Power BI ToolTip: Create and Use Interactive ToolTips

Great dashboards are more than just data visualization tools; they also tell stories. However, what if you could provide an even better insight without using an unappealing visualization? Enter Power BI ToolTip. Indeed, it is the crown jewel, and it has made the majority of the reports interactive.

With a simple hover, ToolTips provide additional data, mini charts, KPIs, dynamic insights, and other features without leaving your main report. Whether you’re creating financial reports or dashboards to track and analyze sales, ToolTips adds color and depth to your data storytelling.

Are you prepared to make your Power BI report smarter and more engaging? So, let’s see how ToolTips will improve your data experience! 

What is a Power BI ToolTip?

In Power BI, a ToolTip is a tiny pop-up window that shows up when a user hovers over a data point in a visualization. Without having to visit separate report pages, it gives users more information about the chosen data, enabling them to recognize trends and patterns.

You can alter ToolTips beyond the default view in Power BI by:

• Including Measures and Fields: Show pertinent data points dynamically.

Make specific pages for more in-depth insights with Report Page ToolTips.

• Using Conditional Formatting: Emphasize important trends according to certain criteria.

Power BI ToolTips use these features to turn basic data points into dynamic, rich experiences. 

You now understand what a Power BI ToolTip is. Now, let’s discuss why the Power BI ToolTip is used.

Why is the Power BI ToolTip Used?

By adding extra insights without overcrowding the main report, Power BI ToolTips improve data exploration and user experience. By enabling users to hover over data points and view important details instantly, they enhance their comprehension of relationships, comparisons, and trends.

Important Justifications for Using Power BI ToolTips:

1. Improve Data Context: ToolTips make reports more readable and informative by displaying additional information without using overpowering graphics.
2. Boost User Interactivity: Reports become more interesting when users can hover over a visual to uncover hidden insights.
3. Display Advanced Insights: Custom ToolTips can incorporate conditional formatting, KPIs, and mini visualizations to provide a more thorough understanding of the data. 

Next, we all see Power BI’s Types of ToolTips.

Types of ToolTips in Power BI

Three Types of ToolTips Provided by Power BI to Support the Interactivity of Reports:

1. Default ToolTips

The basic ToolTip that a user sees by default whenever he moves his mouse over an image shows the data values associated with it. It will give you that simple overview without any customization.

2. Custom ToolTips

Custom ToolTips would allow the report designer to associate fields, conditional formatting, calculated measures, etc., making the popup more logical.

3. Report Page ToolTips

Such ToolTips would use a separate Power BI report page designed as a tooltip page. This would thus provide much more advanced visuals, dynamic insight, and customized layouts along with the general purpose of the standard tooltip.

Now that you are aware of the different kinds of Power BI tooltips, let’s look at how to make a custom one.

How do you create a custom power BI Tooltip?

To create a Report Page ToolTip in Power BI, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a New Report Page

I’ve created a graph on the report page, with the X-axis representing the date values of each month and the Y-axis showing the sum of the open price. The graph has been successfully created. 

Step 2: Customize the ToolTip Page

 To enhance data exploration and user experience, we will now develop a tooltip for this graph that offers more information without overcrowding the main report.

•  The report page will initially be called HDFC.
• We will then add a second page called Tooltip_Demo.
• Go to Canvas settings on the Tooltip_Demo page, and you’ll see an option called Type. You’ll notice a Tooltip option beneath that.

The structure of the report page will be as follows

Step 3: Assign the ToolTip to a Visual

On the Tooltip_Demo page, create a chart to depict the ToolTip and fill it in with pertinent data.

• Enter the Date value in the Legend field.
• Add the Sum of OpenPrice to the Values field.
• The image below illustrates how the chart will be set up. 

Next, navigate to the HDFC report page

•  Go to the General settings and enable the Tooltip option.
• Under Type, select Report Page.
• In the Page option, set the redirection to Tooltip_Demo.

Now, the Open Price by Month chart will display each month’s data in the form of a Pie Chart, providing a clear representation of the data for each month. The information will be well-explained based on monthly trends.

You can also customize the background color of the Tooltip chart to enhance its visibility. 

Navigate to the Tooltip_Demo page to format your report

• Go to Canvas settings and select Canvas background.
• Below that, you will find color options—choose a preferred color.
• Adjust the transparency level to apply the background color to the chart.

Next, we will learn how to add multiple charts to ToolTip

• First, resize the existing chart to create space for additional visuals.
• Then, add your preferred chart to the ToolTip page.
• Here, I have added two charts along with two cards to display the total traded quantity and the sum of the closing price.

Now you can see the multiple chart tooltip is also created

I hope you now know how to make a tooltip in Power BI Desktop, as well as how to add a background and multiple charts. Next, we’ll go over The Best Ways to Use Power BI ToolTips.

The Best Ways to Use Power BI ToolTips

1. Keep It Brief: ToolTips should provide pertinent information without overburdening users.
2. Employ Interactive Visuals: KPIs and small bar charts improve the narrative.
3. Make sure your writing is readable by using simple layouts, contrasting colors, and legible fonts.
4. Optimize Performance: Steer clear of intricate computations that could cause reports to respond more slowly.

 Conclusion

One useful feature that enhances data exploration and user experience is Power BI ToolTips. Report designers can add more fields, images, and interactive components to ToolTips to give deeper insights without overcrowding dashboards.

This blog covered Power BI ToolTips, their role in enhancing data exploration, and how to create custom ToolTips with multiple charts. It also highlighted the differences between default and Report Page ToolTips. While ToolTips improve interactivity and insights, optimizing them is essential for clarity and performance in Power BI reports.

If you are interested in advancing your skills and your career prospects in Power BI, then you should explore the latest courses and Training programs. We recommend you take up the Power BI Certification Training offered by Edureka. Edureka’s Power BI certification course by PwC offers dual certification in business intelligence. The training is live instructor-led and provides hands-on experience in real-time projects. It prepares you for the official PL-300 exam and offers simulated real-world scenarios.