Dashboard tiles and pinning in Power BI - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Dashboard tiles in Power BI let you show important visuals like charts or numbers in one place. Pinning means you choose which visuals from reports or Q&A to add as tiles on your dashboard. This helps you keep track of key info quickly.

When you want to see your sales chart and top products on one screen without opening the full report

When your manager asks for a quick view of monthly revenue and customer count

When you want to create a summary page with different visuals from multiple reports

When you want to monitor daily performance metrics in real time

When you want to share a snapshot of key data with your team on a dashboard

Steps

Step 1: Open the report containing the visual you want to pin

- Power BI Service report view

The report page with all visuals appears

Step 2: Hover over the visual you want to pin and click the pin icon

- Visual header on the report page

A pin dialog opens asking where to pin the visual

Step 3: Select an existing dashboard or create a new one in the pin dialog

- Pin to dashboard dialog

The visual is added as a tile on the chosen dashboard

Step 4: Go to the dashboard by clicking its name in the left navigation pane

- Power BI Service navigation pane

The dashboard opens showing the pinned tile

Step 5: Resize or move the tile by dragging its edges or dragging the tile itself

- Dashboard canvas

The tile changes size or position on the dashboard

Step 6: To pin a Q&A answer, type a question in the Q&A box and click the pin icon on the answer

- Dashboard Q&A box

The Q&A visual is pinned as a tile on the dashboard

Before vs After

Before

Dashboard is empty with no tiles, no visuals shown

After

Dashboard shows pinned tiles with sales chart, top products, and Q&A answer arranged and sized

Settings Reference

Tile size

📍 Dashboard canvas when editing

Adjust the visual space the tile occupies on the dashboard

Default: Medium

Tile details

📍 Tile menu (ellipsis ... on tile) > Edit details

Customize the tile's title and add links for more info

Default: Title from visual

Dashboard selection

📍 Pin to dashboard dialog

Choose where to pin the visual tile

Default: Last used dashboard

Common Mistakes

Trying to pin a visual from Power BI Desktop instead of Power BI Service

Pinning is done in the Power BI Service web interface, not in Desktop

Publish the report to Power BI Service, then pin visuals from the online report

Not selecting a dashboard when pinning a visual

The pin dialog requires a dashboard to place the tile; skipping this stops pinning

Always select an existing dashboard or create a new one in the pin dialog

Expecting pinned tiles to update automatically after report changes without refreshing

Tiles update only when the dashboard refreshes or data refreshes

Refresh the dashboard or wait for scheduled refresh to see updated tile data

Summary

Dashboard tiles let you show important visuals in one place for quick insights

Pinning adds visuals from reports or Q&A to dashboards as tiles you can arrange

Pinning happens in Power BI Service, and you must select a dashboard to pin to

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