IT · Power BI template
IT Service Desk Power BI template
Power BI IT service desk dashboard template (ITSM): open incidents, P1s, MTTR and SLA KPIs, incident trend by priority, SLA gauge and breach-risk table.
By Nawaf Sharaf · Founder & Reliability Engineer · Updated
Free for commercial useLight version: same layout, colours re-solved and checked for WCAG AA contrast.
BetaOpens in Power BI Desktop with 6 tables of sample data and every visual bound. See what’s inside
Free, no sign-up. The PBIP with sample data includes the background, theme and a README. 1920×1080 fits a new page in a Fluent 2 report; 1280×720 and 2× fit Classic pages. Downloads carry a small “Made with VizForge” mark (sign in to the studio to remove it).
- Layout
- Header band, 5 KPIs, trend + gauge + donut, full-width breach-risk table
- Page size
- 1280×720 px (16:9, Power BI default)
- Theme
- Graphite Mono
Open the sample-data PBIP in Power BI Desktop
Checked against Microsoft Learn's Power BI Desktop projects documentation (as of Nov 2026).
- 1
Unzip to a short path and open the .pbip
Extract the zip to a short local folder such as C:\PBI (Windows limits project paths to 260 characters, and Desktop can't save a project straight to OneDrive or SharePoint), then double-click the .pbip file or use File → Open in Power BI Desktop. Microsoft still lists projects and TMDL as preview features (as of Nov 2026): if Desktop won't open the project, go to File → Options and settings → Options → Preview features, tick “Power BI Project (.pbip) save option” and “Store semantic model using TMDL format”, then restart Desktop.
- 2
Select Refresh once
The project ships without the local data cache (.pbi/cache.abf), so Desktop opens the full model definition without data. Select Home → Refresh: every table is built from values written into its Power Query step, so there is no data source to sign in to.
- 3
Save as .pbix or connect your data
Use File → Save as to keep a single .pbix file, or open Transform data and replace each table's Source step with your own query, keeping the column names so the measures and visuals keep working.
What’s inside the IT Service Desk sample model
Rendered from the same definition the download writes as TMDL, so this list always matches the file.
360 incidents and the change calendar for an internal IT service desk over the 12 weeks to 31 Oct 2026: five assignment groups, P1–P4 resolution SLAs, and minutes to breach for every open incident. Units: Hours to resolve; minutes to SLA breach (negative = already breached).
Tables and columns
Calendar
Date table · 2026, one row per dayDate table generated in Power Query (List.Dates), marked as the model's date table.
- Date (date)
- Year (whole number)
- Quarter (text)
- Month (text)
- Month Name (text)
- Week Start (date)
- Weekday (text)
- Fiscal Year (text)
Priority
Dimension · 4 rowsIncident priorities with their resolution SLA.
- Priority (text)
- Resolution SLA Hours (whole number)
Assignment Group
Dimension · 5 rowsResolver groups.
- Group (text)
Category
Dimension · 6 rowsIncident categories.
- Category (text)
Incidents
Fact · 360 rowsOne row per incident. Open incidents have no Resolved Date and carry Minutes To Breach.
- Number (text)
- Opened Date (date)
- Resolved Date (date)
- Priority (text)
- Group (text)
- Assignee (text)
- Category (text)
- Resolution Hours (decimal)
- SLA Met (whole number)
- Minutes To Breach (whole number)
Changes
Fact · 65 rowsChange requests by scheduled date.
- Change (text)
- Scheduled Date (date)
- Type (text)
- Group (text)
- Outcome (text)
Relationships
Many-to-one, single direction. Inactive relationships are switched on inside a measure with USERELATIONSHIP.
- Incidents[Opened Date] → 'Calendar'[Date]
- Incidents[Priority] → Priority[Priority]
- Incidents[Group] → 'Assignment Group'[Group]
- Incidents[Category] → Category[Category]
- Changes[Scheduled Date] → 'Calendar'[Date]
- Changes[Group] → 'Assignment Group'[Group]
DAX measures
All measures live in a dedicated Key Measures table. Copy any of them into your own model; rename the table and column references to match.
IncidentsIncidents opened.
Incidents =
COUNTROWS ( Incidents )Format string: #,0
Open IncidentsIncidents not yet resolved.
Open Incidents =
CALCULATE ( COUNTROWS ( Incidents ), ISBLANK ( Incidents[Resolved Date] ) )Format string: #,0
P1 OpenOpen priority-1 incidents.
P1 Open =
CALCULATE ( [Open Incidents], Priority[Priority] = "P1" )Format string: #,0
MTTR (hours)Mean time to resolve, resolved incidents only.
MTTR (hours) =
AVERAGE ( Incidents[Resolution Hours] )Format string: #,0.0
SLA Met %Resolved within the priority's SLA.
