How to Visualize Endpoint and Patch Data for Client Presentations in Power BI

Drive insightful client conversations by transforming key metrics into engaging graphs when working with Power BI to visualize data. With modern tools and streamlined methods, you can craft consistent QBRs while relying less on costly business intelligence features.

This article explains how to build data-driven Power BI reports, reduce manual reporting time, and answer frequently asked questions.

Creating an endpoint security presentation, simplified

Follow these steps to craft stakeholder-friendly patch compliance reports. But before you do, ensure that these methods fit your goals, scope, and technical constraints.

📌 Prerequisites:

• Microsoft Power BI Desktop (free version)
• PowerShell 5.1+ (or PowerShell Core in Windows Terminal)
• Admin access to collect endpoint and patch data from devices or RMM
• CSV or JSON file format for ingesting local/regional data into Power BI
• Optional: NinjaOne for patch data exports or endpoint metadata collection

📌 Recommended deployment strategies:

Step 1: Collect endpoint inventory and patch status via PowerShell

📌 Use Cases: Produce a complete list of endpoints, track patch history, and more with advanced cmdlets.

1. Press Win + R, type PowerShell, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
2. To generate patch history, run:

Get-HotFix | Select-Object Description, HotFixID, InstalledOn | Export-Csv "C:\Reports\PatchHistory.csv" -NoTypeInformation

3. To query Windows Update failures, run:

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; ID=20} |

Where-Object { $_.Message -like "*failed*" } |

Select-Object TimeCreated, Message | Export-Csv "C:\Reports\PatchFailures.csv" -NoTypeInformation

4. To export basic device inventory, run:

Get-CimInstance Win32_ComputerSystem | Select-Object Manufacturer, Model, TotalPhysicalMemory |

Export-Csv "C:\Reports\EndpointInventory.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Step 2: Tag devices locally with registry keys for categorization

📌 Use Cases: Automate device tagging via PowerShell scripts.

1. Press Win + R, type PowerShell, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
2. To create a registry path for device tags, run:

New-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Org\ReportingTags" -Force

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Org\ReportingTags" -Name "PatchTier" -Value "<PriorityTier>"

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Org\ReportingTags" -Name "Department" -Value "<Department>"

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Org\ReportingTags" -Name "SLA" -Value "<Level>"

Replace:

• •  <PriorityTier> with that device’s risk tier (e.g., Critical, Standard, Low Priority).
  •  <Department> with the department name in your organization (e.g., Finance).
  •  <Level> with the expected degree of service (e.g., Critical, High, Moderate, Low).

3. To export your tags as a .csv file, run:

Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Org\ReportingTags" |

Export-Csv "C:\Reports\DeviceTags.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Step 3: Use GPO to standardize registry-based tags or log locations

Apply policies that simplify device tagging and control where logs are saved.

⚠️ Warning: Editing the registry can cause system issues. Create a backup before proceeding.

📌 Use Cases: Enterprise-wide registry tag configuration

📌 Prerequisites: Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, Administrator privileges

1. Press Win + R, type gpmc.msc, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
2. Right-click on your target Organizational Unit (OU) and select Create a GPO.
   1. If your GPO already exists, instead choose Edit an existing one.
3. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry
4. Add new registry items for Patch Tier, Region, and Device Owners.
   1. Right-click Registry and select New > Registry Item.
   2. Set the following:
      1. Action: Create
      2. Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
      3. Key Path: SOFTWARE\Org\ReportingTags
      4. Value Name: e.g., PatchTier, Region, DeviceOwner
      5. Value Type: REG_SZ
      6. Value Data: e.g., Critical, APAC, Finance
5. Standardize your log path with the following GPO settings:
   1. Registry key: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Org\ReportingConfig
   2. Value name: LogPath
   3. Value data: <LogFileDirectory>
      Replace <LogFileDirectory> with your desired file path (e.g., C:\LogReport).
6. Right-click on your target OU and choose Link an Existing GPO.
7. Run gpupdate /force to manually refresh an endpoint’s group policy.

Step 4: Build a Power BI report using local data sources

This method creates a dashboard out of your .csv files. When working with Power BI to visualize data, consider integrating endpoint managers that already offer mapped metrics.

