When you start crafting reports in Power BI, you will swiftly grasp the significance of page navigation. Its pivotal role lies in the creation of dynamic and captivating reports and dashboards that augment comprehension and accessibility, paving the way for an enhanced and efficient data analysis experience.

After creating a comprehensive, multi-page report with distinct visualizations, slicers, and filters, it becomes essential to implement a streamlined process that empowers you and other users to thoroughly explore these elements, without missing any vital information.

Power BI offers a range of specially curated options that guarantee a seamless experience when navigating between data pages and visualizations.

With Power BI’s page navigation tools, you have the flexibility to tailor your content to your audience’s needs, ensuring a compelling and interactive data exploration experience. This article will introduce you to the navigation options available in Power BI.

Page Navigation with the Report Page Tab

Report page tabs are a fundamental component of page navigation in Power BI. They function similarly to tabs in Excel or Google Sheets, enabling you to create, present, and organize various data views or sections with ease.

In Power BI, the page tabs are situated at the bottom of each report, providing easy navigation between pages. To move across report pages, simply click on the desired page tab.

Navigate Pages with Dynamic Selection

The ability to create dynamic page navigation in Power BI empowers you to create immersive, user-driven experiences within your reports and dashboards.

Unlike traditional static navigation, dynamic page navigation lets you create interactive presentations that respond to user interactions and choices.

In this illustration, you will learn how you can use buttons to navigate to a page based on applied filters. The steps involved are as follows.

1. Create a table that contains the exact names of the pages in your report and add it table to your model. There are two options for creating the table – using the Enter data feature or creating an Excel file for import.

While both methods are viable, the Excel file is preferable due to its flexibility. You can effortlessly update the file by adding new pages to your report and refreshing the connection, ensuring that the newly added page is available for selection.

On the other hand, the Enter data feature is less versatile and can be challenging to update. Therefore, it is best suited for scenarios where there are no anticipated additions of new pages to your report.

Ensure the table contains an index. This will be useful for proper sorting of the table. Load the table into the model ensuring it’s not connected to any other table in the model. The same goes for when you’re importing the table from an Excel sheet.

2. After loading the table, go to the Data view, select the table, and sort the column containing the page names using the Sort by column menu.

Create a slicer made up of the page names using the column from the table containing the page names.

Make the slicer a dropdown and make it select only one option at once. Do this in the Format the visual menu in the Visualizations pane. In the Style section, click on the dropdown arrow and select the Dropdown option. Also in the Selection section, change the Single select switch.

3. Add a button.

To add a button, go to the Insert ribbon, click on Buttons, and select either the Left arrow or Right arrow button.

After this step, a button is inserted on the page.

The next step is to format the button. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Select the button and navigate to the Action section.
2. Set the radio button to On.
3. Choose Page navigation from the Type drop-down options.
4. Click on the Conditional formatting (fx) button next to the Destination section.

In the new window, navigate to the section titled What field should we base this on? and choose the column that contains the page names from the table where page information is stored. Once finished, click OK.

Now, to navigate to any page, you can simply select the page name from the dropdown slicer and Ctrl + Click on the button to take you to the selected page.

This method undoubtedly makes page navigation easier in Power BI, particularly because it allows for the establishment of centralized control for page navigation when dealing with a sizable report.

Nevertheless, it has a specific drawback which is one has to return to the page where the dynamic selection slicers are set up manually every time. This undermines the objective of simplifying navigation.

This drawback can be managed by creating a button that redirects you to the page containing the dynamic page selector and adds it to every page in your report.

The process of adding a back button remains unchanged from the previous description. However, when creating the button, in the Destination section, simply click on the dropdown and choose the page you wish to navigate to when the button is clicked.

When you do this, you will no longer have to tediously navigate through multiple report tabs just to get back to the page with your dynamic page selector.

Navigate Pages with Page Navigator

The Page navigator is a Power BI feature that totally changes how page navigation is done. It’s a vital control element that lets you smoothly navigate through your report’s pages so that you and other users have an intuitive way to interact with your data.

The Page navigator feature empowers you to design reports and dashboards that provide a guided and dynamic experience. With the Page navigator, you and others can effortlessly explore different facets of the data story with just a simple click.

You can create the Page Navigator in just a few clicks.

From the Insert menu, click on Buttons and select Navigator. Choose the Page navigator option.

After the first step, buttons containing the names of the pages in the report will be displayed at the top of the report page.

The Page Navigator seamlessly synchronizes with your report pages, ensuring that:

• Button titles align with the page display names.
• Button order mirrors the sequence of your report pages.
• The currently selected button corresponds to the current page.
• The navigator automatically adjusts as you add or remove report pages.
• Button titles receive automatic updates when you rename your pages.

You can enhance the page navigator tile by customizing its different aspects. From altering the shape and rotation of the buttons to adjusting their style, you have the freedom to make it your own.

Additionally, you can modify what pages display in the tile, and the grid layout of the tile. To easily customize the page navigator, simply select the visual and navigate to the Format navigator pane.

Navigate Pages with Drill Through Pages

Power BI’s drill-through is a feature that lets you dig deep into data at a granular level; thereby unlocking deeper insights with just a few clicks. This functionality simplifies traditional reporting, effortlessly providing access to specific details and supporting data.

Drill-through functionality can be applied to various visuals like charts or graphs, even extending to entire report pages. When utilized in Power BI, drill-through pages unlock a gateway to deeper data exploration and analysis, enabling you to delve into multiple metrics unlike in visuals with limited dimensions.

These dedicated pages not only allow you to focus on specific details within data visualizations but also provide comprehensive information seamlessly. They offer an elegant solution for effortless page navigation, enhancing the overall experience.

