Property-level custom tooltips can provide helpful context to your data and improve data exploration. As a Microsoft Power BI data analyst, you can create custom tooltips to provide additional insights into the underlying data. This can be a powerful tool for data storytelling and help in explaining complex data scenarios and graphs in a user-friendly format.
Using Power BI To Create Custom Tooltips
Firstly, it’s essential to understand that tooltips can be configured at two levels in Power BI:
- Report Page Tooltips: These display a miniature version of another report page when the end-user hovers over a visual. This tooltip content remains consistent across all visuals in the report.
- Visual-level Tooltips: These tooltips show data related to the data point the end-user is hovering over. It can be configured for individual visuals, offering a more fine-tuned control.
You can enable tooltips within report settings for both visuals and data points. After enabling, you can modify the tooltip’s text and appearance according to your preferences.
This guide will focus on Visual-level Tooltips.
Setting Visual-Level Tooltips
You can set visual-level tooltips in Power BI by following these steps:
- Open Power BI and go to the ‘Fields’ pane, select the ellipses (…) next to the field you want to add a tooltip to.
- Click ‘Manage Roles’.
- In the ‘Manage Roles’ pane, name your role, choose a table, and define a DAX expression for the tooltip.
- Click ‘Ok’, then ‘Save’ on the ‘Manage Roles’ window.
- On the ‘Modeling’ tab, select ‘New Table’.
- Build a DAX expression to define the table you’ll use for your tooltip.
- Next, go to ‘Page view’ options at the top, select ‘Tooltip’.
- Now, build your tooltip using visuals just like you would build a normal report page.
- Finally, go to the visual you want your tooltip to appear on, go to the ‘Format’ pane and select ‘Tooltip’. There you can select/customize your tooltip accordingly.
Enhancing Visual Tooltips with DAX
Data Analysis Expression (DAX) Language can also add another level of functionality to your tooltips. For example, by using DAX you can adjust the content shown in the tooltip depending on the context (e.g., different information might appear when you hover over different parts of a bar chart).
In order to create such a dynamic tooltip you need to create a new calculated column in your dataset using the DAX formula. The created column will define what needs to be shown in tooltips:
Tooltip Text = IF([Column]>[Measure], "This value is higher than average", "This value is lower than average")
Points To Remember While Creating Custom Tooltips
- Size: Keep your tooltips small and concise as large tooltips may cover a major part of the visuals and create inconvenience to your users.
- Relevant Information: Include only pertinent information in your tooltips. Unnecessary data might confuse your users.
- Design: Keep your tooltip design clean and easy to read. Badly designed tooltips might push users away.
Creating custom tooltips in Power BI is an effective way of providing additional insights and explaining your data to your users without making your visuals and dashboards cluttered. Mastering the DAX language can further enhance the functionality and usability of your tooltips.
Practice Test
True or False: You can create and customize tooltips in Microsoft Power BI to display additional information.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Power BI allows users to create and customize tooltips to display additional details for better understanding the data.
What language is used to create custom tooltips in Microsoft Power BI?
- A. SQL
- B. DAX
- C. JavaScript
- D. None of the above
Answer: B. DAX
Explanation: DAX, or Data Analysis Expressions, is the language used in Microsoft Power BI to create custom calculations and functions, including custom tooltips.
True or False: You can only have one tooltip per visual in Power BI.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: There can be multiple tooltips for a single visual in Power BI. You can customize each tooltip to display different supplementary information.
How can you style your tooltips in Power BI?
- A. CSS
- B. HTML
- C. Power BI Styles
- D. None of the above
Answer: C. Power BI Styles
Explanation: Power BI has its own styling options for tooltips, which includes color, font, and other design settings.
True or False: You can add dynamic measures to tooltips in Power BI.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: In Power BI, tooltips can display dynamic measures, which update based on the user’s interactions with the visual.
What does the tooltip functionality provide in Power BI?
- A. Additional information on hover
- B. Data input validation
- C. Interactive elements
- D. All of the above
Answer: A. Additional information on hover
Explanation: The primary role of tooltips in Power BI is to provide additional or explanatory details when the user hovers over a data point.
Which option below cannot be customized when designing tooltips in Power BI?
- A. Colors
- B. Font size
- C. Icon
- D. Tooltip value
Answer: C. Icon
Explanation: Power BI doesn’t allow for customization of icons within tooltips. Colors, font size, and tooltip values can be customized.
