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Bookmarks & Buttons

? Bookmarks & Buttons in Power BI

✨ Quick Overview

Bookmarks and Buttons are used together to create interactive navigation, toggle views, and storytelling dashboards in Power BI without writing any DAX.

? Key Concepts

  • Bookmark captures the current state of a report page
  • Buttons are used to trigger bookmarks
  • Used for show/hide visuals, page navigation, reset filters
  • Makes dashboards app-like
  • No coding required

? Syntax / Theory

Bookmark = Snapshot of visuals + filters + slicers + page state

? Step 1: Open Bookmarks Pane

? View Code Example
// Path to open Bookmarks pane
View → Bookmarks Pane
Bookmarks pane shows all saved states of the report page.

? Step 2: Create a Bookmark

? View Code Example
// Steps to create a bookmark
Apply filters or hide visuals
Click Add in Bookmarks Pane
Rename bookmark

? Step 3: Bookmark Options (Very Important)

? View Code Example
// Bookmark settings to control behavior
Data
Display
Current Page
Selected Visuals
Disable Data option when creating show/hide bookmarks.

? Step 4: Insert Buttons

? View Code Example
// Path to insert a button
Insert → Buttons → Blank / Navigator / Back

? Step 5: Assign Bookmark to Button

? View Code Example
// Button action configuration
Select Button
Format Pane → Action → On
Type → Bookmark
Choose Bookmark Name

? Live Output / Explanation

Clicking a button instantly changes the report view based on the saved bookmark.

? Interactive Example (Conceptual)

Button A → Shows Sales Chart   Button B → Shows Profit Chart   This is achieved using two bookmarks and one button per bookmark.

? Use Cases

  • Show / Hide filters panel
  • Toggle between charts
  • Reset all slicers
  • Create landing pages
  • Build guided reports

? Toggle View Simulator (Bookmark Logic)

In Power BI, you use the Selection Pane to hide visuals and Bookmarks to save that state. Try it below:

?
Total Sales: ₹2,45,000
Current State: Visual 1 Visible / Visual 2 Hidden
?
Net Profit: ₹84,200
Current State: Visual 1 Hidden / Visual 2 Visible
? Trainer Tip: When creating toggles, remember to select "Selected Visuals" in the bookmark options so you don't reset slicers when switching views.

? Tips & Best Practices

  • Turn off Data for visibility bookmarks
  • Rename bookmarks clearly
  • Group related bookmarks
  • Use buttons instead of bookmark pane
  • Test in reading view

? Try It Yourself

  1. Create two visuals
  2. Hide one visual
  3. Create Bookmark A
  4. Show second visual
  5. Create Bookmark B
  6. Use buttons to toggle views