SLA Met % =
DIVIDE ( SUM ( Incidents[SLA Met] ), COUNT ( Incidents[SLA Met] ) )Format string: 0.0%
SLA TargetContracted SLA compliance.
SLA Target =
0.95Format string: 0%
Gauge MaxGauge maximum (100%).
Gauge Max =
1Format string: 0%
Minutes To BreachMinutes left before the SLA breaches. Blank for resolved incidents, so the at-risk table lists open ones only.
Minutes To Breach =
MIN ( Incidents[Minutes To Breach] )Format string: #,0
Changes This WeekChanges scheduled in the latest 7 days of data.
Changes This Week =
VAR LastDay = CALCULATE ( MAX ( Changes[Scheduled Date] ), REMOVEFILTERS ( 'Calendar' ) )
RETURN
CALCULATE (
COUNTROWS ( Changes ),
REMOVEFILTERS ( 'Calendar' ),
Changes[Scheduled Date] > LastDay - 7
)Format string: #,0
What each visual is bound to
The PBIP opens with these fields already on each visual.
| Visual | Type | Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment groupSlicer | Slicer | 'Assignment Group'[Group] |
| PrioritySlicer | Slicer | Priority[Priority] |
| Open incidentsCard | Card | [Open Incidents] |
| P1 openCard | Card | [P1 Open] |
| MTTR (hours)Card | Card | [MTTR (hours)] |
| SLA met %Card | Card | [SLA Met %] |
| Changes this weekCard | Card | [Changes This Week] |
| Incidents by priority and weekColumn chart | Column chart | Calendar[Week Start], [Incidents], Priority[Priority] |
| SLA complianceGauge | Gauge | [SLA Met %], [SLA Target], [Gauge Max] |
| Incidents by categoryDonut chart | Donut chart | Category[Category], [Incidents] |
| At risk of breaching SLATable | Table | Incidents[Number], Incidents[Priority], Incidents[Group], Incidents[Assignee], [Minutes To Breach] |
Questions this dashboard answers
Each one is answered by a visual on the page, from the sample model's own tables and measures.
- How many incidents are open, and how many are P1?
- Is the desk meeting its resolution SLAs?
- Which incidents will breach their SLA next?
- Which categories generate the most incidents?
About this dashboard layout
An ITSM page is read by two audiences: the service desk lead, who wants to know what will breach in the next hour, and the IT director, who wants trends. The top half serves the director (open incidents, open P1s, mean time to resolve, SLA met %, changes this week, then incidents by priority and week, an SLA gauge and incidents by category). The bottom half serves the lead.
That bottom half is one full-width table: incidents at risk of breaching, sorted by time remaining, with number, priority, assignment group, assignee and minutes to breach. Full width matters; ServiceNow short descriptions are long, and a cramped table forces truncation exactly where the detail is needed. Add conditional formatting to the minutes-to-breach column with the theme's bad colour below 30 minutes.
Graphite Mono is a near-monochrome dark theme, so colour only appears where it means something. Map P1 to the bad colour and P2 to neutral in the column chart (Format → Columns → Colors, per series) and leave P3 and P4 in greys.
ServiceNow, Jira Service Management and Freshservice all export incident tables with opened, resolved and SLA-due timestamps; that's all this page needs. Calculate business-hours MTTR in Power Query or the source; DAX is the wrong place for calendar arithmetic over large incident tables.
Visuals on the page
Positions are Power BI page pixels. Enter them in Format → General → Properties → Size and position, or use the PBIP download where they are already set.
| Visual | Type | X | Y | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment group | Slicer | 888 | 24 | 176 | 40 |
| Priority | Slicer | 1080 | 24 | 176 | 40 |
| Open incidents | Card | 40 | 112 | 168 | 72 |
| P1 open | Card | 296 | 112 | 160 | 72 |
| MTTR (hours) | Card | 544 | 112 | 160 | 72 |
| SLA met % | Card | 792 | 112 | 160 | 72 |
| Changes this week | Card | 1040 | 112 | 160 | 72 |
| Incidents by priority and week | Column chart | 40 | 232 | 576 | 200 |
| SLA compliance | Gauge | 664 | 232 | 264 | 200 |
| Incidents by category | Donut chart | 976 | 232 | 264 | 200 |
| At risk of breaching SLA | Table | 40 | 480 | 1200 | 200 |
Custom visuals for this layout
Built-in Power BI visuals cover most slots above. These slots also suit a custom visual; each page covers the data shape, DAX and a prompt to generate it as a .pbiviz.
Slot: Open incidents
KPI CardExecutive dashboard KPI row (revenue, customers, NPS, churn)
Slot: SLA compliance
Gauge ChartSLA attainment (current value, target line, breach threshold)
Already have a report?
Brand Makeover tries IT Service Desk first on every page of your Power BI project (.pbip zip) where it fits: the page's visuals have to go into its 9 data slots without overlaps. Pages it can't seat get another catalog layout or a brand grid. Queries, filters and bookmarks are left as they are. Free, in your browser.
