> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.securemetrics.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.securemetrics.io/astra-powerbi-plugin/powerbi-visual-architecture-and-data-security.md).

# PowerBI Visual Architecture and Data Security

Astra is a Power BI visual plugin that runs **100% locally** in your Power BI environment. It does **not transmit, upload, or sync data** to any external servers. This design allows Astra to be safely deployed in sensitive or air-gapped environments.

## How Astra Works

* **Runs inside Power BI**: Astra executes entirely within Power BI’s built-in sandbox for custom visuals. No separate application or service is involved.
* **Receives data from Power BI only**: It visualizes data passed to it from the Power BI semantic model—nothing else.
* **In-memory rendering**: All data transformations and graph rendering happen in memory and are never written to disk or sent over the network.

## Network Communication

Astra makes **no network calls**. This includes:

| Activity                    | Status                                 |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| API requests (`fetch`, XHR) | ❌ Not used                             |
| WebSocket connections       | ❌ Not used                             |
| Telemetry or analytics      | ❌ Not used                             |
| CDN-hosted scripts          | ❌ Not used (all libraries are bundled) |
| File or disk storage        | ❌ Not used                             |

## Architecture Diagram

The diagram below illustrates Astra’s local execution model within the Power BI environment.

<figure><img src="/files/ttMwtVdNayoAhTu74jEF" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>