Pre-requisites

• Understanding of creating a Power BI Paginated Report

  • Here are two options for learning this:

    • Power BI Data Analyst Associate (PL-300) Cert Prep: Creating Reports in Power BI (linkedin.com)

    • Power BI Paginated Reports in a Day course - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Report Structure

• Begin with a clear and concise report title.

• Organize your report into logical sections using page breaks, headers, and footers.

• Use consistent font styles, sizes, and colors throughout the report.

• Maintain a consistent layout for elements such as tables, charts, and visuals.
  

Data Source and Queries

• Use shared data sources whenever possible to ensure consistency across multiple reports.

  • Power BI Datasets are available as a source for paginated reports.

  • Optimize your queries to retrieve only the necessary data to minimize loading time.

  • Consider using query parameters to make your report more interactive and flexible.

    • (See Filters and Slicers section for additional information.)

• 

Visualizations and Charts

• Best Practices for Building Visualizations - Best Practices for Creating Data Visualizations* | Rise 360   (articulate.com)

• Tables, matrices, and lists in paginated reports - Microsoft Report Builder & Power BI Report Builder | Microsoft Learn

 How to reduce clicks to print/view data

This page will guide you through the steps to make the matrix more user-friendly and reduce the number of clicks to expand the whole matrix.

Visibility options

• Here, I have selected the Visibility options according to my requirement.

• In Hidden, choose one of the following options to set the visibility of this report item the first time you run a report:

  • Select False to display the report item.

  • Select True to hide the report item.

  • Select <Expression> to open the Expression dialog box to create an expression that is evaluated at run time to determine the visibility.

• InitialToggleState gives you the ability to keep the toggle state on or off when you run the report.

• In ToggleItem, from the drop-down box, select the name of a text box to which to add the toggle image.

Group Properties

• In the Row Groups section, select the dropdown of desired column and click Group Properties

• In General group the columns according to requirement

• Click on Visibility and select Show option for When the report is initially run.

• Check Display can be toggled by this report item and select the appropriate column and click OK.

• Click Run and see the results

Filters and Slicers

• Report users should be using the parameters within Report Builder for filtering purposes.

  • Here are some options for learning how parameters work

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSIbRNXGgPQ&list=PLv2BtOtLblH1DC4XPMeuCFzQp_-EBu1iG

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA5twJ2wLd0

    • https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/reporting-services/report-design/report-parameters-report-builder-and-report-designer?view=sql-server-ver16

    • https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/paginated-reports/parameters/define-parameters-in-the-dax-query-designer-for-analysis-services

• Each of the parameters created should be created from a unique dataset (query) created for that parameter. For example if you want a slicer for fiscal year the following steps need to be done.

  1. create a dataset that pulls only fiscal year

  2. create a parameter that pulls fiscal year from that dataset

  3. set the default values for that parameter to be the set of fiscal years

  4. apply that parameter as a filter to the dataset (query) that you are displaying data from

  5. be aware of null values and how to deal with those

Report Performance

• Minimize the number of visuals and data points on a single page to improve performance.

  • Use summarized/aggregated data to reduce the amount of data to process.

  • Optimize DAX calculations and expressions for better query and rendering performance. Watch this Guy in a Cube video.

  • Test your report's performance with different data volumes and optimize accordingly.

• Documentation and Version Control:

  • Document your report's purpose, data sources, and any calculations or transformations applied.

  • Maintain a version control system to track changes and collaborate effectively.

• Testing and Validation:

  • Test your report on different devices and screen resolutions to ensure responsiveness.

  • Validate your report's calculations and visualizations against known and reliable data sources.

  • Solicit feedback from users or stakeholders to identify areas for improvement.

  • Test to verify that it prints as expected.

  • Perform regular maintenance and updates to keep the report functioning properly.

Remember, these are general guidelines, and you can adapt them based on your specific requirements. Regularly reviewing and refining your report-building practices will help you create consistent, and user-friendly reports using Power BI Report Builder.