Forum Discussion
Open Bid - Power BI Visual for Financial reporting - How much would you charge?
After re-reading your original post and carefully looking at the screenshots you provided, I fail to see how the new matrix visual doesn't satisfy your need. Can you please elaborate on why it doesn't work for your use case?
# 1 - There are no expand collapse buttons in the new Visual
# 2 - Senior Executives at our organization pointed out that using the drill buttons on the top of the visual either expand all the layers down, but they do not have the ability to simply select one specific expand collapse buttion as the entire visual then filters immediatly loosing sight of all others. Like if you JUST want to expand Dues under Revenue, you dont want to Filter only that, you just want the revenue \ dues to be expanded showing all other collapsed categories along with this single expanded category. In the new Visual its all or nothing.
# 3 - There is no Subtotals or Grand Totals making it useless to financial folks. There is a subtotal at the Top of the Visual , but this is completely backwards from what true financil reporting does and thats subtotal and Grand Total all results in the grouping.
# 4 When selecting a sub selection , the Total of the Category above is wrong. So if I drill in to just dues, the grid shows the same amount for Dues as for all Revenue. It does not calculate properly as it forces a filter and not a TRue expand Collapse function.
Again, The HIEARCHY SLICER is the perfect solution if it would display Values.
Here is a sample of a true Expand/Collapse function:
1. Notice I Expanded Dues
2. All other categories stay collapsed,
3. I can see subtototals of all Revenue
You can in fact expand just one category (for both row and column headers), but you are correct that the other categories will not be displayed in their collapsed state.
Read more here: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/power-bi-desktop-march-feature-summary/#matrix
The other aspects you point out are valid. Have you looked at ImkeF's blog? She has some articles on creating financial reports in PBI that may be useful (http://www.thebiccountant.com/). It would be nice if this kind of functionality was easy and natively available from PBI desktop (and hopefully they will add to the functionality to get it closer). What you are describing sounds like a classic pivot table, so you would think it would be "easy" to replicate this functionality in PBI.
Specifically regarding financial reporting, take a look at the following: http://www.thebiccountant.com/2017/01/16/easy-profit-loss-and-other-account-statements-part2/
Thx for the reference dkay84_PowerBI , but unfortunately my techniques also don't enable selective drill down. The closest to this request I can think of at the moment is this:
https://twitter.com/tommartens68/status/839072650211262465
Show the details of your selection in a separate window. (Just adjust the separate "Detail"-report with the other measures/columns as well - the cross-fitering-feature should be able to do this).
lcasey I have to say I created the Idea on Aug 6, 2015 and this is really really disappointing!
Whoever developed this Matrix Preview has never ever used a Pivot Table!
I'm glad you posted, explained and took screenshots...
Unfortunately I think it will be all in vain...
It is time consuming and exhausting having to explain why you need this really really basic functionality
And you know what they'll tell you - PBI is a visualization tool for aggregating data not displaying details
Why do you need Expand/Collapse ... go back to Excel...
EDIT: Yes just look at the pushback you got here too - "I fail to see how the new matrix visual doesn't satisfy your need..."
And we haven't even discussed SORTING in the Matrix at each level
http://community.powerbi.com/t5/Desktop/Matrix-Sorting/m-p/131534#M56095
Don't hold your breath for any real improvements...
unless Microsoft embeds some Excel Pivot Table, PowerView and PowerMap experts into the PBI Team to bring the features everyone is asking for...
There's one common theme in the Ideas forum - ...like in Excel..., ...like in PowerView..., ...like in PowerMaps...
Good Luck! :smileyhappy:
Thanks Sean,
And I appologize for the blown gasket. I just couldnt beleive what was presented. You are absolutely correct. Whoever developed this new visual certainly did not ever use a pivot table!
I wonder what the hold up is. It has to be something financial or political from within Microsoft preventing this basic of all functionalities, Microsoft has some of the smartest, most talented code writers in the world. It can not possibly be a technical glitch preventing this functionality from being implimented.
I wish I could write code. I would take the existing Hiearchy Slicer and turn it into a Financial Matrix Slicer. I really beleive that the Hiearchy Slicer would be a good solution if it provided a well formated Matrix of Values with subtotals and Totals. It would solve so many immediate financial reporting issues. Its like half way there already.
But that is just a quick fix, as I truly beleive the full Excel pivot tablefunction can be created as a visual. Just simply drop in the Pivot Table Matrix to provide full pivot table capabilities (Including formating) which would in turn greatly support the continued growth of this product.
Lets see what the April release brings. I will never give up hope on Microsoft, they do some really amazing things sometimes.
I hope somebody looks at the Hiearchy Visual as a quick easy fix for the next release while they work away at a true Pivot Table Matrix.
