Graphical User Interface (GUI)

[kdpayton11]

I am new to Power BI. I've watched videos and searched forums. I wasn't able to find information about how the Power BI Service can be used as a gui. I will create the dashboards in Desktop version, but someone else will use the dashboards. They will need to input numbers into fields and update the inputs that updates the dashboards. Is that possible with this software?

[v-yulgu-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @kdpayton11,

What do you mean " input numbers into fields and update the inputs that updates the dashboards" ? If I understand correctly, what you required is automatically refreshing report (dashboard in your post) when someoe update the data source, right?

In many cases, some data, like from a Salesforce or Marketo content pack is automatically refreshed for you. If your connection makes use of a live connection or DirectQuery, the data will be update to date. But, in other cases, like with an Excel workbook or Power BI Desktop file that connects to an external online or on-premises data source, you’ll need to refresh manually or setup a refresh schedule so Power BI can refresh the data in your reports and dashboards for you.

For more detailed introduction, please see:

Data refresh in Power BI

Configuring scheduled refresh

However, if your requirement is to allow report viewers to input values in report surface which will then update the back-end data and update the report visual, this is not supported in Power BI.

Best regards,
Yuliana Gu

[Anonymous]

Slicers are going to be what you are looking for.  You link the slicers to fields and that allows the user to query data.

On top of this, many of the charts and graphs are interactable.  For example you might have a Pie Chart showing sales breakdown between departments.  Clicking on the department in the pie chart will then recalculate the rest of the page to show data only for that department.  You can alter this interaction by clicking on the visual, going to format in the ribbon and selecting the "Edit Interactions" toggle.  Now you will see additional toggles on each of your visuals.