9 Hidden Power BI Features that Boost Your Productivity

Introduction 

Power BI keeps evolving fast. Yet most of the users only tap a fraction of what the platform offers. As Power BI experts, we are constantly discovering new tricks that could have saved a lot of time over the past few years. To help you unlock its true potential, we’ve curated 9 transforming features including upgrades many users still overlook.  

 Let’s dive into these powerful Power BI features! 

AI-Assisted Search in Slivers and Filters 

AI-Assisted search has reduced the time taken to remember person’s full name. Power BI now supports AI-assisted natural language search, allowing you to type queries like: 

• “employees in marketing named Emily” 

• “cities starting with San and population above 1M” 

The AI automatically maps your intent to the right field and returns matching results. This makes slicing data faster, smarter, and far more intuitive. 

Multi-Column Sorting 

Working with large matrix or table visuals often means you need to sort by multiple columns. Power BI allows you to sort by one column and then refine that sorting by holding down the “Shift” key and selecting a second column. For example, you can sort a table by year first, and then by month, making it easier to analyze your data chronologically. 

Sorting by Other Fields 

You can also sort visuals by fields that are not directly visible in the report. To do this, add the field as a measure in the tooltip. Then, select the measure from the “Sort Axis” option, and you’ll have the visual organized based on the hidden field. 

Quick Page Navigation 

Another slow and tedious task is turning pages using arrows at the bottom of the screen. To save time right click on the navigation arrows, you can see a pop-up menu which shows the list of pages in your report for faster navigation.  

DAX Shortcuts 

Everyone knows the shortcuts of Keyboards, but the real intelligence is in mastering the shortcuts of DAX formulas. One of the most useful shortcuts is multi-select, where you can replace instances of a term across a formula by using “Ctrl + Shift + L.” Use “Ctrl + /” for commenting and uncommenting sections of your DAX code, which helps immensely during debugging or when testing variations of your formulas. 

Organizing Measures with Measure Tables 

To track the growing number of reports, you can create a dedicated “Measure Table” to group and organize your measures. Simply create a blank table, move all your measures to it, and delete unnecessary columns. To categorize your measures for easy navigation you can create display folders and subfolders within this table to categorize. 

Create Columns from Examples in Power Query 

One of the underutilized Power BI features is the ability to create columns based on examples. Instead of writing complex formulas, you can input a few examples, and Power BI will auto-generate the corresponding formula. This will help you to extract first names from email addresses or creating custom formatting, saving you the time and headache of manual coding. 

Auto Adjustment of Tooltips 

Enabling the tooltip auto-adjustment feature in Power BI boosts productivity by streamlining the layout on the report canvas and ensuring tooltips dynamically resize to fit content. Thus eliminating the need for manual adjustments, allowing users to focus on insights and analysis rather than formatting. 

Advanced Filter Options 

If you are working with complex datasets and where you need precise control over the data displayed the filter pane is a great feature. You can switch to advanced filtering and apply conditional logic like “contains” or “begins with.” This is particularly helpful when working with complex datasets, where you need precise control over the data displayed. 

Conclusion 

Power BI being the most dynamic data tool, you can boost your productivity significantly and improve the quality of reports by mastering these 9 hidden tools. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, there’s always something new to discover in Power BI. With the right techniques and the support of experts like Sparity, you can elevate your data storytelling to new heights. Explore these features and see how they can transform your Power BI projects today! 

Why Sparity for Power BI Solutions? 

Having the right company to guide you through the complexities makes a world of difference. Sparity brings deep expertise in Power BI, offering customized solutions that cater to your unique business needs. Whether it’s custom visualizations, optimized data modeling, or advanced analytics, Sparity ensures that your Power BI implementation is not only powerful but also aligned with your strategic goals.