Anatomy of a Power BI Report

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This article explains some of the most common Power BI functions to help you get the most out of reports and dashboards.

Detail Information

Showing a PowerBI report with sections labeled. Labeled sections are described in following text.

The numbers correspond to the diagram above. They may differ in their look and feel as well as their location on the screen from report to report, however, the functionality remains similar. 

Found in the Canvas Frame and are seen on all reports

  1. Menu Items (Top left / Top right)
  2. App Contents

Found in the Central Canvas area inside the frame

  1. Slicers
  2. Visuals
  3. Buttons

1. Menu Items 

These menu items, along the top left and right of the blue bar, are available in all reports. 

Top left menu items 

File menu

Showing the Dropdown menu when the File button is selected.

  • Print this page - Selecting the print option will open your print dialogue box. Only the report area is selected to print. Choose your report options (slicers, pages, etc.) before printing to change what is displayed and printed.

    Showing the Print Dialogue Box that opens once the Print Button is selected.
     
  • Embed report - this option is not available for viewers. It should only be accessed by report creators with permission from dataset administrators.  
     
  • Generate a QR code - To quickly link a colleague (with the same access to this classification level of data) to a report, you can select this option to download a QR code which will take them directly to the report.
    showing a generated QR code for a report.

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Export menu

You can export an entire report either to PowerPoint or as a PDF. Be aware that these export functions only capture what is visible on the page.

  1. To export a PowerPoint slide or PDF

    1. Click the drop-down arrow for "Export" and choose "PowerPoint" or "PDF"
      Showing the dropdown menu that is shown when the Export button is selected.

    2. Select from the options presented and click the "Export" button. 
      Showing the Export options dialogue box that is opened when you select to export the report.
    3. Once it is completed, you can download the PDF, and the PowerPoint file will be opened automatically. All pages can be exported at once and populate separate pages and/or slides. Additionally, PowerPoint automatically creates a title page with file information pre-filled.
    4. Analyze in Excel is not an available function. 

NOTE: Since the export functions above only capture what is visible on the page, the data is sometimes incomplete. To remedy this, you can export the data from each visual to Excel.

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Chat in Teams 

Microsoft Teams is part of the University of Maine System's subscription to the Microsoft Office 365 suite of tools.
Follow this link to the Microsoft documentation for using Teams with Power BI if your group uses Microsoft Teams to collaborate.

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Comment

Select "Comment" from the menu to open a dialogue box on the right. @ mention individuals to share your feedback.

comment function

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Subscribe

You can subscribe to and email, a report. This function is helpful when the report is refreshed frequently.

  1. Click "Subscribe"
    Showing the location of the Subscribe button
     
  2. A dialogue box opens up on the right side of the screen. Select " + Add new subscription" and the form options appear.
  3. Enter the required information to subscribe to regular email updates with the selected report pages
  4. Select "Save and close" when complete.
    Showing the dialogue box that Opens when subscribe to emails is selected.

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More (three dots) 

Showing the dropdown menu that appears when you select the More menu.

  1. Select the three "More" dots.
  2. Click "See related content" to view the related content for this report, and click "Close" at the bottom when done.

Showing the Related Content Dialogue Box.

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Top right menu items 

showing the Top Right Menu Items.

Reset to default

Use this quick and easy button to reset all filters at once. To see what filters are active, make sure the filter panel on the right side is expanded. 

Showing the location of the Reset to Default Button.

  1. Select "Reset to default" 
  2. Click on the yellow reset button
    Showing the Reset to Default dialogue box with yellow reset button that opens when you select to reset to default.

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Bookmarks

Bookmarks remember your selections of the report page and slicers. When you come back to report for the next time, select the bookmarked view you desire.

  1. Select the slicers or view of the report page for what you want to capture as a bookmark
  2. Click "Bookmarks"
    Showing the dropdown menu that appears when the Bookmarks button is selected.
  3. Click "add a personal bookmark" and enter a name for the current state of the report.
  4. Select "Save." You can also select a specific bookmark to be the default view for the report.
  5. Your new bookmark will appear in the menu as well as under your "Personal bookmarks."
    Showing an example of a bookmark in the bookmark menu.
     
  6. Select "Reset to default" to return to the original, default report view.

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View

Select the view options to change the size of the report or change the color contrast for easier viewing.

Showing both the Select view for Page view dropdown menu and contrast options dropdown menu that can appear when you select view.

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Refresh

Click on the refresh icon to refresh the data behind the visuals, ensuring the most up-to-date view of the dashboard.

Showing the location of the refresh button.

Add to favorites & Info

Select the star to add this dashboard to your Favorites menu in PowerBI.com.

For info about the dashboard, including the name, owner, and description, select the info circle.

Showing the location of the Favorites and Info button.

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2. App Contents

Some reports have multiple pages. Expand the list by clicking a small up arrow.

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3. Slicers

There are various types of slicers (radio button, slide bar, check box, drop-down etc.). The more filters you have, the more granular the results.

showing an example of slicers that can appear in a PowerBI report.

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4. Visuals

Power BI can create different types of visuals, including tables, bar graphs, pie charts, gauges, cards, maps, and more.

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5. Buttons

A button can take the form of a shape, image, or icon from a report page. However, if an action is triggered when you select it, then it’s most likely a button.

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Environment

  • Power BI

Details

Details

Article ID: 159503
Created
Fri 5/10/24 5:19 AM
Modified
Mon 7/28/25 3:08 PM
Applies To
Faculty
Staff