The new Power BI Desktop file picker is very welcome

This page has 0 threads | Add post

Blogs

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

Power BI Desktop updates for January 2025 Part two of a four-part series of blogs
This month includes some pretty minor updates (such as new ways to do treemaps), but we're breaking with our usual rules to highlight two features in preview: a new way to save files and a new language called TMDL for updating models. Introducing the Power BI Desktop updates for January 2025 The new Power BI Desktop file picker is very welcome (this blog) The new TMDL model definition language New ways of viewing treemaps, and of spacing them out We've been creating our idiosyncratic monthly blogs on Power BI updates since November 2016, and also deliver online and classroom Power BI courses.

Power BI Desktop updates for January 2025

Part two of a four-part series of blogs

This month includes some pretty minor updates (such as new ways to do treemaps), but we're breaking with our usual rules to highlight two features in preview: a new way to save files and a new language called TMDL for updating models.

Introducing the Power BI Desktop updates for January 2025
The new Power BI Desktop file picker is very welcome (this blog)
The new TMDL model definition language
New ways of viewing treemaps, and of spacing them out

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 03 February 2025

In this blog

How things were before this update
Enabling and using the new file picker
Pinning files and folders

This is a small change, but removes (for this owl at any rate) a major irritation!

How things were before this update

To remind you of why this change was needed, here is what you currently see by default when you choose to save a file in Power BI Desktop:

If you're saving work to your computer, you'll want to choose Browse this device as shown, but it's hidden at the bottom of your screen.

Enabling and using the new file picker

Wise Owl strongly recommend that you turn on the new file saving and open experience in preview (see the previous part of this blog for more on how to enable preview options):

You'll want to tick this box!

Here's what this now gives when you choose to save a file:

This is so much easier to read and use!

Pinning files and folders

One ofher useful feature of the new file picker is that you can pin a file or folder to the top of your list:

Click on the pin icon as shown next to a file or folder to bring this to the top of your list.

As you might expect pinned files and folders appear first, followed by things you've been working on today, followed by older files/folders:

This is a useful time-saving feature.

Congratulations to Microsoft for listening to their users and for having the courage to modify something which wasn't working!

Parts of this blog
Introducing the Power BI Desktop updates for January 2025 The new Power BI Desktop file picker is very welcome (this blog) The new TMDL model definition language New ways of viewing treemaps, and of spacing them out