Discussion: Challenges with Dynamic SVG Images in March Desktop Update

[Jerry_Liang]

Hi everyone,

After updating my Desktop application to the March release, I’ve encountered an odd issue. With the new card visual object, dynamic SVG images don’t appear unless categories are added using the newly implemented feature. This is quite a departure from previous versions, where SVG images displayed seamlessly without any need for further adjustments.

I’m wondering if others have experienced something similar. Could this be a known bug, or does it potentially stem from new update settings? While the option to add categories is certainly useful, it seems to introduce an extra complication that didn’t exist before.

If you’ve run into the same problem or discovered a workaround, please share your experience. Discussing different approaches could really benefit others facing this snag. If this turns out to be a bug, let's hope Microsoft resolves it in upcoming updates.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Kind regards,
Jerry

[v-hashadapu]

Hi @Jerry_Liang , Please let us know if your issue is solved. If it is, consider marking the answer that helped 'Accept as Solution', so others with similar queries can find it easily. If not, please share the details.
Thank you.

[rohit1991]

Hi @Jerry_Liang

Yes i have also observe this, after the March Power BI Desktop update, many users have noticed that dynamic SVGs no longer render in the new card visual unless a category field is explicitly added, which wasn’t required before. This shift appears to be tied to how the new card visual handles context and grouping, especially with enhancements like small multiples and conditional formatting improvements. Essentially, without a category, the visual may not trigger the row-level context needed to evaluate and display SVGs dynamically.

This does seem like a breaking change compared to previous versions and it's already caused confusion among developers relying on dynamic image rendering through DAX-generated SVGs. While Microsoft hasn't officially confirmed this as a bug, it’s possible this is either an unintended side effect of the new visual design or a subtle shift in how Power BI now expects data context for visuals.

A temporary workaround is exactly what you've done add a dummy category field (like a constant or static text) just to force the visual to evaluate row-level logic. It’s a bit clunky, but it brings back the expected behavior until Microsoft potentially addresses it in a patch or provides clearer documentation. Definitely worth submitting feedback through the Power BI Ideas portal or the GitHub issues page for Power BI Desktop. The more visibility this gets, the faster we’re likely to see a fix.

[Jerry_Liang]

Hi @rohit1991 

Thanks for your reply. I have posted it on Power BI Idea, and I hope it gets attention and can be resolved as soon as possible.

[v-hashadapu · Accepted solution]

Hi @Jerry_Liang , Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.

The simplest and most reliable fix is to add a dummy category to satisfy the new card visual’s requirement. In your data model, create a calculated column with a static value: go to the "Modeling" tab, select "New Column," and enter DummyCategory = "All". Then, drag this column into the “Categories” field in the data pane. This forces the visual to render the SVG without altering your data structure.

If you prefer not to add a category, you can revert to the legacy card visual, which doesn’t have this requirement. In the visuals pane (right side of your screenshot), look for the legacy card visual (Card). Select it, drag your SVG measure into the visual, and it should render without a category.

For a more advanced fix, you can bypass the category requirement by hardcoding the SVG values using a DAX measure. Create a measure that constructs the SVG string with your values. Then, in the new card visual, go to the properties pane, under “Image,” enable “Image URL,” and add this measure.

If this helped solve the issue, please consider marking it 'Accept as Solution' so others with similar queries may find it more easily. If not, please share the details, always happy to help.
Thank you.

[Jerry_Liang]

Hi @v-hashadapu 
Thanks for your reply, this is indeed a good solution to the problem. I've used categories and used colors to hide them when posting the question. It's still more troublesome to use directly. Hope they solve this problem as soon as possible.

Jerry