How to Use Drill Through in Power BI: Step-by-Step Guide

In Power BI, use Drill Through by creating a target page with a Drillthrough filter and linking it to a source visual. When users right-click a data point and select Drill Through, they see detailed data filtered by that selection.

Syntax

Drill Through in Power BI is set up through the report interface, not code. The key parts are:

• Drillthrough filter: A field added to the Drillthrough filters area on the target page.
• Source visual: A visual on another page where users right-click a data point.
• Drill Through action: The right-click menu option that navigates to the target page with filtered data.

There is no DAX or code syntax; it is configured via the Power BI Desktop UI.

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1. Create a new report page (target page).
2. Drag a field (e.g., 'Product Category') to the Drillthrough filters pane.
3. Add visuals on the target page that use this field.
4. On the source page, create a visual with the same field.
5. Right-click a data point in the source visual and select 'Drill Through' > target page.

Example

This example shows how to set up drill through from a sales summary page to a detailed sales page filtered by 'Region'.

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1. On the detailed page, add 'Region' to Drillthrough filters.
2. Add a table visual showing sales details (e.g., Order ID, Sales Amount).
3. On the summary page, create a bar chart grouped by 'Region'.
4. In Power BI Desktop, right-click a bar (region) in the chart.
5. Select 'Drill Through' > detailed page.
6. The detailed page opens showing only sales for the selected region.

Output

When you right-click the 'West' region bar and select Drill Through, the detailed page shows only orders from the 'West' region.

Common Pitfalls

• Missing Drillthrough filter: Forgetting to add the field to the Drillthrough filters pane on the target page prevents filtering.
• Field mismatch: The field used for drill through must exist on both source and target pages.
• Visual type limitations: Drill through works only on visuals that support right-click menus.
• Page navigation confusion: Users must right-click a data point; left-click does not trigger drill through.

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Wrong setup:
- Target page has no Drillthrough filter.
- User tries to drill through but sees unfiltered data.

Right setup:
- Add 'Region' to Drillthrough filters.
- Ensure source visual includes 'Region'.
- Right-click data point to drill through.

Quick Reference

Step	Action	Notes
1	Create target page	Page to show detailed filtered data
2	Add Drillthrough filter	Drag field to Drillthrough filters pane
3	Add visuals on target page	Use the drillthrough field in visuals
4	Create source visual	Visual with drillthrough field on another page
5	Right-click data point	Select Drill Through > target page
6	View filtered details	Target page shows data filtered by selection

Key Takeaways

Add the drillthrough field to the Drillthrough filters pane on the target page.

Right-click a data point in a source visual to access drill through options.

Ensure the drillthrough field exists on both source and target pages.

Drill through filters the target page based on the selected data point.

Drill through works only with visuals that support right-click menus.