Mobile layout view in Power BI - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a business analyst at a retail company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants a sales report that is easy to view on mobile devices. They ask you to create a mobile-friendly layout of the sales dashboard.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales data by product category and region, including total sales and number of units sold.

🎯 Deliverable: A Power BI report with a mobile layout view optimized for smartphones, showing key sales metrics and trends.

Sample Data

Month	Region	Category	Total Sales	Units Sold
Jan	North	Electronics	12000	150
Jan	South	Clothing	8000	200
Feb	North	Electronics	15000	180
Feb	South	Clothing	9000	220
Mar	North	Electronics	13000	160
Mar	South	Clothing	8500	210
Jan	East	Furniture	7000	50
Feb	East	Furniture	7500	55
Mar	East	Furniture	7200	52

1

Step 1: Import the sales data into Power BI Desktop.

Use 'Get Data' > 'Excel' or 'CSV' to load the sample data table.

Expected Result

Sales data table appears in Power BI with columns: Month, Region, Category, Total Sales, Units Sold.

2

Step 2: Create a report page with visuals showing total sales and units sold by month and category.

Add a clustered column chart: Axis=Month, Legend=Category, Values=Sum of Total Sales. Add a card visual showing total units sold using measure: Total Units = SUM('Table'[Units Sold]).

Expected Result

Report page displays a column chart of monthly sales by category and a card with total units sold.

3

Step 3: Open the Mobile Layout view in Power BI Desktop.

Go to the 'View' tab and select 'Mobile Layout'.

Expected Result

Mobile layout canvas opens, showing report visuals as thumbnails.

4

Step 4: Add the key visuals to the mobile layout and arrange them vertically for easy scrolling.

Drag the total sales column chart and the total units sold card from the right pane onto the mobile layout canvas. Resize and stack them vertically.

Expected Result

Mobile layout shows the column chart on top and the units sold card below, optimized for narrow mobile screens.

5

Step 5: Add a slicer for Region to the mobile layout for filtering data on mobile devices.

Add a slicer visual for Region from the report visuals to the mobile layout below existing visuals.

Expected Result

Mobile layout includes a Region slicer below the sales visuals, allowing mobile users to filter by region.

6

Step 6: Save and publish the report to Power BI Service.

Click 'File' > 'Save' then 'Publish' to your Power BI workspace.

Expected Result

Report is available online with mobile layout enabled for smartphone viewing.

7

Step 7: Test the report on a mobile device using the Power BI mobile app.

Open the Power BI app, navigate to the published report, and verify the mobile layout displays correctly with all visuals and slicers accessible.

Expected Result

Report displays well on mobile with vertical scrolling, clear visuals, and working filters.

Final Result

Mobile Sales Dashboard
-----------------------
| Total Sales Chart   |
| (Monthly by Category)|
-----------------------
| Total Units Sold    |
| (Card Visual)       |
-----------------------
| Region Filter       |
| (Slicer)            |
-----------------------

✓Monthly sales trends are clear and easy to view on mobile devices.

✓Users can filter sales data by region using the mobile slicer.

✓The mobile layout improves report usability on small screens.

Bonus Challenge

Add a mobile-friendly KPI visual showing the highest selling category for the current month.

Show Hint

Create a DAX measure to find the category with max sales for the latest month, then add a card visual to the mobile layout.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the Mobile layout view in Power BI?

easy

A. To customize how reports look on mobile phones

B. To create new data models for mobile devices

C. To write DAX formulas optimized for mobile

D. To export reports only in mobile-friendly formats

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Mobile Layout View Function

   The Mobile layout view is designed to let users change how visuals appear on phones, separate from desktop views.

2. Step 2: Compare Options

   Options B, C, and D describe unrelated tasks like data modeling, DAX writing, or exporting, which are not the main purpose of Mobile layout view.

