The blinking or flashing data effect in Power BI is a visual effect that occurs when a value changes in a data visualization. This effect aims to draw attention to specific data points or changes in the data.
Also, it can help to highlight significant trends or changes that might not be instantly obvious in a static visualization. In Power BI, you can create a blinking or flashing effect using the DAX formula and conditional formatting.
In this article, I will take you through a step-by-step guide on how you can create blinking or flashing data effects in Power BI.
Let’s get started.
Introduction: Understanding the Importance of Blinking and Flashing Data
With so much data available, it can be very challenging to identify significant insights in the data. However, you can easily highlight these insights with the “blinking and flashing data” feature in Power BI.
This feature enables users to highlight specific data points by making them blink or flash in order to make sense of the data and gain valuable insights effortlessly.
When to Use Blinking and Flashing Data in Power BI Reports
While blinking and flashing data can be very useful, it is critical to use it properly, as excess use can distract users and make reports difficult to read. Hence, it’s advised to be used sparingly and only when it adds value to the report.
One common use case for blinking and flashing data is to draw attention to key performance indicators (KPIs). By making KPIs blink or flash, users can quickly identify areas of the report that require their attention.
Data that blinks and flashes can also be used to show how data has changed over time. For example, if a certain data point has changed a lot, making it blink or flash can help draw attention to that effect.
How to Add Blinking and Flashing Data in Power BI Reports
Adding blinking and flashing data to Power BI reports is a straightforward process. Below is a guide on how you can create a blinking or flashing effect in Power BI:
Create a measure
The first thing to do is to create a measure in the Power BI data model that calculates the difference between the current value and the previous value using the DAX formula.
For example, the measure below calculated the Revenue YTD (Year to Date) in the visual.
Revenue YTD = CALCULATE('DAX Measures'[Revenue],DATESYTD('Calendar'[Date]))Apply conditional formatting
After creating a measure via the DAX formula, the next thing to do is to apply the measure to the visual, then select the visual you want to apply the blinking effect.
To do this, go to the Visualization pane, right-click the measure, and select the Conditional formatting option, as displayed below.
You can choose any of the conditional formatting options: Background color, Font color, Data bars, Icons, and Web URL.
Create a rule
I selected the Font color option, and now it is time to create a rule that specifies when the visual should blink in the dialog box.
For example, you can select that the visual should blink when the difference between the current value and the previous value is greater than a certain threshold.
Define the blinking effect
In the same dialog box, you can specify the blinking effect by choosing the color and frequency of the flash. Also, you can specify the duration of the blink.
Preview and publish
Finally, preview the visual to ensure that the blinking effect looks precisely how you want it. Then you can publish the report to share it with others if everything looks good.
How to Fix Blinking and Flashing Data Issues in Power BI Reports
If you are having trouble getting the blinking and flashing effect to work correctly, there are a few things you can try.
To start with, make sure the visualization you are using supports this feature — not all visualizations support blinking and flashing data.
However, if the visualization supports this feature, make sure to select the right data point and that you have adjusted the blink or flash rate and color to your liking. If the problem persists, you can try restarting Power BI or updating to the latest version.
Common Examples of Blinking and Flashing Data in Power BI Reports
Blinking and flashing data may be used to emphasize critical insights in Power BI reports in different ways. Here are a few such examples:
- A sales report that blinks when a sales target is met or exceeded
- A dashboard that flashes when a particular KPI falls below a certain threshold
- A report that blinks when a particular product is out of stock
- A chart that flashes when a particular data point changes significantly, etc.
Conclusion
Blinking or flashing data can be very distracting and have detrimental effects on some users. Hence, it should be used carefully and only in cases where it adds value to the visuals and enhances the user experience.
I hope you understood these steps.
Thanks for reading.