True or False: It is not possible to convert tooltips into full-page visuals.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Power BI’s drill-through function allows for the conversion of tooltips into full-page visuals, expanding the detailed view.
Which type of visualization does not support tooltips in Power BI?
- A. Clustered bar chart
- B. Map
- C. Pie Chart
- D. Gauge chart
Answer: D. Gauge chart
Explanation: Unfortunately, Gauge charts in Power BI do not support the tooltip feature.
True or False: Tooltips in Power BI can only show numerical data.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Tooltips can show both numerical and text data. It supports any data that assists in providing more detailed insights into the visualization.
What are the options to turn on tooltips in Power BI?
- A. In the Visualizations pane
- B. In the Fields pane
- C. In the Format pane
- D. In the View pane
Answer: C. In the Format pane
Explanation: To edit or turn on tooltips, users must go to the Format pane within Power BI.
True or False: Creating custom tooltips requires writing DAX expressions.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: DAX, or Data Analysis Expressions, is used to create custom tooltips in Power BI.
Which of the following components of Power BI is most useful in creating custom tooltips?
- A. Query editor
- B. Data view
- C. Report view
- D. Modeling view
Answer: C. Report view
Explanation: The report view in Power BI is the most useful when creating custom tooltips because this is where measures are created and customized.
True or False: There is no limit to how much information you can include in a tooltip in Power BI.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: While tooltips in Power BI can contain detailed information, it is advised to only include essential information for the sake of usability. Overcrowded tooltips can be overwhelming and confusing to users.
True or False: It is not possible to format the text in a tooltip in Power BI.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: In Power BI, formatting the text in a tooltip is possible. You can change the font size, color, and more through the Format pane.
Interview Questions
What is a tooltip in Power BI?
A tooltip in Power BI is a text box that appears when you hover over an item in a report, providing additional information about that item.
How do you create a custom tooltip in Power BI?
To create a custom tooltip in Power BI, you need to create a new report page, design it as you want your tooltip to look, then set that page as a tooltip in the Page information settings.
Can you adjust the size of a custom tooltip in Power BI?
Yes, you can adjust the size of a custom tooltip in Power BI by adjusting the size of the page that you’re using as a tooltip.
Can you use a custom tooltip for multiple visuals in a Power BI report?
Yes, once you’ve created a custom tooltip, you can use it for multiple visuals in a Power BI report by setting the Tooltip property of those visuals to the name of your custom tooltip page.
Are there any special considerations when creating a custom tooltip that displays information related to a specific category in a visual?
When creating a custom tooltip that displays information related to a specific category in a visual, you need to ensure that the category field is included in the Tooltip fields well in your visual. Otherwise, the tooltip won’t display any data when you hover over that category in the visual.
How do you enable tooltips for a visual in Power BI?
To enable tooltips for a visual in Power BI, you need to go to the Format pane for that visual and make sure the Tooltip option is turned on.
Can you add images to a custom tooltip in Power BI?
Yes, you can add images to a custom tooltip in Power BI. Simply insert an image onto the page you’ve created as a tooltip, and it will appear in the tooltip when you hover over a relevant item in your report.
Can we display a custom visual content into the Tooltip?
Yes, Power BI supports tooltips to display custom visual content prepared in the Tooltip report page.
Can you create a custom tooltip with a dynamic content?
Yes, If the tooltip page contains visuals that use the same fields as the original visual, it’s possible to create a dynamic content that changes depending on the data point being hovered over.
What kind of visuals support tooltips in Power BI?
Almost all visuals in Power BI support tooltips, including charts, matrices, maps, cards and tables. It’s a flexible feature that can be added to enhance almost any kind of visual.
Can you add filter context to a tooltip in Power BI?
Yes, the visuals on a tooltip page inherit the filter context applied to the original visual, enabling the creation of detailed and data-specific tooltips.
Can a single field display multiple tooltips in Power BI?
Yes, in Power BI, a single field can display multiple tooltips, each associated with a different measure.
Can you disable the default tooltip for a visual in Power BI?
Yes, you can disable the default tooltip for a visual in Power BI by turning off the Tooltip option in the Format pane for that visual.
Can you use a slicer with tooltips in Power BI?
Yes, slicers support tooltips in Power BI, which means you can create a custom tooltip that provides additional information when you hover over a value in a slicer.
Can you use other visuals in a tooltip report page?
Yes, you can use any kind of visual in your tooltip report page, as long as it fits within the dimensions of the page. This includes charts, tables, and even images.