How to create conditional alerts in Copilot in Power BI

João Barros 18 de October de 2026 4 min read

This tutorial shows how to create conditional alerts in Copilot in Power BI so that Copilot sends messages or suggestions when a KPI exceeds a defined threshold. It is useful to monitor critical deviations without manually checking reports and to automate follow-up actions.

Prerequisites

Account with access to Power BI Service and permissions to edit the report.
Published report with a dataset that contains KPI(s) to monitor.
Copilot enabled in your organization and access to automation/flows features in Power BI (or integration with Power Automate).
Basic knowledge of DAX to create simple measures.

Step 1: Define the alert metric (DAX measure)

Start by creating a measure that represents the KPI you want to monitor. Using a measure instead of a column allows dynamic evaluation by filters and context.

Measure_KPI = SUM('Vendas'[Valor]) / SUM('Vendas'[Quantidade]) -- Example: average price; adjust according to your KPI (margin, conversion rate, etc.)

Step 2: Create the alert rule as another boolean measure

Create a measure that returns 1 when the condition is met and 0 otherwise. This makes it easier to use in visuals, cards and as triggers for Copilot/Power Automate.

Alerta_KPI = IF([Measure_KPI] < 10, 1, 0) -- Example: alert when the KPI is below 10; adjust operator and value as needed

Step 3: Add a visible card or indicator to the report

Place the Alerta_KPI measure in a Card visual (or a KPI visual) to make the condition obvious to users. Copilot can read the report state and use that visual as context to trigger actions.

Step 4: Create a state marker (optional) for history

If you want to record when the alert occurred, create a simple table with a timestamp using Power Query or a calculated table and update it with Power Automate when the alert is triggered. This helps audit and train future automations.

AlertaHistorico = GENERATESERIES(1,1,1) -- Placeholder table; preferable to create an empty table in Power BI and update it with a flow

Step 5: Configure a trigger with Power Automate from Power BI

Copilot in Power BI works well with Power Automate to perform actions (notifications, emails, create task). Create a flow that is triggered by a change in the report or by an action button in the report. The flow should check the Alerta_KPI measure and, if it is 1, send the notification.

1. In Power BI Service: edit the report and add a button 'Acionar Alerta'.
2. In Power Automate: New flow -> Power BI button trigger (or 'When a data driven alert is triggered' if available).
3. Action: Condition -> if Alerta_KPI == 1 -> Send an email / Post message / Call API.
4. Optional: Update the AlertaHistorico table via action to record timestamp.

Step 6: Use Copilot to generate the contextual message

Configure the flow step that uses Copilot (or the text generation action) to create a dynamic message with report context — for example: current KPI, variation vs previous period and recommendations. Provide the necessary fields in the flow prompt (Measure_KPI, slicer name, date).

Prompt example in flow action:
"O KPI {Measure_KPI} está em {valor}. Comparação com período anterior: {variação}. Recomendações: fornecer 3 ações possíveis." 
-- Replace placeholders with outputs from Power BI / flow expressions.

Step 7: Test the flow and connect it to the report

Simulate data that triggers Alerta_KPI. In the report, click the button (or wait for the automatic condition) to trigger the flow. Check that the message generated by Copilot in the flow contains the correct context and that the actions (email, Teams, table update) occur.

Verify the outcome

Confirm that: the Card/visual shows Alerta_KPI = 1 when the condition is present; Power Automate receives that state; the Copilot step generates a coherent message and the notification reaches recipients. Also check the AlertaHistorico table for occurrence records.

Conclusion

You now have a basic mechanism where Copilot in Power BI, together with Power Automate, sends conditional alerts with contextual messages. Next steps: enrich the Copilot prompt with more context, automate corrective actions (create tasks in Planner), or parameterize thresholds by user. Tip: start with a single KPI and test multiple scenarios to avoid false positives — which KPI do you want to start automating first?