3. Final Answer:

   To customize how reports look on mobile phones -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Mobile layout view = Customize phone report view [OK]

Hint: Mobile layout = change report look on phones [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing mobile layout with data modeling
• Thinking it changes DAX formulas
• Assuming it only exports reports

2. Which action is NOT possible in the Power BI Mobile layout view?

easy

A. Drag and drop visuals to rearrange them

B. Resize visuals to fit the phone screen

C. Hide visuals from the mobile view

D. Add new visuals that do not exist in desktop layout

Solution

1. Step 1: Review Mobile Layout Capabilities

   Mobile layout lets you rearrange, resize, and hide existing visuals from the desktop report for better phone display.

2. Step 2: Identify Unsupported Action

   Adding new visuals that are not in the desktop layout is not allowed; mobile layout only rearranges existing visuals.

3. Final Answer:

   Add new visuals that do not exist in desktop layout -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Mobile layout cannot add new visuals [OK]

Hint: Mobile layout rearranges existing visuals only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking you can create new visuals in mobile layout
• Confusing resizing with adding visuals
• Assuming hiding is not possible

3. Given a report with three visuals arranged horizontally on desktop, what will happen if you drag them vertically in Mobile layout view?

medium

A. The visuals will appear stacked vertically on the phone screen

B. The visuals will remain horizontal on the phone screen

C. The visuals will disappear from the mobile report

D. The visuals will resize to fill the entire phone screen width

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Mobile Layout Rearrangement

   Dragging visuals vertically in Mobile layout view changes their order to stack vertically on phones for easier reading.

2. Step 2: Evaluate Other Options

   Options B and C are incorrect because rearranging changes layout and does not hide visuals. The visuals will resize to fill the entire phone screen width is incorrect because resizing to fill width is manual, not automatic by dragging vertically.

3. Final Answer:

   The visuals will appear stacked vertically on the phone screen -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Drag vertical = stack visuals vertically [OK]

Hint: Vertical drag stacks visuals vertically on phone [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming visuals stay horizontal after drag
• Thinking visuals disappear after rearrangement
• Believing resizing happens automatically

4. You notice that after customizing the Mobile layout view, some visuals do not appear on your phone. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The visuals were deleted from the desktop report

B. The visuals were hidden in the Mobile layout view

C. The phone app does not support those visual types

D. The report was not saved after editing Mobile layout

Solution

1. Step 1: Check Mobile Layout Visual Visibility

   In Mobile layout view, you can hide visuals so they do not show on phones without deleting them from desktop.

2. Step 2: Rule Out Other Causes

   Visuals deleted from desktop would not appear anywhere. Phone app support is usually broad. Not saving would prevent any changes, but the question implies customization was done.

3. Final Answer:

   The visuals were hidden in the Mobile layout view -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Hidden visuals = missing on phone [OK]

Hint: Hidden visuals in mobile layout won't show on phone [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming visuals deleted from desktop cause missing mobile visuals
• Blaming phone app compatibility first
• Forgetting to save report changes

5. You want to optimize a complex report for mobile users by showing only key visuals and arranging them vertically. Which steps should you take in Power BI Mobile layout view?

hard

A. Use desktop layout only; mobile layout cannot hide visuals

B. Delete non-key visuals from desktop, drag key visuals horizontally

C. Hide non-key visuals, drag key visuals vertically, resize to fit screen

D. Create a new report with only key visuals, no rearrangement needed

Solution

1. Step 1: Hide Non-Key Visuals in Mobile Layout

   Mobile layout allows hiding visuals so only important ones show on phones.

2. Step 2: Arrange Key Visuals Vertically and Resize

   Drag key visuals vertically to stack them and resize to fit phone screen for easy reading.

3. Step 3: Confirm Mobile Layout Use

   Deleting visuals from desktop affects all views; creating new report is unnecessary; mobile layout supports hiding visuals.

4. Final Answer:

   Hide non-key visuals, drag key visuals vertically, resize to fit screen -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Hide + vertical drag + resize = optimized mobile report [OK]

Hint: Hide extras, stack key visuals vertically, resize for mobile [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Deleting visuals from desktop instead of hiding in mobile layout
• Arranging visuals horizontally for mobile
• Ignoring mobile layout capabilities