Cross Report Setup Instructions for Dummies

[dthompsonKairos]

Can someone suggest a video or webpage that provides simple, step by step insructions for setting up a cross report? The MS instructions are confusing and seemingly conflicted. I've followed them as best I can but I never get the reults or options they show. 

I am looking for:

Source Report

1. Go here

2. Click that

3. Set this.

Tasrget report 

1. Go there

2. Click this

3. Set that

Power Bi Service

1. On Source Report set these options

2. On Target report set these options.

Thanks

[v-pnaroju-msft · Accepted solution]

Thankyou, @MasonMA, for your response.

Hi dthompsonKairos,

We appreciate your question on the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

From what I understand, in the latest Power BI versions (2024 and 2025), when On-Object Interaction is ON, the Page Type dropdown (Standard / Drillthrough / Tooltip) appears under Page Information. Microsoft has updated how the UI handles page-level properties like Page Type, especially since late 2023. 

Please follow these steps to set up Cross-Report Drillthrough in Power BI:

1. Create a sample dataset once and use the same dataset in both the source and target reports (do not create it separately). This helps Power BI identify them as the same structure.
2. Open the Target report in Power BI Desktop. Go to the Format Pane, then Page Information, and set the Page Type to Drillthrough. Also, switch Cross-report to ON.
3. Drag the Region field into the “Drillthrough from” area. Add visuals that show detailed information based on the Region. Save and publish this report to Power BI Service in a workspace.
4. Open your Source report in Power BI Desktop. Use the same dataset as the Target report. Add a visual like a table or chart using the Region field. Save and publish this report to the same workspace as the Target report.
5. In Power BI Service, go to File > Settings, and enable “Cross-report drillthrough”. This needs to be done only for the Source report.
6. Open the Source report in Power BI Service. Right-click any value like West in the Region visual. You will see Drillthrough > [Target Report Page]. Click it, and you will be taken to the Target report filtered to West.

I have attached screenshots and sample PBIX files that might help solve the issue:

Also, please refer to the following link:
Use cross-report drillthrough in Power BI Desktop - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

If you find this response helpful, please mark it as the accepted solution and give kudos. This will help other community members with similar questions.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask in the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[dthompsonKairos]

I have accepted this as a solution. However it is only part of the solution.

The primary issue for me is that the report I was trying to link to, while having the same data, did not have the same table and column names. I think this is an unrealistic restriction. Most organizations will have reports developed over the years by many different people, many using queries instead of just straigh table imnports. This means different dataset and column names are likely despite the fact the underlying data comes from the same database tables and columns.

I will create a "suggestion" to provide a better solution.

[dthompsonKairos]

Not sure if this is a solution, but going in and turning on the "On Object Interaction" preview exposed the Page Type and other drill tyhrough features that were not visible before.

Hey Microsoft, you may want to mention that in your article on how to do Cross Report drill through.

[MasonMA]

Hi, I would recommend you follow this video from Power BI/Query guru @ChandeepChhabra  🙂 not on top of those youtube videos when you search 'Drill through' on youtube, but the instruction is very clear and informative. 

How to Set Up a Drillthrough in Power BI

[dthompsonKairos]

While very clear, it was not about Cross Report Drill through. 😞

[MasonMA]

Oh sorry, cross report! then we may vote and ask Chandeep to make a new video about this topic @ChandeepChhabra  😉

[dthompsonKairos]

Here is an example of the kind of things I am running into.

From a video only a month old showing how to set up cross report drill through:

What I see in my PBi desktop: