External Tools in Power BI: A Deep Dive into the Essential Add‑Ons and Their Trade‑offs

Microsoft Power BI Desktop contains a rich set of modelling and reporting features, yet many power users enhance their workflow with external tools. These tools attach to the Analysis Services instance behind a PBIX/Power BI semantic model and allow advanced editing, scripting, performance analysis and automation. The External Tools ribbon lists all registered tools, and Microsoft warns that these are produced by independent developers; editing metadata outside Power BI Desktop can cause unexpected behaviour and modifications to .pbit templates are not supported. The table below summarises some of the most used external tools and the kind of tasks they address.

External Tools insights

External Tool	Category / Use‑case	Key Strengths	Caveats & Limitations
Tabular Editor 2/3 (TE2 free, TE3 paid)	Data‑model design & automation	TE3 offers a full DAX editor, diagram editor, macros, DAX debugger and VertiPaq analyzer, while TE2 provides lightweight editing, dependency view, batch rename and a Best Practice Analyzer. Both tools allow bulk edits and offline model editing, speeding up modelling tasks.	TE3 is a subscription tool (≈9.50–90 EUR per month). You cannot open a .pbix file directly; you must either run TE from Power BI Desktop or connect via the XMLA endpoint. Editing unsupported properties by enabling experimental features may cause corruption of the PBIX. Renaming or deleting objects can break visuals because external tools cannot access report‑level metadata. When editing via the XMLA endpoint, the dataset can no longer be downloaded as a PBIX file.
DAX Studio (free, open source)	Query & performance analysis	Provides a rich DAX editor, executes queries against Power BI or Analysis Services models, displays server timings and query plans, can extract lists of measures and run the VertiPaq analyzer. It’s invaluable for performance tuning and debugging DAX formulas.	Read‑only: DAX Studio cannot modify the model. MDX support is limited—there is no MDX syntax highlighting or code completion and only raw data is returned. When using DAX Studio’s DaxFormatter integration, queries are sent to an external web service; the documentation warns that sensitive data could leak and offers privacy settings to block external services.
Bravo for Power BI (free)	Entry‑level model helper	Offers four simple functions: Analyze Model (identifies expensive columns and tables), Format DAX, Manage Dates (builds calendar tables and applies time‑intelligence functions) and Export Data to Excel/CSV. It’s ideal for beginners who need to build a date table, tidy their measures or inspect table sizes.	Not a full‑featured modelling tool; the authors stress that it is not a replacement for DAX Studio or Tabular Editor. Functionality is limited to small models and simple tasks.
Measure Killer (free & paid tiers)	Model cleanup & usage analysis	Locates and removes unused columns and measures, shows where any object is used across 21 categories (including visuals and visual‑level filters), performs best‑practice analysis, allows search across DAX and Power Query (M), visualises dependencies and can export model documentation. Paid plans extend analysis across multiple reports, paginated reports and Excel files, provide full lineage with downstream/composite models, add local files, include report‑level measures and load times, allow multiple models to be analysed concurrently. The Tenant Analysis module scans entire tenants to summarise workspaces, lineage, permissions, metadata and report usage.	The free edition only analyses the model currently open in Power BI Desktop. The automation and tenant‑level features require a paid subscription. Removing objects always carries risk; a Power BI blogger advises using the tool’s built‑in Kill button rather than deleting items manually because Measure Killer records all operations internally and allows restoration if important objects are removed. Although it shows where objects are used, there is still a chance of missing dependencies.
ALM Toolkit (free)	Schema compare & deployment	Compares and merges semantic models, supports incremental refresh and helps deploy changes across development, test and production environments. It facilitates multi‑developer collaboration and branch/merge workflows.	It cannot merge the visual layer or Power Query ETL; changes to Power Query cannot be merged back into a PBIX file. Merging via the service requires Premium (or Premium Per User) capacity with XMLA read/write; once a dataset is modified through the XMLA endpoint it can no longer be downloaded as a PBIX. Deployments remain largely manual and the tool does not address CI/CD automation.
Business Ops (PowerBI.tips) (free)	Tool installer	Provides a single interface to install and update external tools. Users can browse categories, select tools to install and manage them from one location. It removes the need to manually download each tool and tracks when updates are available.	Not a modelling or analysis tool—it simply installs other tools. The automation and notification features described in some blogs may require additional Power BI tips services.
Metadata Translator (free, uses Azure Cognitive Services)	Localization	Automatically translates captions, descriptions and display folders for tables, columns, measures and hierarchies using Azure Cognitive Services, supports bulk editing via CSV export/import, allows custom translations and version control.	Requires an Azure subscription and network access to Cognitive Services. Machine translations may need review. Does not translate report visuals or DAX formulas.
pbi‑tools (free, open source)	Version control & CI/CD	Decomposes PBIX/PBIP files into a folder structure so that datasets and thin reports can be tracked in Git. Provides a desktop CLI for local development and a core CLI for automated build/release pipelines. Enables professional development workflows such as branching, pull requests and automated deployments.	Many features rely on undocumented behaviours and are labelled experimental; the maintainers warn that use is at your own risk and Microsoft support cannot assist if problems arise. Setup and integration with existing pipelines require technical expertise.

