Introduction
Power BI is known for its powerful data visualization capabilities, but one of its lesser-known features — Bookmarks — can take your reports to a whole new level. Bookmarks in Power BI allow you to capture the current state of a report page, including filters, visuals, and selections, and return to that state anytime.
Whether you're building interactive dashboards, storytelling presentations, or custom navigation menus, bookmarks are essential for dynamic reporting.
What Are Bookmarks in Power BI?
A bookmark in Power BI captures the current view of your report — including filters, slicers, visuals, and spotlight elements — and lets you return to that exact state with a single click or button.
Bookmarks are used to:
Toggle between views or visuals
Create interactive buttons or navigation
Simulate drill-through without changing pages
Build custom “reset filters” actions
Create storytelling presentations
How to Create a Bookmark in Power BI
Set your report page to the desired state (apply filters, hide visuals, etc.).
Go to the View tab and open the Bookmarks Pane.
Click Add to create a new bookmark.
Rename it appropriately (e.g., "SalesView2023").
Optional: Enable or disable features like data, display, and current page.
Types of Bookmark Options
When saving a bookmark, you can control what is stored:
Data – Stores slicer/filter selections
Display – Stores visibility of visuals
Current Page – Navigates between report pages
All Visuals/Selected Visuals – Choose what to include in the bookmark.
Practical Examples of Using Bookmarks
1. Toggle Between Charts
Use two visuals (e.g., bar chart and pie chart) on the same page. Create two bookmarks, each showing one visual and hiding the other. Use buttons to switch between them.
2. Reset Filters Button
Set a default filter state and save it as a bookmark. Then add a button linked to this bookmark to “reset filters.”
3. Create a Navigation Menu
Build a custom menu using shapes or buttons and link them to bookmarks pointing to different report views or pages.
4. Storytelling Mode
Create a series of bookmarks that walk viewers through insights step-by-step. Use the “View” option to play them like a slideshow.
How to Link Bookmarks to Buttons
Insert a button or shape (from the Insert tab).
Select the button and go to the Format pane.
Enable Action > choose Type: Bookmark.
Choose the desired bookmark from the list.
Limitations of Bookmarks
Bookmarks are static snapshots, not dynamically generated.
Overuse of bookmarks and visibility toggles can make reports harder to maintain.
Not all interactions (e.g., dynamic measures) are preserved perfectly.
Conclusion
Bookmarks in Power BI empower creators to deliver engaging, interactive, and user-friendly dashboards. By mastering bookmarks, you can move beyond static reports and deliver insights in a way that guides your audience through the story your data is telling.
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