Tooltips

Tooltips in Power BI are small pop-up boxes that appear when a user hovers over a data point in a visual. They provide additional context, insights, or detailed information without cluttering the main report.

Tooltips are highly useful for giving users more information while keeping visuals clean and focused.

Types of Tooltips

1. Default Tooltips – Automatically show basic information like the value, category, or data point.
2. Custom Tooltips – Allow you to create a dedicated report page to show rich, contextual information.

Creating Custom Tooltips

Step 1: Create a Tooltip Page

1. Add a new page in Power BI.
2. Go to Page Information → Turn on Tooltip.
3. Set Page Size → Type: Tooltip (smaller canvas for pop-ups).

Step 2: Design the Tooltip

• Add visuals such as charts, cards, or tables to show detailed information.
• Include measures or KPIs that provide context for the hovered data point.

Step 3: Assign Tooltip to Visuals

1. Select the visual where you want the tooltip.
2. Go to Format → Tooltip → Type → Report page.
3. Select the tooltip page you created.

Step 4: Test the Tooltip

• Hover over a data point in the visual.
• The custom tooltip pops up showing all the detailed insights you designed.

Example

• Main Visual: Total Sales by Product
• Tooltip Page: Sales by Region, Profit Margin, and Units Sold for the hovered product

Hovering over “Product A” in the main chart displays a pop-up with all relevant details for that product.

Dynamic Tooltips Using DAX

You can make tooltips dynamic using DAX measures.

Example – Dynamic Tooltip Text

Tooltip Text =
"Sales Amount: " & FORMAT(SUM(Sales[Amount]), "$#,##0") &
UNICHAR(10) &
"Profit: " & FORMAT(SUM(Sales[Profit]), "$#,##0")

• UNICHAR(10) adds a line break.
• The tooltip shows formatted, dynamic values for each data point.

Best Practices

• Keep tooltip pages small and concise for readability.
• Include only relevant details that enhance understanding.
• Use dynamic measures to make tooltips interactive and contextual.
• Avoid cluttering tooltips with too many visuals.

Conclusion

Tooltips in Power BI enhance interactivity and insights without overloading the main report page. Custom and dynamic tooltips allow users to explore detailed information on demand, improving clarity and the overall dashboard experience.