Understanding the tools in detail

Tabular Editor 2 & 3

• Why it’s popular:  Tabular Editor is the premier tool for editing Power BI semantic models outside Power BI Desktop. TE3 introduces a professional IDE with a world‑class DAX editor, diagram editor, macros, DAX debugger and VertiPaq Analyzer integration, while TE2 remains a free, lightweight option with batch renaming, dependency view and advanced scripting. Both editions allow offline editing of model metadata and support calculation groups, perspectives and translations, tasks that are cumbersome or impossible in Power BI Desktop.

• Biggest benefits:  Faster model editing (no data engine overhead), advanced scripting for bulk changes, automatic DAX formatting, and the ability to undo/redo changes. TE3’s DAX debugger and diagram view help developers trace calculation dependencies and visualise relationships. The Best Practice Analyzer applies rules to highlight potential design issues.

• Caveats:  You cannot load a .pbix file directly in Tabular Editor; you must open the report in Power BI Desktop and launch TE from the External Tools ribbon or connect to a dataset via the XMLA endpoint. When connected through the endpoint, any change will disable PBIX download for that dataset. Only measures, calculation groups, perspectives and translations can be edited when running as an external tool; adding new tables or changing data types still requires Power BI Desktop. Enabling the experimental option to edit unsupported properties can corrupt the file. Because external tools cannot access the report canvas, renaming or deleting objects may break visuals, and Tabular Editor cannot warn you. TE3 is a commercial product; license costs range from about €9.50/month for individuals to €90/month for enterprise features.

DAX Studio

• What it does:  DAX Studio is a free, community‑driven tool for writing and executing DAX queries. It connects to Power BI Desktop, Analysis Services, Power Pivot and Excel to run queries, display results and reveal query plans. The Server Timings pane exposes storage engine vs formula engine time and shows query plans, while the VertiPaq Analyzer reports on table sizes, column cardinalities and compression. These features make it indispensable for performance tuning.

• Key benefits:  Syntax highlighting, Intellisense, macro recording, ability to export results to CSV or Excel, and integration with Excel via linked tables. It also lets users define measures on the fly and run benchmarks. Because it is read‑only, users can safely test queries without altering the model.

• Drawbacks:  DAX Studio cannot modify models. Its MDX support is limited: there is no syntax highlighting or code completion, and only raw data is returned. When using the built‑in DAX formatter, the query text is sent to an external service (daxformatter.com); the documentation warns that sensitive information could leak and provides privacy settings to block external services (daxstudio.org). Users should therefore avoid formatting queries that contain confidential data or enable the Block External Services option.

Bravo for Power BI

• Overview:  Bravo is a free and open‑source tool from SQLBI designed for newcomers. Its Analyse Model feature identifies large tables or high‑cardinality columns, Format DAX prettifies measures, Manage Dates builds date tables and applies time‑intelligence logic, and Export Data outputs tables to Excel or CSV. These functions help users build a well‑structured model quickly.

• When to use it:  When you are learning Power BI or need quick wins—adding a proper calendar table, cleaning messy measures or checking which columns take most space. The interface is simplified compared with Tabular Editor or DAX Studio.

• Limitations:  Bravo deliberately excludes advanced features like script automation or deep performance analysis, and the authors note that it is not a replacement for DAX Studio or Tabular Editor. It operates on the local model only and is unsuitable for enterprise‑scale tasks.

Measure Killer

• Purpose:  Measure Killer began as a free external tool and now offers commercial plans. At its core it analyses the current report or dataset and reports on unused measures and calculated columns. It lists each column or measure and indicates where it is used across up to 21 categories, including data model relationships, measures, hierarchies, calculation items, and report visuals. It can remove unused objects with a single Kill button and stores the deletion history so objects can be restored.

• Advanced features (paid edition):  The tool can scan multiple reports, paginated reports and Excel files, analyse downstream or composite models, and produce full lineage diagrams. Additional capabilities include adding local files (such as Excel files connected to the semantic model), displaying report-level measures, listing report views and average load times, and running multiple models simultaneously. A Tenant Analysis module lists every workspace, summarises models, Dataflows, reports, and dashboards, shows lineage and data‑source dependencies, lists user permissions, and generates metadata documentation. Additional tabs display access rights across AD/Entra groups, model metadata, Data Flows, apps, reports, refresh history, and usage metrics.

