Forum Discussion
Helper IIIHow to store Help Text (terms and definitions) into a table visual with proper formatting?
We use a Help Page to describe the items on our reports. We are looking for a better way to present the Help Text. Right now we copy/paste the information (terms/definitions) from a document into a text box and do the formatting within the text box. I am trying to figure out an easy (less work) method to make the Help Text look more professional. So, I tried putting the data into a table visual by first typing the Help Text into a spreadsheet and then loading the data into Power BI Desktop. I then created two calculated columns, one to handle the blank rows and one to handle the bold formatting. I was not able to get the bold formatting to work. I also tried conditional formatting but it appears to only allow you to change the color of the font and not bold it. This seems like a lot of work.
I really just need to display the terms (column names) and definitions into a two-column table. There seems to be limitations with formatting when trying to use a table. Does anyone have any suggestions on a better method? Could I create a Help Report and use the report metadata as a source file? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. Below is some of my work so far but again this seems like a lot of work.
Excel File which contains Help Text:
Power BI Output (I would like to bold the Overview, Purpose, Primary Filters, etc. Sections):
Calculated Column to handle blank rows:
Calculated Column to handle bold fromatting (not working, needs work):
Hi PBIFanHook7
If i understand you correctly you can use Dax qauery view >> funiction info.columns joined to info.table
please refer to the linked blog post :
https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/dax-query-view-introduces-new-info-dax-functions/
Zoe Douglas walks through the exact DAX query needed and shows how it works in practice using the DAX Query ViewIf this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly
11 Replies
- Ritaf1983
Super User
Hi PBIFanHook7
To get the level of formatting you're aiming for (bold section headers, clean grouping, readable layout) — a Matrix visual is a better fit than a standard table.
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It supports expand/collapse per category (Overview, Purpose, etc.), so users can focus only on relevant parts and collapse the rest.
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Lets you build a hierarchical structure with
Categoryas the row andDefinitionas the value — no need for fake blank rows or SWITCH logic. -
Much more flexible styling: indentation, padding, font control, and background colors can all be customized.
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Easier to maintain – just add rows to your source table. No extra calculated columns or logic needed.
Layout examples :
The pbix is attached
If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly
PBIFanHook7Rita, thank you for your reply. It sounds very helpful. Please give me another day or so to look at it in more detail, then I will probably mark it as a the solution. Thanks again!
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ryan_mayui am not sure if we can set the text to bold. However, we can set the different colur to highlight those headings.
pls see the attachment below
- v-sgandrathi
Community Support
Hi PBIFanHook7,
Thank you for using Microsoft Community Forum. Thank you Ritaf1983 and ryan_mayu for your responses to the query.
Has your issue been resolved?If the response provided by the community member addressed your query, could you please confirm? It helps us ensure that the solutions provided are effective and beneficial for everyone.
If yes, kindly accept the useful reply as a solution and give us Kudos. It would be appreciated.
Thank you for your understanding!
- PBIFanHook7
I will reply in the next day or two regarding the Accepted Solution. Thank you!
- PBIFanHook7
One of my other above questions, could I create a Help Report and use the report metadata as a source file? Is there a such thing as a Power BI Report metadata file which contains report column meta data?
- v-sgandrathi
Hi PBIFanHook7,
Yes, Power BI does have metadata, but it is not directly accessible in a report. You can retrieve report column metadata using DMV queries if you are using Power BI Premium or an SSAS model by running
SELECT * FROM $SYSTEM.TMSCHEMA_COLUMNS
in DAX Studio, which provides column names, descriptions, and other metadata.
Alternatively, you can manually maintain a data dictionary by storing column definitions in an Excel or SQL table and loading it into Power BI as a reference. Since Power BI does not automatically expose metadata in reports, using an external metadata source is the best approach.
If this solution worked for you, kindly mark it as Accept as Solution and feel free to give a Kudos, it would be much appreciated!
Thank you for using Microsoft Community Forum.
- PBIFanHook7
Thanks for the information.
- Ritaf1983
Hi PBIFanHook7
If i understand you correctly you can use Dax qauery view >> funiction info.columns joined to info.table
please refer to the linked blog post :
https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/dax-query-view-introduces-new-info-dax-functions/
Zoe Douglas walks through the exact DAX query needed and shows how it works in practice using the DAX Query ViewIf this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly
- PBIFanHook7
Rita, thanks for your excellent responses to my original question (post) and my secondary question. I am going to look more into the DAX Query View Info Dax Functions. I read the link you sent me. (I had also been informed that I could use the PBI Desktop Dataflow along with the Table and Table.Schema options to get a list of the columns used in the data model. Have you used this method? This method seems a little more complicated than using the DAX Query View Info Fuctions.)
I may strongly consider just creating an excel data dictionary (like what I shared in my original post), load it into power bi desktop, create a help page with a slicer filter to pull in the report specific columns (and their definitions) from the excel data dictionary, and display these items on the help page. This will have to be done in each power bi report.
I am new to power bi. So, I really appreciate your guidance, and thanks for your patience and help.
- PBIFanHook7
Thanks to all who responded. Rita, thanks for your excellent responses to my original question (post) and my secondary question. I am going to look more into the DAX Query View Info Dax Functions. I read the link you sent me. (I had also been informed that I could use the PBI Desktop Dataflow along with the Table and Table.Schema options to get a list of the columns used in the data model. Have you used this method? This method seems a little more complicated than using the DAX Query View Info Fuctions.)
I may strongly consider just creating an excel data dictionary (like what I shared in my original post), load it into power bi desktop, create a help page with a slicer filter to pull in the report specific columns (and their definitions) from the excel data dictionary, and display these items on the help page. This will have to be done in each power bi report.
I am new to power bi. So, I really appreciate your guidance, and thanks for your patience and help.