One key feature of Power BI interactivity is the ability to filter or highlight data by interacting with visuals.

However, there are situations where you may want to limit or remove interactions between visuals to maintain data integrity or focus on specific aspects of your analysis.

In this guide, I'll explore how to remove interactions in Power BI to fine-tune your reports.

Understanding Visual Interactions

Visual interactions in Power BI refer to the way visuals on a report page can affect each other when a user interacts with them.

By default, visuals are set to cross-filter or cross-highlight each other, meaning that selecting data points in one visual can filter or highlight related data in other visuals on the same page.

Reasons to Remove Visual Interactions

There are several scenarios where you might want to remove or limit interactions between visuals:

1. Data Separation: You may have multiple datasets or data sources on a report page, and you want to keep them separate to prevent unintended interactions.

2. Focused Analysis: When presenting specific data insights or stories, you may want to disable interactions to maintain focus on the main visual without affecting others.

3. Data Integrity: To ensure data integrity, you may want to restrict users from applying filters that could lead to inaccurate interpretations or outliers.

4. User Experience: For improved user experience, you may choose to simplify navigation by removing interactions that may confuse or distract users.

Removing Visual Interactions in Power BI

To remove or limit visual interactions in Power BI, follow these steps:

1. Open the Report: Launch Power BI Desktop and open the report you want to work on.

2. Select the Visual: Click on the visual (e.g., chart, table) for which you want to remove interactions. This will select the visual and activate the "Format" tab in the Visualizations pane.

3. Access Format Options: In the "Format" tab, scroll down to the "Edit interactions" section.

4. Edit Interactions: Click on the "Edit interactions" button to access the interaction editing mode.

5. Adjust Interactions: You will now see icons next to each visual on the report page. By default, they are set to "Filter" (a funnel icon) and "Highlight" (a paintbrush icon). To remove interactions:

   • To remove the "Filter" interaction, click on the funnel icon next to the visual. It will change to a blank icon, indicating that it no longer filters other visuals.
   • To remove the "Highlight" interaction, click on the paintbrush icon next to the visual. It will change to a blank icon, indicating that it no longer highlights other visuals.

6. Preview Changes: After adjusting interactions, click "Done" to exit the interaction editing mode. You can then preview how the visuals interact or do not interact with each other by selecting data points.

7. Save and Publish: Save your report, and when you publish it to the Power BI service, the interactions will be preserved as configured.

Conclusion

Removing or limiting visual interactions in Power BI gives you more control over how users interact with your reports and dashboards.

Whether you want to maintain data separation, focus on specific insights, or enhance the user experience, Power BI's interaction editing feature allows you to tailor the interactivity to suit your analysis and presentation needs.