• Pros:  Provides a clear picture of how your model is used, helping remove clutter and improve performance. The lineage views and tenant‑wide insights are very useful for administrators. Because the tool logs deletions, users can undo accidental removals. It also offers a best‑practice analysis to highlight problematic model design patterns.

• Cons:  The free version covers only the open report. The full automation and tenant analysis require a paid subscription. Even with the tool’s dependency analysis there is still a risk of deleting objects that are indirectly referenced. Its ability to remove objects across multiple reports relies on accurate usage data; if logging is incomplete the tool might not detect certain dependencies. Users should always review proposed deletions and keep backups.

ALM Toolkit

• Overview:  ALM Toolkit evolved from SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) and provides schema comparison and merging for tabular models. It compares tables, measures, relationships and other metadata, highlights differences and lets you merge changes selectively. It is often used in multi‑developer projects to promote changes from development to test and production workspaces and supports incremental refresh policies. The tool integrates with version‑control workflows and can reuse definitions across models.

• Strengths:  Allows side‑by‑side comparison of models and targeted deployment of changes. It supports both .bim files and datasets hosted in the service, enabling cross‑workspace merging. Developers can maintain separate branches and use the tool to merge changes, reducing risk of overwriting each other’s work.

• Limitations:  ALM Toolkit deals only with the data model; it cannot merge or compare report pages or Power Query transformations. When merging into a PBIX file, Power Query changes cannot be merged because PBIX does not support that scenario. Deployment via the service requires Premium or Premium‑per‑user workspaces and XMLA read/write access. After modifying a model via the XMLA endpoint, the dataset can no longer be downloaded as a PBIX, so a separate .bim file must be maintained. The tool does not provide full CI/CD automation—deployments are largely manual.

Business Ops

• Purpose:  Business Ops is not a modelling or analysis tool but rather a package manager for external tools. It consolidates downloads for tools such as Tabular Editor, DAX Studio and ALM Toolkit into a single installer. Users can browse a list of tools, select those they need and have them downloaded and installed automatically. It also offers optional notifications when updates are available and some PowerBI.tips integrations like workflow automations.

• Pros:  Simplifies installation and updates, especially in corporate environments where downloading executables individually is cumbersome. Reduces the risk of installing outdated versions and ensures tools appear correctly in the External Tools ribbon.

• Cons:  It does not connect to your data model or perform any analysis. Features such as workflow automation or notifications may require additional subscriptions. Users still need to know when and how to use each installed tool.

Metadata Translator

• Overview:  In multi‑language environments, translating field names and descriptions can be time‑consuming. Metadata Translator uses Azure Cognitive Services to automatically translate captions, descriptions and folder names for tables, columns, measures and hierarchies. Users can export translations to CSV, adjust them manually and re‑import them. Custom translation dictionaries and version control integration are supported.

• Strengths:  Speeds up the localization of semantic models, applies translations consistently across the model and reduces manual effort. Because translations are stored in the model metadata they propagate to all reports connected to the dataset.

• Caveats:  Requires an Azure subscription and network connectivity to Cognitive Services. Machine translations may be inaccurate and need human review. It does not translate report visuals or DAX formulas.

pbi‑tools

• Purpose:  pbi‑tools decomposes a PBIX or PBIP file into a folder structure where the model metadata and report definition are saved as JSON, TMDL or source files. This enables version control, branching, code review and CI/CD for Power BI projects. A desktop CLI allows local development, while the core CLI is used in pipelines.

• Benefits:  Supports professional software development practices—developers can work in parallel, track changes, merge branches and automate releases. Useful for teams adopting Git, Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions in their BI projects.

• Downsides:  Some features rely on undocumented behaviours; the maintainers warn that they are experimental and Microsoft may change the PBIX format at any time. If issues occur, Microsoft support cannot assist with the tools. Setting up the tooling and pipelines requires technical expertise, and not all elements of a report (for example, certain visual configurations) are fully supported.

Making sense of the external‑tool ecosystem

External tools expand the capabilities of Power BI Desktop, but each comes with responsibilities. Tabular Editor 2/3 and DAX Studio are almost obligatory for professional modelling and performance tuning; they provide functionality not available in Desktop. Bravo is ideal when starting out, whereas Measure Killer shines when cleaning large models and tenant‑wide governance. ALM Toolkit supports multi‑developer deployments, Business Ops simplifies installation, Metadata Translator helps localise models, and pbi‑tools brings source control discipline.

However, users should heed the caveats: editing unsupported properties can corrupt files; making changes via the XMLA endpoint prevents PBIX downloads; and external tools cannot see report visuals, so renaming or deleting objects may break reports. Always back up your reports, test changes in a copy, and verify dependencies before applying destructive operations. With those precautions, external tools can dramatically improve productivity and quality in Power BI projects.