What is the primary function of a gateway in Power BI?

The primary function of a gateway in Power BI is to secure data transfer between on-premises sources and Power BI. This is crucial because many organizations maintain their data on local servers and databases, which must be accessed securely when generating reports and performing analytics in Power BI.

Gateways serve as a bridge to facilitate this connection while ensuring data security through encryption. They allow Power BI to retrieve and refresh data from these on-premises sources without exposing sensitive information directly over the internet. This robust process ensures that users can leverage their on-site data seamlessly in their Power BI reports and dashboards, while maintaining compliance and security standards.

Connecting Power BI to mobile devices, creating custom visuals, and enhancing report aesthetics are important features of Power BI but do not directly relate to the function of gateways, which is fundamentally about enabling secure and efficient data transfer.