Lantern

Draw your Power BI model.

Every table, every join, every measure, in one picture.

Drop your model heremodel.bim + model.vpaxor choose the files

Nothing is uploaded. The drawing is made on your machine.

Or try one of these:

Contoso13 tables · 11 joins
AdventureWorks12 tables · 12 joins

Simple

Two files in, one drawing out. No account, no setup, nothing to install. Drop them and it draws.

Secure

The drawing is made on your machine. The files never leave your browser: nothing about your model is sent, stored or seen. Open the network tab and watch: nothing about your model leaves.

Free

As many models as you like, as often as you like. Snapshots included.

How to get the two files

From two free tools most Power BI developers already have. Two steps each.

model.vpax from DAX Studio

  1. Power BI Desktop → External Tools → DAX Studio
  2. Advanced → Export Metrics → save as model.vpax
DAX Studio: Advanced ribbon, Export Metrics

model.bim from Tabular Editor

  1. Power BI Desktop → External Tools → Tabular Editor
  2. File → Save As → model.bim
Tabular Editor: File menu, Save As

Questions

What does Lantern draw?

Your Power BI model: every table with its size, every relationship with its direction, every measure and what it depends on, and where each table's data comes from. Two views: the portrait and the measure lineage.

Is my model uploaded anywhere?

No. The two files are read inside your browser and the drawing is made there. Your model never leaves your machine. The only thing the site sends is a cookie-free page-view count to our own analytics, with nothing about your model in it.

What is in a .bim and a .vpax file?

The structure of your model: table and column names, relationships, measure formulas, Power Query text, row counts and sizes. Not the rows of your tables.

How do I see what a measure depends on?

Open the Measure lineage view. Click a measure and everything it uses lights up, from the measures it calls down to the columns and tables.

Is it free?

Yes. Drawing, exploring and snapshots are free for any number of models. The pack, both interactive views as files you can open anywhere, is $4.99 per model.

Can I use the pictures in my documentation?

Yes. Snapshots are yours to put in your documentation, a handover or a review deck. If you would rather not show table names, hide them with the Names toggle on the portrait before you snap.

Ready? Drop your two files.

Draw your model