Forum Discussion

RSousa's avatar
RSousa
New Member
2 days ago

Upgrading to Azure Map component breaks PDF Export

Hi,

I have received notification to upgrade my reports to use Azure Map component.

The problem is:

  • - Is 10x slower than the old Map component;
  • - When exporting to PDF the data is not presented on the map. Some times the terrain is not rendered, other times is an empty map without bubbles info;

When in PowerBI desktop, the data is shown correctly, if we give time for the data be loaded.

Since, I have a big report files (+90 pages), the map data lost is cache, so when exporting process reach the map pages, it starts loading again and skips to the next page after a few seconds... creating a page with bad info...

Seems like the pdf export process is not giving enought time for the azure map component rendering all the information;

Is there any workaround for this problem?

 

Thank you

4 Replies

  • Example of a exported pdf page:

    Example in power bi app after waiting a few seconds:

     

    • ShivekMaharaj's avatar
      ShivekMaharaj
      Icon for Community Champion rankCommunity Champion

      Hi RSousa​,

      Your latest screenshots are useful because they look consistent with a documented Azure Maps limitation rather than simply a slow rendering issue.

      Microsoft's Azure Maps Power BI visual documentation currently lists Power BI export as not supported for the Azure Maps visual. Power BI subscriptions are also listed as unsupported.

      That would explain why the map eventually renders correctly inside Power BI, but the PDF captures the page before the Azure Maps content is available, or leaves the map area incomplete.

      Because of that, reducing points or waiting longer may improve the interactive report, but I would not rely on those changes to make PDF export consistently correct.

      Since Microsoft is encouraging migration from the older Map and Filled Map visuals to Azure Maps, I think this is worth raising with Microsoft Support as a migration blocker, especially if PDF export is an important business requirement.

      For reports that must produce reliable PDFs today, I would keep a separate export-friendly page without Azure Maps, or use a static map/image representation for the PDF version.

      So I would treat this as:

      • Azure Maps in the interactive report = supported
      • Azure Maps in PDF export = currently not supported

       

      Given that distinction, I do not think the issue is caused by the size of your 90-page report alone.

      AI-assisted drafting: AI was used to help structure and phrase this response. I reviewed and validated the technical content before posting.

  • jubinsoni's avatar
    jubinsoni
    Icon for Memorable Member rankMemorable Member

    Hi RSousa​,

    Your reading of the problem is plausible: a PDF export captures each page after a fixed amount of render time, and a map that is slower to draw than the old one can miss that window, especially in a 90-page report where nothing stays cached between pages. I have not reproduced this myself and I am not aware of a setting that lengthens the export wait, so what follows are workarounds to reduce the render time or to avoid relying on it, from lowest to highest effort.

    1. Make each map page cheaper to render

    Fewer points      -> aggregate before plotting (by city, region, grid) instead of one bubble per row
    Fewer visuals     -> move other heavy visuals off the map page so the page finishes sooner
    Simpler layers    -> turn off extra reference or terrain layers on the pages you export
    Tooltips/animation-> remove page tooltips or other features that trigger extra queries on load
    Data size         -> check the query behind the map in Performance Analyzer and fix the slowest part first

    2. Export smaller pieces instead of 90 pages at once

    If the export gives up on a page after a few seconds, exporting the map pages by themselves, or in small groups, keeps the load per request lower. With the export-to-file REST API you can request just the pages you need and run them separately:

    POST https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/{workspaceId}/reports/{reportId}/ExportTo
    {
      "format": "PDF",
      "powerBIReportConfiguration": {
        "pages": [
          { "pageName": "ReportSectionMap1" },
          { "pageName": "ReportSectionMap2" }
        ]
      }
    }

    The resulting PDFs can then be merged in order. This also lets you retry only the pages that came back wrong.

    3. Compare the exports

    Export from the service UI vs. the REST API vs. Desktop -> do they all drop data, or only one path?
    Warm the cache first -> open the report and wait for the maps to finish before triggering the export
    Same report, fewer pages -> does the problem disappear below some page count? That points at timing/load

    4. If the output must be print-quality

    For documents that have to be correct every time, a paginated report is the format built for PDF output, although map visuals there are a different, more limited feature, so check whether a static map or a table covers the requirement.

    Since the notification asks you to move to the new component, it is also worth opening a support case with a small repro (page with the map, export result, time to render) and mention that the old component rendered correctly in export. That feedback is what gets timing issues prioritized.

    So my overall approach would be:

    Reduce  -> aggregate map data and lighten the pages that contain the map
    Split   -> export map pages separately via the API and merge the PDFs
    Verify  -> compare UI, API and Desktop exports to see where the data is lost
    Escalate-> support case with a minimal repro and the old-vs-new comparison

    AI-assisted drafting: AI was used to help structure and phrase this response. I reviewed and validated the technical content before posting.

    • RSousa's avatar
      RSousa
      New Member

      I understand what you are saying and all of that have logic in doing which most of them I already did, but Microsoft should give a proper roadmap and better component of replacemente, not moving back.

      So, in my oppinion the removal of Bing Map component should only happen when all conditions are met.

      Thanks for your suggestions.