Power BI Report Page Tooltips
A tooltip appears when a reader hovers over a data point. The default tooltip shows plain text with a name and a value. A report page tooltip replaces that text with a full mini visual, which adds depth without clutter.
The Pop-Up Preview Analogy
Hovering over a link on a website sometimes shows a small preview card. The card gives a quick look before the reader commits to a click. A report page tooltip works the same way for chart data points.
Main Chart Tooltip (hover on Pune bar) +---------------------+ +----------------------+ | || | | Pune | | || || || | hover | Revenue: 540K | | || || |||| || | ========> | Trend: /\/-/ | | Pune Delhi Goa | | Top Product: Tea | +---------------------+ +----------------------+
Why Tooltip Pages Help
- Main visuals stay simple while detail hides behind a hover.
- Readers learn more without leaving the page.
- Space on dashboard pages stays free for the key story.
Building a Tooltip Page
- Add a new page and name it Tip Region.
- Open Format, then Page information, and switch on Allow use as tooltip.
- Open Canvas settings and choose Type as Tooltip. Power BI resizes the canvas to a small card.
- Add visuals that describe a single region, such as a card for revenue and a small line chart for the monthly trend.
- Drag the field Region into the Tooltip well in the Fields section of the Build pane. The page now accepts the Region field.
- Optionally hide the page so the tab disappears from the report.
Connecting the Tooltip to a Visual
- Select the main chart, such as a bar chart of revenue by region.
- Open the Format pane and expand General, then Tooltips.
- Switch Type to Report page.
- Pick the page Tip Region.
Hover over any bar, and the tooltip page appears with filters set to that region.
Sizing the Tooltip Canvas
| Option | Use |
|---|---|
| Default tooltip size | Small card, 320 by 240 pixels |
| Custom size | Larger layouts when more visuals are required |
| Zoom in editor | Magnify the canvas while designing |
Keep tooltips compact. A crowded tooltip hides the chart beneath it and slows rendering.
Standard Tooltips with Extra Fields
A simpler option exists for quick enhancements. Drag extra measures into the Tooltips well of a visual. The default tooltip then lists those values together with the usual ones, with no extra page required.
Worked Example: Airline Route Chart
An airline report shows passengers per route as a bar chart. The tooltip page lists on-time percentage, average ticket price, and a tiny line chart of weekly passengers for the hovered route. Analysts scan the bars at a glance and hover only when a route looks unusual. The main page stays calm, and the answers sit one hover away.
Bar: Route DEL-BOM
Hover --> Tooltip page
On-time: 87%
Avg price: 5,400
Weekly trend line
Design Tips
- Show no more than three visuals per tooltip.
- Use large fonts that stay readable at small size.
- Match tooltip colors with the main report theme.
- Test on both desktop and touch devices, since touch users press and hold instead of hovering.
Key Points
- Report page tooltips show mini visuals on hover.
- A tooltip page needs the Allow use as tooltip setting and a matching field in the Tooltip well.
- Each main visual selects the tooltip page in its own Format pane.
- Compact designs keep tooltips fast and readable.
- Extra fields in the Tooltips well offer a lighter alternative.