Visualize and analyze the data · Topic 5 of 6
Drillthrough, Export, Mobile, Accessibility and Refresh
PL-300 usability: configure drillthrough pages, export settings, mobile layouts, personalized visuals, accessibility and automatic page refresh for DirectQuery.
- 5 min
- Drillthrough needs a field in the Drill through well. Keep all filters passes existing filters, and cross report works across reports on one model.
- Export settings are summarized only, summarized plus underlying, or none. Tenant admin settings override.
- Mobile layout is designed in Desktop on a portrait canvas and holds only the visuals you place there.
What it is
A report is only useful if people can explore it, take data away, use it on a phone, personalise it, read it with assistive tools and see fresh data. This page covers drillthrough, export settings, the mobile layout, personalised visuals, accessibility and automatic page refresh, all of which are report level settings.
How it works
Drillthrough
Drillthrough lets a reader right click a data point and jump to a detail page filtered to that item.
- Create a new page and add the field to the Drill through well in the Visualizations pane.
- Turn Keep all filters on if the page should also apply the filters from the source page.
- Optionally turn on Cross report to make the page available from other reports that use the same semantic model.
- Power BI adds a Back button automatically. Add a drillthrough button to make the feature visible.
Readers reach the page with right click, Drill through, or the button. Do not confuse the three drill features: drill down moves down a hierarchy inside the same visual, drill through moves to another page, and expand adds the next level while keeping the current one.
Export settings
In report settings (File, Options, Current file, Report settings in Desktop, or Settings in the service), choose what readers can export from visuals.
| Option | Readers can |
|---|---|
| Summarized data only | Export what the visual shows |
| Summarized data and underlying data | Also export the detailed rows behind it (needs Build permission on the semantic model) |
| None | Export nothing |
The Power BI admin can restrict export for the whole tenant, and the tenant setting overrides the report setting. Sensitivity labels travel with exported data. Export data on a visual's More options menu gives Data with current layout, Summarized data or Underlying data.
Mobile layout
In Desktop, select View then Mobile layout to design a phone layout. The canvas is a portrait rectangle. Drag visuals from the list onto it and size them. Only visuals you place on the mobile canvas appear on the phone, and the desktop layout is unaffected. Design for one column, short titles and larger touch targets.
Personalized visuals
With Personalize visuals enabled in the report settings, readers can change a visual's type, swap its fields and change the axes and legend to answer their own question, then save a personal bookmark. They can Reset to default at any time. You turn the feature on for the whole report, and can turn it off for a single visual.
Accessibility
Design reports for people who use screen readers, keyboards or have low vision.
| Technique | How |
|---|---|
| Alt text | Format, General, Alt text on each meaningful visual |
| Tab order | In the Selection pane, set the order for keyboard navigation to match the reading order |
| Titles | Give each visual a clear title |
| Colors and contrast | Use an accessible theme, enough contrast and do not rely on color alone. Add labels, markers or patterns |
| Keyboard navigation | Visuals can be reached and operated by keyboard |
| Show as a table | Readers can view a visual's data as a table |
| Hide decoration | Decorative shapes and backgrounds should not clutter the tab order |
Name pages meaningfully and keep text a readable size.
Automatic page refresh
Automatic page refresh makes a report page re-query its data at a set interval. It works for DirectQuery sources, not for Import tables.
| Type | How it works |
|---|---|
| Fixed interval | All visuals on the page query the source at a constant interval, from one second up. The default in Desktop is 30 minutes |
| Change detection | A measure is polled at an interval, and visuals refresh only when the measure's value changes. Only one change detection measure is allowed per model |
In the service, limits depend on the workspace.
- Shared capacity workspaces have a 30 minute minimum interval and no change detection.
- Premium, Fabric or PPU workspaces follow settings from the capacity admin, who can turn the feature on or off and set a minimum interval (the default is five minutes for fixed interval and five seconds for change detection). The admin can only increase the interval.
Automatic page refresh settings are per page. A query that takes longer than the interval makes the actual rate slower. Do not confuse it with scheduled refresh, which reloads an Import model.
A worked scenario
A call center report shows a Customers visual and a hidden Customer Detail page. The analyst adds Customer to the page's Drill through well, so right click on a customer opens the detail. She builds a mobile layout with the key cards. She turns on Personalize visuals, sets alt text on every chart, and fixes the tab order. For the live queue page, which uses DirectQuery, she turns on automatic page refresh with change detection, and publishes to a Premium workspace.
What to remember for the exam
- Drillthrough needs a field in the Drill through well. Keep all filters passes existing filters, and cross report works across reports on one model.
- Export settings are summarized only, summarized plus underlying, or none. Tenant admin settings override.
- Mobile layout is designed in Desktop on a portrait canvas and holds only the visuals you place there.
- Personalize visuals is a report setting that lets readers change visual type and fields.
- Automatic page refresh is DirectQuery only. Shared capacity has a 30 minute minimum and no change detection.
Accessibility answers usually include alt text, tab order, titles, contrast and not relying on color alone.
How the exam asks about this
- "Right click a region and see the stores in that region on another page." Drillthrough.
- "Readers must not export row level details." Set export to none or summarized data only.
- "Phone users need a different layout." Mobile layout.
- "A DirectQuery page must update when the source changes, with minimum queries." Change detection.
Common mistakes
Expecting automatic page refresh on an Import model.
Forgetting that shared capacity has a 30 minute minimum.
Ignoring tab order. It should follow reading order.
Confusing drill down and drill through.
Check yourself
What does a drillthrough page need to be reachable?
A field in the Drill through well.
Which storage mode supports automatic page refresh?
DirectQuery.
What does change detection do?
Polls a measure and refreshes visuals only when its value changes.
Topic 5 of 6 in Visualize and analyze the data
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