Interactions and navigation
Visual Interactions
Description: In Power BI, visuals on the same report page are naturally connected. When you click on a data point in one chart, it automatically influences the data displayed in the other visuals on that page. This is known as "Visual Interaction."
Why: Interactions allow for rapid data exploration. Instead of applying static filters, a user can "click through" the story of their data. For example, clicking on a specific region in a map doesn't just show that region—it can highlight how that specific region contributed to the total sales shown in a separate bar chart.
Types of Interactions
You can customize how visuals talk to each other using the Edit Interactions feature in the "Format" ribbon:
- Filtering: Completely removes data that doesn't match the selection. Most common for cards and tables.
- Highlighting: Keeps all data visible but "dims" the non-selected parts, making the selected data stand out. Standard for bar and column charts.
- None: Disables the connection entirely so that clicking one visual has no effect on the other.
Example: The Discovery Workflow
Interactive Analysis:
Imagine a page with a Bar Chart (Sales by Product) and a Line Chart (Sales over Time). If you click the bar for "Laptops," the Line Chart will instantly update to show the sales trend specifically for laptops, allowing you to see if that product is growing or declining.
Drill Through and Tooltips
Description: These are "on-demand" information features. Drill Through allows users to navigate to a completely different, detailed report page filtered to a specific entity. Tooltips are small pop-up windows that appear when a user hovers their mouse over a data point.
Why: These features prevent "Information Overload." You can keep your main report page clean and high-level, while still giving curious users a way to see the deep details without leaving the context of their analysis.
Deep-Dive Features
| Feature | How it Works | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Drill Through | Right-click a data point → Drill through → [Target Page]. | Move from a "Country" summary to a detailed "Store Performance" page. |
| Tooltips | Hover over a visual element to see a small box with extra data. | See the "Profit Margin %" without having to add another chart to the page. |
Key Notes
- Report Page Tooltips: You can actually design a small, hidden report page and set it as a "Tooltip." This allows you to show an entire chart (like a mini-trend line) just by hovering over a data point.
- Back Button: When using Drill Through, Power BI automatically creates a "Back" button on the target page so users can easily return to the main summary.
- Cross-Report Drill Through: Advanced users can even set up drill through actions that jump between two entirely different reports, provided they share the same data sources.
🏋️ Test Yourself With Exercises
Take our quiz on Interactions and navigation to test your knowledge.
Browse Quizzes »