Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Microsoft Power BI Gets More Interactive with Drillthrough Pages

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    September 11, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      PowerBI Drilldown Pages

      The September update for Power BI Desktop brings a new “drillthrough” capability, one of several features Microsoft demonstrated during its Data Insights Summit in June.

      Power BI Desktop users can now add another layer of interactivity to their reports with new drillthrough filters, according to Amanda Cofsky, a Microsoft Power BI program manager. “Drillthrough filters allow you to create a page in your report that provides details on a single ‘entity’ in your model, such as a customer, manufacturer, product, or location,” she wrote in a blog post.

      Based on the entity selected by a user, the new drillthrough page displays charts and other visualizations in context, allowing them to glean new insights by surfacing additional levels of detail. For example, if a report shows slow sales of a particular product, users can investigate further by right-clicking on the product’s manufacturer for more information on the company, its other products, satisfaction ratings and other metrics.

      To help ensure that users don’t get lost, the software automatically includes a back button when it creates drillthrough pages. Report authors can turn off the feature by flipping the back button toggle switch in Power BI desktop.

      A walk-through of the new drillthrough pages feature and an accompanying video are available in Cofsky’s blog.

      Users also have a new visualization to pick from this month, the ribbon chart. Suitable for displaying changes in rank, the visual is similar to “a stacked column chart, but each column’s inner categories are sorted according to their rank for that column,” explained Cofsky. “Additionally, the inner categories are connected by ribbons across the columns to help you visually see how the rank changes across the columns.”

      The sampling algorithm used in scatter charts has been updated, offering improved performance in charts containing many data points. Additional color and style controls allow report authors to customize the gridlines used in their charts.

      Also new is an interactive reporting capability that uses machine learning to explain to users why a data point within a chart increased or decreased in value compared to the previous data point. Power BI delivers its insights as a pop-up using a plain-English explanation along with supporting charts.

      An included chart switcher allows users to change the type of supporting chart (waterfall, scatter, stacked column or ribbon chart) displayed in the pop-up for different perspectives on an insight. The feature is available now in preview, in both editing and reading modes, said Cofsky.

      An update to the software’s new theme features, also in preview, allows users to control the style of charts. This comes in handy when organizations may have selected a standard look and feel for their reports, but Power BI’s defaults don’t reflect those preferences. September’s theme update allows users and organizations to customize the visual style of their charts and set the standard formatting tools to their liking.

      For the visually impaired, Microsoft has added an accessible chart data view that allows users to explore a data table using a screen reader. Users can access the feature with a keyboard shortcut (Alt+Shift+F11), said Cofsky.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×