Dashboard tiles and pinning in Power BI - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Dashboard tiles and pinning

Dashboard Goal

This dashboard answers: "How are our sales performing across regions and product categories this quarter?" It helps managers quickly see key sales numbers and trends in one place.

Sample Data

Region	Product Category	Sales Amount	Units Sold	Month
East	Electronics	12000	30	January
West	Furniture	8000	20	January
East	Furniture	7000	15	February
West	Electronics	15000	40	February
East	Electronics	13000	35	March
West	Furniture	9000	22	March

Dashboard Components

• KPI Tile: Total Sales
  Formula: Total Sales = SUM('Sales'[Sales Amount])
  Result: 64000
  Description: Shows total sales amount for all regions and months.
• KPI Tile: Total Units Sold
  Formula: Total Units Sold = SUM('Sales'[Units Sold])
  Result: 162
  Description: Shows total units sold across all data.
• Bar Chart: Sales by Region
  Formula: Axis: Region, Values: SUM('Sales'[Sales Amount])
  Shows sales comparison between East and West regions.
• Stacked Column Chart: Sales by Product Category and Month
  Formula: Axis: Month, Legend: Product Category, Values: SUM('Sales'[Sales Amount])
  Shows monthly sales split by product category.
• Table: Detailed Sales Data
  Columns: Region, Product Category, Month, Sales Amount, Units Sold
  Shows raw data for detailed review.

Dashboard Layout

+-------------------+-------------------+
|   [Total Sales]   | [Total Units Sold] |
+-------------------+-------------------+
|   [Bar Chart:     |                   |
|    Sales by       |                   |
|    Region]        |                   |
+-------------------+ [Stacked Column   ]
|                   |  Chart: Sales by  |
|                   |  Product Category |
|                   |  and Month]       |
+-------------------+-------------------+
|           [Table: Detailed Sales Data]           |
+--------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

The dashboard includes slicers for Region and Month. Selecting a region filters all tiles and charts to show only that region's data. Selecting a month filters the visuals to that month. The KPI tiles update their totals accordingly. The table always shows filtered raw data.

Self Check

If you add a filter for Region = East, which components update?

• The Total Sales and Total Units Sold KPI tiles update to show only East region totals.
• The Bar Chart: Sales by Region updates to highlight or show only East region data.
• The Stacked Column Chart updates to show sales by product category and month only for East region.
• The Detailed Sales Data Table filters to show only rows where Region is East.

Key Result

A sales dashboard showing total sales, units sold, and sales trends by region and product category with interactive filters.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a dashboard tile in Power BI?

easy

A. To display a visual or report element on a dashboard for quick insights

B. To create new data tables in Power BI

C. To write DAX formulas for calculations

D. To export data to Excel

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what dashboard tiles do

   Dashboard tiles are snapshots of visuals pinned to a dashboard for quick viewing.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct purpose

   Tiles show visuals or report elements, not data creation or exporting.

3. Final Answer:

   To display a visual or report element on a dashboard for quick insights -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Dashboard tile = visual snapshot [OK]

Hint: Tiles show visuals on dashboards, not data or formulas [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing tiles with data tables
• Thinking tiles create calculations
• Assuming tiles export data

2. Which of the following is the correct way to pin a visual to a dashboard in Power BI?

easy

A. Drag the visual directly onto the dashboard canvas

B. Right-click the visual and select 'Pin to dashboard'

C. Click the pin icon on the visual and choose the dashboard

D. Export the visual and upload it to the dashboard

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the pinning method

   Power BI shows a pin icon on visuals to pin them to dashboards.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct action

   Clicking the pin icon and selecting the dashboard is the standard method.

3. Final Answer:

   Click the pin icon on the visual and choose the dashboard -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Pin icon click = pin visual [OK]

Hint: Look for the pin icon on visuals to pin them [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to drag visuals onto dashboards
• Right-click menu does not have pin option
• Exporting visuals is unrelated to pinning

3. Consider a dashboard tile pinned from a report visual. If the underlying data changes, what happens to the tile?

medium

A. The tile remains static and does not update

B. The tile updates automatically to reflect the new data

C. The tile deletes itself and must be pinned again

D. The tile shows an error until refreshed manually

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand tile behavior with data changes

   Tiles pinned from report visuals update automatically when data refreshes.

2. Step 2: Confirm automatic update

   This ensures dashboards show current insights without manual action.

3. Final Answer:

   The tile updates automatically to reflect the new data -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Tiles auto-update with data changes [OK]

Hint: Tiles refresh automatically with data updates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking tiles stay static after pinning
• Assuming manual refresh is needed
• Believing tiles delete on data change

4. You pinned a report page to a dashboard, but the tile shows a blank or error message. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The report page was deleted or renamed after pinning

B. The dashboard has too many tiles already

C. You did not refresh the browser after pinning

D. The tile size is too small to display content

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify reasons for blank/error tiles

   If the source report page is deleted or renamed, the tile loses its reference.

2. Step 2: Rule out other causes

   Tile count, browser refresh, or size usually do not cause blank tiles.

3. Final Answer:

   The report page was deleted or renamed after pinning -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing source page = blank tile [OK]

Hint: Check if the pinned report page still exists [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming dashboard tile limits
• Forgetting to check report page status
• Assuming browser refresh fixes errors

5. You want to create a dashboard tile that always shows the total sales for the current month, updating automatically. Which approach should you use?

hard

A. Create a text box tile and manually update sales each month

B. Pin a static image of the sales number from last month

C. Export sales data to Excel and upload it as a tile

D. Pin a report visual with a measure filtering sales by current month

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify dynamic tile requirements

   The tile must update automatically with current month sales data.

2. Step 2: Choose the correct pinning method

   Pinning a report visual with a measure filtered by current month ensures automatic updates.

3. Step 3: Exclude static or manual options

   Static images, manual text boxes, or Excel uploads do not update automatically.

4. Final Answer:

   Pin a report visual with a measure filtering sales by current month -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Dynamic measure + pin visual = auto-updating tile [OK]

Hint: Use a measure filtered by current month and pin its visual [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using static images or manual text boxes
• Uploading Excel files instead of visuals
• Not applying date filters in measures