Power BI: Create dynamic tooltips for interactive dashboards

In Power BI it is important to make dashboards not only informative, but also interactive and user-friendly. Dynamic tooltips in Power BI offer a powerful way to show extra context and details without overloading the dashboard. In this article you will learn how to create dynamic tooltips that automatically change based on the selected data, helping BI teams provide deeper insights to users.

What you need

• A Power BI report with a dataset where you want to show extra detail information

• A separate page in Power BI that you will set up as a tooltip

• Sufficient knowledge of creating visuals and setting page parameters in Power BI

Step 1: Create a tooltip page

Start by creating a new page in your Power BI report that you will use as a tooltip. This page contains the visuals and information you want to show when users hover over an element in your dashboard. Configure the page settings so that it functions as a tooltip.

Go to the page settings and check the ‘Tooltip’ option under ‘Page information’. Adjust the page size to ‘Tooltip’ under ‘Page size’ so the page is displayed small and compact as a tooltip.

Step 2: Add dynamic visuals to the tooltip page

Add visuals to the tooltip page that show relevant details, such as extra figures, trends or contextual information. Use filters and slicers that are linked to the main visuals so the tooltip automatically shows the correct data based on the hover context.

Use, for example, a card, table or chart that depends on the selected value in the main report. This makes the tooltip dynamic and context-sensitive.

Step 3: Link the tooltip page to a visual in your dashboard

Go back to the main report page and select the visual for which you want to set the dynamic tooltip. Go to the ‘Visualizations’ pane and open the ‘Tooltip’ tab. Choose ‘Page’ here and select the tooltip page you just created.

The dynamic tooltip now automatically appears when you hover over the visual, showing the contextual information you have configured.

Tips & common mistakes

• Tip: Keep the tooltip clear and relevant; too much information can distract.

• Mistake: Don’t forget to mark the tooltip page as a tooltip in the page settings.

• Tip: Always test the tooltip in the online environment to see how users experience it.

Example / mini use case

Suppose you have a sales dashboard with a bar chart per region. By creating a dynamic tooltip with a table showing the top 5 products per region, users can quickly see extra details without leaving the dashboard. This increases usability and makes the dashboard more powerful.

Conclusion

With dynamic tooltips in Power BI you make dashboards more interactive and informative, improving decision-making within BI teams. Try applying this technique and discover the benefits for yourself.

Our tip: Keep the tooltip page small and clear by placing a maximum of two to three visuals. A tooltip with too much information is difficult to read and can distract the user. Preferably use a card or a compact table with the most relevant details for the context of the main visual.