Today, we’re going to explore one of the most powerful features in Power BI: drillthrough. This feature is a game-changer when it comes to data exploration and storytelling. So, let’s get started!

What is Drillthrough in Power BI?

Drillthrough is a feature in Power BI that allows you to create a focused, detailed page for a single entity—like a customer, product, or location. Imagine you have a summary page that shows sales data by region. After developing an understanding of what details a report user regularly needs to review, a report designer can create a drillthrough target page that users can easily navigate to based on what region is selected from a visual on that summary page. This added design feature allows a report user to easily right-click on a specific region to navigate to a more detailed page that provides insights specific to that region. It’s like having a magnifying glass that lets you zoom in on specific aspects of your data for a more granular view.

What is an Example of a Drillthrough in Power BI?

Let’s say you’re a sales manager and you have a report that shows monthly sales figures for different products. You notice that sales for a particular product have spiked this month. Intrigued, you right-click on that product’s data point, select “drillthrough” and voila! Thanks to your report writer’s clever design and forethought, you’re taken to a drillthrough page that shows you detailed sales data for that product—broken down by region, top sales representatives, and customer demographics. This level of detail helps you understand not just the ‘what,’ but also the ‘why’ behind the data.

What is the Difference Between Drill Down and Drillthrough in Power BI?

Both drill-down and drillthrough are used for exploring data, but they serve different purposes:

• Drill down: This feature allows you to explore data hierarchically. For example, you can start with a chart that shows sales by country, then drill down to see sales by state, and further down to sales by city. It’s like peeling an onion—each layer gives you a more detailed view, but you’re still looking at the same chart or table.
• Drillthrough: Unlike drill-down, which navigates within the same visual, drillthrough takes you to a completely different page designed for in-depth analysis of a specific entity. It’s like going from a general textbook to a specialized research paper that focuses on a single topic.

How Do You Drillthrough a Page in Power BI?

Creating a drillthrough experience in Power BI is straightforward. Here’s how:

1. Create a New Page: Start by creating a new page in your Power BI report where you’ll design the detailed view.
2. Add Drillthrough Filter: On this new page, go to the ‘Visualizations’ pane and click on the ‘Drillthrough’ filter. Drag the field you want to drillthrough (e.g., Product ID, Region).
3. Design the Page: Add visuals that will display the detailed data. These visuals will be filtered based on the field you selected in the Drillthrough filter.
4. Use the Drillthrough: Go back to the summary page and right-click on the data point you’re interested in. You’ll see an option for Drillthrough. Click it and choose the detailed page you created.

And there you have it! You’ve just created a drillthrough in Power BI.

Drillthrough is an incredibly powerful feature for anyone who wants to make their reports more interactive and insightful. It allows you to go beyond surface-level data and explore the nitty-gritty details that often hold the key to valuable insights. So go ahead, give it a try, and unlock the full potential of your data!

Happy data exploring!

Feature image courtesy of Microsoft