Certified visuals are built using the latest Power BI Visuals API and must pass strict performance tests.
Optimized Code: They are required to use specific libraries and efficient rendering techniques, which prevents your reports from becoming sluggish as data volume grows.
Version Control: When a developer updates a certified visual, the update must go through the certification process again. This prevents "breaking changes" from crashing your production reports.
4. Seamless IT Governance
For Power BI Administrators, certified visuals offer a layer of "set-it-and-forget-it" management.
Admin Portals: Admins can configure tenant settings to only allow certified visuals. This simplifies compliance for regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and government.
Automatic Updates: Certified visuals from AppSource update automatically for all users in the organization, ensuring everyone is looking at the same version.
Final Thoughts: When to Use Certified Power BI Visuals?
Certified Power BI Visuals are the gold standard for production-level reporting. They offer peace of mind, professional export capabilities, and the security backing of Microsoft. You can explore ChartPad's certified Power BI Visuals directly in the AppSource.