📌 Use Cases: Enhanced data insights for QBRs

1. Open Power BI Desktop.
2. Navigate to: Home > Get Data > Text/CSV
3. Load the following:
   1. PatchHistory.csv
   2. PatchFailures.csv
   3. EndpointInventory.csv
   4. DeviceTags.csv
4. Clean and transform your data with Power Query Editor.
5. Configure relationships using the Model view.
6. Craft visuals that reflect patch data.
   1. Bar chart: Show patch failures over time.
   2. Table: Organize devices by risk tier and current health.
   3. Pie chart: Compare the number of endpoints by department.
   4. Slicers: Create filters for different SLAs, regions, and clients.
7. Save your presentation as a .pbix file for local use, or publish it on Power BI Service for client use.

Step 5: Enhance with NinjaOne data export or API

Leverage NinjaOne’s versatile dashboard to export patch compliance for QBRs or Power BI.

📌 Use Cases: Automate data collection, visualize installed/uninstalled patches, and capture pre-built visuals for QBR presentations.

📌 Prerequisites: NinjaOne RMM access with reporting permissions.

1. Log in to the NinjaOne Admin Console.
2. Navigate to Reporting and locate a specific Patch report, or pull up a Device’s patch history details.
3. Export relevant device data like:
   1. Installed patches
   2. Missing updates
   3. Patch compliance (per device)
4. Create custom fields in NinjaOne that mirror variables such as PatchTier, Department, and Region for better data segmentation.
5. Save your exported file as a CSV for Power BI or other centralized visualization tools.
6. Create an automation policy (optional) to:
   1. Synchronize registry values with NinjaOne tags
   2. Schedule patch data exports
   3. Trigger alerts on high-priority patch failures.

⚠️ Things to look out for

Important considerations when working with Power BI to visualize data

Here are the key points you should keep in mind while building your report:

Data freshness

Schedule regular endpoint data exports to catch security gaps and monitor device health across your organization. While important, this process can be repetitive—highlighting the need for export automation features that come with modern endpoint solutions.

Sensitive fields

Data screenshots can include sensitive data like admin credentials, IP addresses, passwords, and more. Before exporting, make sure these are redacted from your patch data presentations.

Client custom views

Stakeholders may have questions about SLAs, departmental metrics, or more. To accommodate any concerns, prepare slicers and personalized dashboards for client-specific needs.

NinjaOne achieves this and more with automated endpoint reports and patch summaries to give you an all-in-one solution— without the need to import data into analytics platforms like Power BI.

Non-Windows devices

Endpoint metrics rarely share nomenclature in mixed environments. Use RMM tools to standardize patch data across Windows, Mac, and Linux to facilitate data collection.

Troubleshooting Power BI report generation issues

Here’s how to fix common Power BI report-related roadblocks.

Power BI load errors

CSV files may fail to load or refresh properly. When this happens, ensure your file is closed before importing it into Power BI, which can reject files due to structural issues and inconsistent formatting (e.g., column gaps, missing headers).

Incorrect date formats

If dates appear inconsistently across your data report, go to Power Query or Report view to set a column’s data type to “Date”. While manual setup is often required in BI tools, some platforms handle this automatically in the background.

Missing registry tags

Disappearing registry tags could be due to an incorrect path or an absent registry key. To fix this, confirm your script targets the correct file directory and that the registry tags exist.

CMD output issues

If your Command Prompt inventory doesn’t import cleanly, either export the file as .csv or parse through the .txt using PowerShell. Note that Power BI treats unstructured text as a single column if it’s not transformed.

Upgrade client presentations with NinjaOne

NinjaOne facilitates your endpoint security presentation by:

• Automating patch detection, deployment, and completion for quarterly reviews
• Monitoring compliance with real-time dashboards
• Providing customizable reports on system audits and SLAs
• Letting sysadmins define patching rules by group, department, or region
• Supporting remote workforce patching without relying on expensive VPNs

Centralize control when working with Power BI to visualize data

Fast-track clear and effective patch compliance reports when you leverage scalable data collection services while building Power BI visuals. Built-in apps are used to collect work device metrics for later visualization, but doing so manually is often time-consuming and risky.

Eliminate IT headaches with unified dashboards that give MSPs and IT teams centralized control over your environment, simplified device tagging, and uncomplicated data collection.

Related topics:

• Patch Management Reports: Precision in Every Update
• Endpoint Monitoring Explained with an Example
• Top 5 MSP Strategies for Using Your QBR as a Sales Tool