Help with hiding data or a viz on load

[OldDogNewTricks]

I have created a translytical task flow that takes customer survey text results based on dimensions selected.  That data is then written to a Fabric SQL DB and used to call an OpenAI API.  The result of the OpenAI API is then written to the same Fabric SQL DB table.  That summarized data is then shown to the user in a viz.

I am looking for a way to hide the viz on load or the data behind the viz when the report initially loads and ONLY show it after my button is pressed and a new summarized result comes back from the API and is written into the underlying table.  Any ideas on how to implement something like this?

[v-lgarikapat]

Hi @OldDogNewTricks ,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

@DataNinja777 , 

Thanks for your prompt response

@OldDogNewTricks ,

I wanted to follow up and confirm whether you’ve had the opportunity to review the information  provided by @DataNinja777  Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please don't hesitate to reach out.

If you are still encountering any challenges, we would be happy to assist you further.

Best Regards,

Lakshmi Narayana

[DataNinja777]

Hi @OldDogNewTricks ,

To achieve the goal of hiding a visualization on initial load and showing it only after a button press triggers your data refresh, you can primarily use Power BI's Bookmarks and Selection Pane feature. This is the most direct and common way to manage the visibility of report elements.

First, you'll want to establish the initial "hidden" state. Open the View tab and enable the Selection pane. In this pane, you will see a list of all objects on your report page; find your specific visualization and click the eye icon next to it to make it invisible. You might consider adding a text box or an image as a placeholder to instruct the user on what to do next. With the visual hidden, open the Bookmarks pane (also in the View tab) and add a new bookmark, naming it something like Viz Hidden. It is crucial that you click the ellipsis (...) next to this new bookmark and ensure the "Data" option is unchecked, so it only saves the object's visibility state.

Next, create the "visible" state by making the visual appear and hiding your placeholder message via the Selection pane. Now, capture this state by adding another bookmark named Viz Visible, again making sure the "Data" option is unchecked. The final step is to configure your button. Select the button that initiates your OpenAI API call, go to its Format options, enable the Action toggle, set the Type to Bookmark, and choose your Viz Visible bookmark from the dropdown. Before you save and publish, select the Viz Hidden bookmark to set it as the default view for the page.

For a more advanced and seamless integration that reveals the visual only after the data is confirmed to be ready, you could use a DAX measure to dynamically control visibility. This method is more complex because it requires your external process to write a status back to your database. You would need a control table in your Fabric SQL DB, perhaps named ProcessStatus, with a column like IsDataReady. When your task flow successfully retrieves the OpenAI summary and writes it to your main table, it would also update a row in this control table, setting the IsDataReady value to 1. In Power BI, you would then create a DAX measure that checks this status. This measure doesn't control visibility directly but rather the color of a shape you'll use to overlay your visual.

OverlayColor =
VAR IsReady = MAX(ProcessStatus[IsDataReady])
RETURN
IF(IsReady = 1,
   "#FFFFFF00", -- Fully Transparent White
   "#FFFFFF"    -- Opaque White
)

You would place a rectangle shape covering your entire visual and any placeholder text on top of this shape. Then, using conditional formatting on the shape's color property, you would set the format style to "Field value" and select your OverlayColor measure. On initial load, the measure returns an opaque white color, effectively hiding the visual behind it. Once your button is pressed and the background process completes, it updates the IsDataReady flag, the DAX measure recalculates to produce a transparent color, and the shape disappears to reveal the visual with the newly loaded data.

Best regards,