Power BI Bookmarks and Buttons: Creating Interactive Report Experiences
Modern Power BI reports are no longer just static dashboards. Business users expect reports to behave more like applications-interactive, guided, and easy to explore without technical knowledge.
This is where Bookmarks and Buttons in Microsoft Power BI become powerful. Used correctly, they allow you to control report navigation, toggle views, show or hide insights, and create app-like experiences-all without writing DAX or code.
This blog explains what bookmarks and buttons are, how they work together, and how to design interactive report experiences, using clear steps and visual snapshots.
What Are Power BI Bookmarks?
A bookmark in Power BI captures the state of a report page at a specific point in time. This state can include:
- Filter and slicer selections
- Visual visibility (shown or hidden)
- Drill and sort states
Think of a bookmark as a saved moment in your report that you can return to instantly.
Common use cases include:
- Switching between summary and detailed views
- Showing different KPIs on the same page
- Resetting filters to a default state
What Are Power BI Buttons?
Buttons are interactive triggers that allow users to perform actions inside a report. These actions can include:
- a. Navigating to another page
- b. Activating a bookmark
- c. Opening a URL
- d. Drilling through to detail pages
Buttons act as the user-facing control, while bookmarks store the logic behind what happens.
On their own, buttons are simple. Combined with bookmarks, they unlock advanced interactivity.
Step-by-Step: Creating an Interactive View Toggle
Step 1: Design Visual States
Start by creating different views on the same report page.
For example:
- a. A summary KPI view
- b. A detailed table view
Use the Selection Pane to show or hide visuals for each state.
Step 2: Create Bookmarks
Open the Bookmarks Pane and create a bookmark for each visual state.
Important settings to review:
- a. Data: Captures filters and slicers
- b. Display: Captures visual visibility
- c. Current Page: Keeps navigation consistent
Rename bookmarks clearly, such as:
- a.
Summary_View - b.
Detail_View
Step 3: Add Buttons
Insert buttons from the Insert → Buttons menu.
Common button types include:
- a. Blank buttons
- b. Back buttons
- c. Navigator buttons
Label buttons clearly so users understand what each action does.
Step 4: Link Buttons to Bookmarks
Select a button and configure its Action:
- a. Action type: Bookmark
- b. Bookmark: Select the relevant bookmark
This is the point where interactivity is activated.
Common Interactive Scenarios
Bookmarks and buttons are commonly used to:
- a. Toggle between Actual vs Forecast views
- b. Switch between regional dashboards
- c. Create pop-up panels for explanations
- d. Reset filters with a single click
- e. Build guided navigation for executives
These patterns reduce clutter and improve usability, especially for non-technical users.
To conclude, bookmarks and buttons transform Power BI reports from static dashboards into interactive, guided experiences. They allow report creators to design with intent, reduce user confusion, and present insights more effectively.
When used thoughtfully, this feature bridges the gap between reporting and application-style analytics—without adding technical complexity.
If you’re building reports for decision-makers, bookmarks and buttons are not optional anymore—they are essential.
Need help deciding how to design interactivity in your Power BI reports?
Reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com
