Power BI: Adding Bookmarks to Buttons and the Bookmark Navigator

In this tutorial, Allison Gonzalez from Pragmatic Works walks through how to create bookmarks in Power BI, link them to buttons, and leverage the Bookmark Navigator for seamless navigation. These features help users save specific views and make reports more interactive and user-friendly.

Why Use Bookmarks in Power BI?

Bookmarks allow you to save a specific view of your report, including filters and slicer settings. This is especially helpful for end users who may find filtering intimidating or time-consuming. Instead of repeatedly applying filters, bookmarks provide quick access to predefined views.

Setting Up Your Report

• Start with a Power BI report that includes visuals like bar charts, slicers, and maps.
• Ensure your data is organized and ready for filtering.
• Identify key views that users will need frequently, such as data for a specific state and year.

Creating Bookmarks

1. Go to the View ribbon and enable the Bookmarks Pane.
2. Filter your report to the desired view (e.g., Georgia for 2010).
3. Click Add in the Bookmarks Pane to create a new bookmark.
4. Rename the bookmark immediately for clarity (e.g., “Georgia 2010”).

Repeat this process for other important views, such as Florida 2009 or Illinois 2011. You can also create a default unfiltered view for easy navigation back to the starting point.

Linking Bookmarks to Buttons

To make bookmarks accessible, link them to buttons:

1. Go to the Insert ribbon and select Button.
2. Choose a button type (e.g., Blank) and customize its shape, color, and text.
3. In the Format Pane, enable Action and set the type to Bookmark.
4. Select the corresponding bookmark from the dropdown list.

When testing in Power BI Desktop, use Ctrl + Click to activate the button. In the Power BI Service, a regular click will work.

Using the Bookmark Navigator

For multiple bookmarks, the Bookmark Navigator is a time-saving feature introduced in November 2021. It automatically creates a set of buttons for all your bookmarks.

• Go to Insert > Buttons > Navigator > Bookmark Navigator.
• Resize and style the buttons to fit your report design.
• Customize states such as Default, Hover, and Selected for better user experience.
• Organize bookmarks into groups if needed (e.g., group by states).

The Bookmark Navigator ensures that any new bookmarks added later will automatically appear, reducing manual effort and improving navigation for end users.

Tips for Styling and Layout

• Use rounded rectangles for a clean look.
• Adjust hover and selected states to make interactions clear.
• Experiment with horizontal or vertical layouts based on available space.

Benefits of Bookmarks and Navigator

By implementing bookmarks and the Bookmark Navigator, you:

• Save time for both report creators and end users.
• Provide a guided experience for users unfamiliar with Power BI filtering.
• Enhance report interactivity and usability.

Whether you’re building reports for beginners or advanced users, these features make navigation intuitive and efficient. Allison recommends always renaming bookmarks and creating a default view for easy resets.

Final Thoughts

Bookmarks and the Bookmark Navigator are powerful tools for improving user experience in Power BI. They allow quick access to critical views and streamline navigation. If you haven’t tried these features yet, start incorporating them into your reports today!

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