Since Esri introduced ArcGIS Maps for Power BI, we’ve seen many leading organizations use it as an essential element of their data visualization strategy to get more value from their spatial data directly within Power BI. ArcGIS Maps for Power BI enables all Power BI users to easily map their data with a rich mapping data visualization powered by Esri’s ArcGIS technology.
Today, I’m happy to announce that Esri is taking ArcGIS Maps for Power BI to the next level by introducing Plus, a subscription service available for purchase from Esri that allows everyday business users in Power BI to do more with their spatial data. This capability was demonstrated for the first time at Microsoft’s Ignite 2017 conference and is now available in Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service.
Watch Esri’s great video that gives an overview of the capabilities of ArcGIS Maps for Power BI, including the new Plus Subscription features.
What is Plus? In a word: More. More basemaps, more data points, more demographics, more reference layers. It’s a step in our journey to make GIS easy to understand and consume for regular business users. Plus is inspired by many of the feature requests you have made since we introduce ArcGIS Maps for Power BI.
Let’s dig into how you get Plus and what you can get with it. To start, you’ll know Plus is available to you because there’s a new Plus icon in the ArcGIS Maps visual.
Plus is a subscription service you can purchase from Esri through Esri’s website. You can use the learn more link to get all the details. Once you’ve signed up, you’re connecting your user credentials to Esri’s service. This makes for a seamless experience for the Enterprise. The subscription is available at $5 per user per month. There’s a 60-day trial period for Plus that’s available at no cost, so you can put it through its paces.
Once you’re signed up and signed in, you’ll see new Plus capabilities identified by the Plus icon,
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Here’s a quick summary of everything you get. I’ll go into some details below as well. You can learn more at Esri’s website as well.
| Included with ArcGIS Maps for Power BI | Plus subscription |
|---|---|
| Turn on the power of maps… No cost, included with Power BI
| Access global data… $5.00 per month, per user
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Let’s start with more street address geocoding data points, up to 5,000 data points per map instance. One of the major requirements we’ve heard is that often business users want to geocode many street addresses. While at some point it makes sense to incorporate pre-geocoded data into your dataset for speed and predictability, Plus allows you to geocode more street address data points on the fly. This allows you to push mapping even further than previously possible with ArcGIS Maps for Power BI.
One important aspect of showing data on a map is the basemap that underlies the data points. These base maps provide important cues to help relate data points to the environment they reside within. With a Plus subscription, Power BI users get access to 8 additional base map types including topographic, imagery, terrain, and oceans. This means more kinds of analysis can be readily performed in Power BI.
With Plus you get access to Esri’s catalog of worldwide demographics for use as infographic cards. These data points are often critical to understanding the deeper context of your business data. With Plus, customers get a richer set of demographics in categories like Age, Behaviors, Spending, Keyfacts, Population, and many more. There are really too many to mention in this blog so I recommend you explore them in Power BI.
The reference layers included in Plus are richer as well. Under the new Living Atlas tab, you’ll find layers curated by Esri for each country in the world. You’ll be able to add those to your map and then use them to select data points. For some countries you’ll even find topical reference layers like North American Ecoregions. So, you’ll want to explore the options and see the possibilities they present for a richer experience for your business users.
At this point you might be wondering how does this work with your existing ArcGIS Maps for Power BI. Importantly, the free (‘included’) ArcGIS Maps for Power BI continues to be available to you at no cost when you’re using Power BI. If you use a Plus features in a map and share it with other Power BI users, they’ll need a Plus subscription to view the map.
We’re really excited that Esri has introduced Plus, so Power BI users get more value from their spatial data. We’re looking forward to seeing how you use ArcGIS Maps for Power BI together with an Esri’s Plus subscription to make better decisions.