When setting up drill through in Power BI, first you create a dedicated target report page designed for exploring specific data categories. This page includes relevant visuals, charts, and tables for detailed information access when drilling through from another report page.

After creating the target report page, drag the dimension you want to use for the drill-through (or filter) into the Add drill-through fields here well.

As soon as you add a field to this well, a back button will appear in the top-left corner of the page. This fully customizable button, by default, will take you back to the previous page.

To use the drill-through setup, simply right-click on any dimension you wish to explore further. Ideally, this dimension will be available on a different page. From there, select the Drill through option and choose one of the designated drill-through pages.

This enables effortless navigation across pages, further amplified by the inclusion of a button that instantly takes you back to the previous page.

Drill-through with Buttons

You can set up a drill-through button as an alternative to right-clicking. First, go to the Insert menu and create a button as previously described.

After adding the button, select Drill-through as a Type and any of the target pages as Destination.

To use the drill-through button, select any dimension of interest in the visual, hold down the Ctrl button and right-click on the button. This will take you to the page drill-through page set up for the button.

If you have multiple drill-through pages set up, you will need to create corresponding drill-through buttons for each page.

There are various customizations available for a drill-through button. One of the most useful is the Styles customization which allows you to configure different ways the button will display based on a specific state. These settings are useful to improve user experience.

Page Navigation with Tooltip

Tooltips in Power BI are interactive and informative pop-up windows that provide additional context, details, or insights about specific data points in a visualization. When you hover over a data point, a tooltip can appear, offering relevant information, such as values, labels, or explanations.

By default, tooltips in Power BI display the parameters used for creating a visual. However, tooltips are highly customizable, allowing you to change the default display and use entire report pages as tooltips.

This enables you to present different report pages as tooltips for various dimensions, enhancing your flexibility and data visualization options.

With this approach, you basically remove the need to go from page to page as you can make visuals from other pages displayed on your current page.

For you to use a report page as a tooltip, these are the steps involved.

First, you need to add a dimension to the report page for which the tooltip will appear. You simply do this by dragging the dimension (category or measure) into the Drag tooltip fields here well. By doing this, the report page will appear as a tooltip for items in this category, filtering for each specific item.

The next step involves registering the page as a tooltip. To do this, go to the Format your report page tab and turn on the Allow use as tooltip option.

After setting the report page for use as a tooltip,

1. Choose the visual that contains the tooltip dimension.
2. Navigate to the Format visual tab.
3. Enable the Tooltips switch.
4. In the Options dropdown, select “Report page” as the Type.
5. Choose the desired tooltip page from the Page dropdown menu.

Now, when you hover on top of any of the any category in the visual, the set report page will display as a tooltip.

To adjust the size of the report page, navigate to the Format your report page section in the Canvas settings.

When opting for a non-full page size, ensure that your visuals are accommodated within the specified page dimensions. It is advisable to specify the page size before creating the visuals to streamline the process effectively.

Page Navigation with Bookmark Navigator

Bookmarks offer a seamless way to showcase multiple visuals on a single page without overwhelming your audience. Think of them as virtual thumbprints that capture specific states and interactions, transforming your report into an engaging and personalized user experience.

By preserving combinations of visuals, filters, and other elements, bookmarks empower you to navigate, share, and present your data stories with precision and flair.

No longer will you need to flip through numerous pages to find the insights you seek. Instead, you can create and store multiple visuals on a single page, streamlining your reporting process.

Creating bookmarks in Power BI is a breeze. Simply set up your report exactly as you desire, and with a single click, capture its current state as a bookmark. It’s that easy.

To save the current state of a report, go to the View tab, select the Bookmarks option and click on Add in the Bookmarks tab.

After adding the bookmark, you can do many other modifications. These options are available when you click on More options (the three dots).

When you create bookmarks, the following are saved.

• The current page.
• Filters.
• Slicers, including slicer type (for example, dropdown or list) and slicer state.
• Visual selection state (such as cross-highlight filters)
• Sort order
• Drill location
• Visibility of an object (by using the Selection pane)
• The focus or Spotlight mode of any visible object

With the ability to create multiple bookmarks and organize them into groups, the Bookmark navigator becomes a highly efficient tool. Similar to the Page navigator, the Bookmark navigator generates buttons that effortlessly guide you through the extensive array of bookmarks within a report.

By categorizing bookmarks into groups, you can create specific Bookmark navigators for each group, further enhancing your overall navigation experience.

You can add the Bookmark navigator from the Insert tab. There, you select Buttons, then Navigator and Bookmark navigator. By default, all the bookmarks will be added to the navigator tile that will be displayed at the top of the page.

To have the navigator display bookmarks in a specific group, simply utilize the Bookmark menu located in the Format tab. Furthermore, you can designate a default bookmark to be shown when no specific bookmark is selected by availing the Allow deselection option.

There exists a wide range of formats, readily applicable to the navigation button, which can significantly enhance user experience while minimizing the necessity of navigating through different pages.

Conclusions

Power BI offers a variety of tools to streamline the process of page navigation, thereby enhancing user experience. With features like page tabs, you can easily access different sections of the report.

The page navigator tool further simplifies this process by providing a guide to all available pages while the bookmark navigator enables you to save specific states of a report for future reference, promoting efficiency.

Tooltips offer contextual information and clarifications, improving the readability and comprehension of the data presented. The drill-through feature is instrumental in providing detailed insights about specific data points, supporting in-depth analysis and data-driven decision-making.

These tools offer structure and guidance, simplifying data exploration and making it accessible to users of all skill levels. By enhancing data accessibility and usability, they enable you and other users to derive meaningful insights crucial for data-driven decision-making.