Opens with the Analyst / Dense preset, because the Executive preset doesn't use this layout (9 data slots; this preset uses templates with at most 7).
Restyle my report into thisSwap a slot for a custom visual
Pick any slot and VizForge AI writes a custom visual (.pbiviz, with TypeScript source) sized to it, in this template's colours and shaped for the fields it is bound to.
Generate one that fits this layout.
Card · 168×72 px · bound to [Open Incidents]
1, 2 or 5 credits depending on the brief · 5 free on signup. Sign in or create a free account on the next screen; the brief is saved for 30 minutes.
A Power BI card visual titled "Open incidents". It sits in a 168×72 px slot on a designed report page. Match the report's brand: data colours #ECECEE, #C8C8CF, #A4A4AE, #80808C, #686873, #696973; background #1C1C20; text #ECECEE; font Segoe UI. Transparent visual background so the page design shows through; no visual border. In the sample model it is bound to [Open Incidents]; keep the same data roles so the fields drop straight in.
Not sure what to build? Browse the visual catalog or open the template in the design studio and hand off any slot from there. Or start in the AI generator with a blank brief.
Colours and theme
Dark monochrome Power BI theme: grey-scale data steps with one copper highlight on graphite, for ranked bars, cohort tables and quiet executive dashboards.
Use the background in an existing report
Prefer to keep your own report? Apply the design to it instead of opening the PBIP.
- 1
Download the background
Take the 1920×1080 PNG for a new page in a Fluent 2 report (the default size for new pages), or the 2× PNG (2560×1440) for sharp text on a 1280×720 Classic page. Power BI scales the image to the canvas.
- 2
Set the canvas background
Format page → Canvas background → Browse. Set Image fit to Fill and transparency to 0%.
- 3
Import the theme
Design ribbon → Import theme (in the Power BI service: View → Theme pane), then pick the downloaded JSON. Data colours and fonts now match the design. Older Desktop builds: View → Themes → Browse for themes.
- 4
Place your visuals
Size each visual to the positions above with background and border off, or open the PBIP project where they are already placed.
Questions about this template
Does the IT Service Desk template come with sample data?
Yes. The “PBIP with sample data” download contains a semantic model with 6 tables and 9 DAX measures, and every visual on the page is already bound to it. The sample: 360 incidents and the change calendar for an internal IT service desk over the 12 weeks to 31 Oct 2026: five assignment groups, P1–P4 resolution SLAs, and minutes to breach for every open incident. The data is written into each table's Power Query step, so there is no data source or sign-in.
Is it a .pbix file?
It is a Power BI project (PBIP): a folder of text files that Power BI Desktop opens like a .pbix. Open the .pbip file, select Refresh once to load the sample rows, then use File → Save as if you want a single .pbix.
What visuals are in the IT Service Desk template?
The page has 11 visual areas: 2 slicers, 5 cards, 1 column chart, 1 gauge, 1 donut chart, 1 table. Their exact positions are listed on this page so you can match them in Power BI's Format → General → Properties panel, or skip that step by downloading the PBIP project.
Which theme does the IT Service Desk template use?
It ships with the Graphite Mono theme (dark tone). Download the theme JSON here, or open the template in the design studio and switch to any other theme or your own brand colours.
Is there a light version of the IT Service Desk template?
Yes. Switch the preview to Light and every download (background, theme JSON and PBIP) comes in that version. The layout is identical; the page, card and text colours are re-solved for a light page, and the accent, status and data colours keep their hues but are adjusted until text meets WCAG AA (4.5:1) and chart colours reach 3:1 against the cards.
How do I use the background image in Power BI Desktop?
Select the page, open Format page → Canvas background, choose Browse and pick the PNG, then set Image fit to Fill and transparency to 0%. Give your visuals a transparent background and no border so the designed panels show through.
Can I open the PBIP project in Power BI Desktop?
Yes. PBIR is the default report format in Power BI Desktop since September 2026, and the download is a PBIP project: unzip it and open the .pbip file, select Refresh once and the sample data loads into visuals that are already bound (the empty PBIP leaves the containers unbound for your own data). Microsoft still lists projects and TMDL as preview features (as of Nov 2026), so if Desktop won't open it, enable them under File → Options and settings → Options → Preview features.
Build guides for this dashboard
Guides to the same dashboard job: which custom visuals it needs, the DAX behind them and prompts to generate them.
Dashboard job
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Team
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KPI cards for this layout
Headline numbers drawn by one DAX SVG measure each, for the Card visual or a table row.
Designs made for this template’s KPI slots: Midnight side card, SLA status pill. Browse all styles in the KPI card gallery or build your own in the SVG measure builder.
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Make the IT Service Desk template yours
Swap in your brand colours and logo, move panels, add icons and generate missing visuals with AI, then export the background, theme JSON and PBIP project.
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