Reference labels for cards

This page has 0 threads | Add post

Blogs

Finding our blogs useful? Please consider helping us to share more!

Changes to Power BI Desktop in the November 2023 update Part three of a four-part series of blogs
Although the main innovations in this update are in preview, two of them are turned on now by default: button slicers and reference labels for cards. We also can't resist the temptation to show the new DAX query view, even though it's still very much in preview only. Changes to Power BI Desktop in the November 2023 update You can now create button slicers (the first of 5 new types of slicer, apparently) Reference labels for cards (this blog) The new DAX query view We've been creating our idiosyncratic monthly blogs on Power BI updates since November 2016, and also deliver online and classroom Power BI courses.

Changes to Power BI Desktop in the November 2023 update

Part three of a four-part series of blogs

Although the main innovations in this update are in preview, two of them are turned on now by default: button slicers and reference labels for cards. We also can't resist the temptation to show the new DAX query view, even though it's still very much in preview only.

Changes to Power BI Desktop in the November 2023 update
You can now create button slicers (the first of 5 new types of slicer, apparently)
Reference labels for cards (this blog)
The new DAX query view

We've been creating our idiosyncratic monthly blogs on Power BI updates since November 2016, and also deliver online and classroom Power BI courses.

Posted by Andy Brown on 11 December 2023

In this blog

A reminder of the new card visual
An overview of reference labels for cards
Adding reference labels
Formatting the individual labels
Applying general formatting

Just like button slicers, the new reference labels for cards may still be in preview, but they're turned on by default:

More gushiness from the Microsoft update blog: "As the second step in our 5-stage new card visual journey, this November upgrade will keep you smiling from ear to ear!".

Because this preview feature is turned on I've decided to blog about it now, rather than waiting until it is formally released.

A reminder of the new card visual

It seems only a few months ago (possibly because it was - June 2023) that Microsoft introduced the new card visual:

An example of the new card visual, containing an image and a callout.

An overview of reference labels for cards

Not content with releasing a new card visual, Microsoft have now added a feature allowing you to add reference labels to a card visual as either rows or columns, and using sentence or tabular format:

Arrangement	Style	Tabular
Rows	Sentence (text is displayed as is)
Rows	Tabular (labels are displayed in a table)
Columns	Labels are displayed with each label above its data

For each reference label you can also display an additional Detail (so next to the total sales value shown above, for example, you could show an additional statistic of your choice), but since I'm already bewildered by the choice available to me I think I'll leave this to the reader's imagination.

Adding reference labels

Everything to do with reference labels for a card is added here:

The Reference labels formatting card.

You can then add one or more data items:

Here I've added two data items to the card showing the average price.

Formatting the individual labels

You can then choose which of the data items that you've added you want to format (it's easy to miss this stage out):

Here I'm choosing to format the first data item, the total sales.

Each label consists of the Title and the Value (there's also a detail as mentioned in the hint above which I'm not getting into):

The formatting set for our first reference label.

Applying general formatting

Once you've formatted each individual reference label you can then format the whole set, but you must first deselect any series:

Before you can apply general formatting you must first choose All here (again, it's easy to miss this).

You can then set whether a dividing line will appear above your reference labels:

Here I've gone for a thick dashed dividing line.

Finally, you can set the background, all-important layout and spacing:

Here I've gone for centre-justified columns.

Here's what the above settings would give:

What the above card would look like, complete with dividing line and background colour for the reference labels.

Personally, I think this is completely over the top. Who has the time to fine-tune part of a report to this extent? And is this even something that was needed? Couldn't I have created this effect with 2 or 3 separate visuals? Or am I being ungrateful?

Parts of this blog
Changes to Power BI Desktop in the November 2023 update You can now create button slicers (the first of 5 new types of slicer, apparently) Reference labels for cards (this blog) The new DAX query view

Some other pages relevant to the above blogs include:

This blog has 0 threads

Add a new post

BLOGS BY TOPIC

BLOGS BY AUTHOR

A reminder of the new card visual

An overview of reference labels for cards

Adding reference labels

Formatting the individual labels

Applying general formatting

Head office

London

Manchester