Importing an excel file with images associated with rows of data

[Camodude]

I have an excel file containing information like so:

Last Name	First Name	Rank	Employee Grade	Position Title	Image
Oz	Frank	LCDR	O4	Bert
Henson	Jim	LCDR	O4	Ernie
Clash	Kevin	LCDR	O4	Elmo

Now, I want to import said file into Power BI to create a report that allows me to filter by various column headers (ie. Rank, Grade, Position Title)

This will then filter the table to show just the desired info (ie. Employee Grade "O4" w/ Position Title "Bert")

Through the use of "Slicers" I have figured that part out.

Now, I want the associated employee's image to populate as well. What tool can be used to do this and how to I properly import the images?

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi  @Camodude , 

Thanks for the reply from @miTutorials @OwenAuger .Here is my solution: 

1.In your excel file, add the URL columns, ensure that these URLs are publicly accessible and do not require login privileges.

2.Select the image column. On the Column tools ribbon, for Data category, select Image URL.

3.Add columns containing image URLs to a table, matrix, or slicer, and you can expand image size.

If you want to import local images, you can refer to the following steps:

1.Get data from a folder:

2.Add a custom column:

3.Select the custom column. On the Column tools ribbon, for Data category, select Image URL.

Best Regards,
Zhu
Community Support Team

If there is any post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution  to help the other members find it more quickly.
If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. Thanks a lot!

[Camodude · Accepted solution]

Zhu,

Thank you so much for your timely and in-depth answer. If possible, I'd like to continue to pick your brain.

My dashboard doesn't seem to be quite the same, but I played around and managed to get here:

This is ultimately what I'm striving for, though it will be on a larger scale for the entire staff. All of these images I used are stored in the same folder, through OneDrive, (which to my understanding I'll need an alternative location to store them?) but only one image is showing up. Do you know why this may be? 

Furthermore, I am inexperienced in the realm of excel and Power BI -- with an idea of what I'm going for here, do you have any alternative recommendations/ideas?

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi  @Camodude , 

Thanks for the reply from @miTutorials @OwenAuger .Here is my solution: 

1.In your excel file, add the URL columns, ensure that these URLs are publicly accessible and do not require login privileges.

2.Select the image column. On the Column tools ribbon, for Data category, select Image URL.

3.Add columns containing image URLs to a table, matrix, or slicer, and you can expand image size.

If you want to import local images, you can refer to the following steps:

1.Get data from a folder:

2.Add a custom column:

3.Select the custom column. On the Column tools ribbon, for Data category, select Image URL.

Best Regards,
Zhu
Community Support Team

If there is any post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution  to help the other members find it more quickly.
If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. Thanks a lot!

[Camodude · Accepted solution]

Zhu,

Thank you so much for your timely and in-depth answer. If possible, I'd like to continue to pick your brain.

My dashboard doesn't seem to be quite the same, but I played around and managed to get here:

This is ultimately what I'm striving for, though it will be on a larger scale for the entire staff. All of these images I used are stored in the same folder, through OneDrive, (which to my understanding I'll need an alternative location to store them?) but only one image is showing up. Do you know why this may be? 

Furthermore, I am inexperienced in the realm of excel and Power BI -- with an idea of what I'm going for here, do you have any alternative recommendations/ideas?

[Anonymous]

Hi Camodude,

Have you solved your problem? If so, can you share your solution here and mark the correct answer as a standard answer to help other members find it faster? Thank you very much for your kind cooperation!

Best Regards,
Zhu
Community Support Team

If there is any post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution  to help the other members find it more quickly.
If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. Thanks a lot!

[miTutorials]

To Display images in Power BI from a URL - You will have to save them in a location which does not require login to access.. The alternative is to use Base64 images and embed them in Power BI without using any URL.. Check out the video below..

Embedding Images Without URL | Base64 Encoding Method in Power BI | MiTutorials - YouTube

[OwenAuger]

Hi @Camodude 

How are the images stored in Excel: Are they URLs or actual image objects within the Excel sheet?

If you could provide a desensitized sample Excel workbook that would help a lot 🙂

If they are image objects, then it is possible (but a bit more involved) to extract the images from the XLSX file with Power Query.

Regards

[Camodude]

Howdy @OwenAuger!

Thank you for your timely reply. I believe that, once provided, all of the images are just going to be in a local folder or OneDrive. So, what I need to learn is which is ultimately going to be better?

Do you have any recommendations? I'm shining some light on my own ignorance here, but can I do URL's with local images or how would I be able to incorporate them into the excel and then ultimately the Power BI report.

Below is an example of what I'm gunning for:

I need a photo associated with each individual, and thus when selected, I'd like their photo to show up.

I appreciate any and all ideas, recommendations, and feedback. Thank you!

[OwenAuger · Accepted solution]

I think @Anonymous has probably answered it already, so probably not much to add.

Image URLs that can be accessed publicy without a login are most reliable, though I have had some success with image URLs accessible on a SharePoint Online site just to users of the report.

Encoding images using Base64 URLs as @Anonymous  mentioned is also possible.

Check out this article on handling large images (if needed):

https://blog.crossjoin.co.uk/2019/05/19/storing-large-images-in-power-bi-datasets/