Passing Parameters to Power BI Filter Programmatically

Power BI is a powerful tool used for data and business analysis. Users can change and create reports according to their choice based on certain criteria by filtering data, which is one of the best features is the ability to pass parameters in Power BI, allowing for highly customized user experiences. Power BI has many built-in filters, and there is the possibility of passing filters programmatically, which gives you more flexibility and control over data and how it is presented. In this blog, you will explore different methods of passing parameters in detail with examples.

Table of Contents:

• What are Power BI filters?
• Different Types of Filters in Power BI
• Why Use Programmatic Filtering in Power BI?
  • Method 1: Power BI REST API for filtering
  • Method 2: Filtering Reports via URL
  • Method 3: Embedding Power BI reports with parameters using JavaScript
• Performance Comparison
• Security Considerations When Passing Parameters
• Combining Programmatic Filters with Power BI Bookmarks
• Power BI Filters vs. DAX Measures: When to Use What?
• Best Practices for Programmatically Passing Parameters in Power BI
• Conclusion

What are Power BI filters?

Filters in Power BI are used to limit the results in the dashboard and report according to user requirements, which ensures that the data is meaningful and looks relevant to the user. Filters are applied at the report, visual, or page level, and they can be configured in different ways.

Filters in Power BI are built-in and offer great flexibility. But in some cases, there is a need to control the filter behavior programmatically. This is where parameters are passed to Power BI filters.

Different Types of Filters in Power BI

• Page-Level Filters: It is applied to a single page, and only the visuals on that page are affected. It is great for showing segmented data on different pages. It helps in changing the content per page context.
• Visual-Level Filters: It is applied to individual visuals, and only the selected visuals are filtered. It is ideal for showing specific data visually and offers the most granular level for filtering.
• Report-Level Filters: It is applied to the entire report and affects all pages uniformly. It is very useful for filtering regions or years, as it ensures consistency across the whole report.
• Drillthrough Filters: These filters allow navigation to the pages based on selected data points and carry the filter context from one page to another. They help to make reports user-friendly.

Why Use Programmatic Filtering in Power BI?

Programmatic filtering in Power BI is a powerful way to control the data that is shown in your reports based on certain criteria. This allows developers to create more interactive reports with improved data fetching. It helps to improve user experience as they can filter data according to their conditions. You can change your reports according to different groups or users. Methods for Passing Parameters to Filters. There are several methods to pass parameters programmatically. When you pass parameters in Power BI, you can customize the data displayed based on users or inputs. Let us look at some methods:

Method 1: Power BI REST API for filtering 

You can programmatically interact with the Power BI Service with the Power BI REST API. You can set filters and parameters for reports with the Power BI REST API. The API allows you to manage resources such as datasets, reports, and dashboards, and it also gives you access to change filter states. Using a Power BI REST API filter, you can update report views from the backend dynamically.

Step 1: Authenticate your app using Azure AD (Azure Active Directory) for your Power BI.

Step 2: Once authenticated, make a POST request to the Power BI REST API to update the filter for the report.

Syntax:

# Make a POST request to update the filter on a report
POST https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/reports/{reportId}/UpdateFilters
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}
Content-Type: application/json
{
   "filters": [
      {
         "filter": {
            "table": "Sales",
            "column": "Region",
            "operator": "In",
            "values": ["North America", "Europe"]
         }
      }
   ]
}

Note: Replace {reportId} with the actual report ID and {access_token} with the access token. This example shows how to apply a Power BI REST API filter to a published report.

Method 2: Filtering Reports via URL

Power BI allows users to apply filters directly through a URL, which makes it easier to share customized views of a report. By using specific query parameters in the URL, you can control what data is displayed when someone opens the report.

Step 1: Get the Power BI report URL: After publishing a Power BI report, you will have a URL for that published report.

Step 2: Append filter parameters: Filter the report’s data and append query parameters to the URL

Syntax:

# Modify the URL

https://app.powerbi.com/groups/{groupId}/reports/{reportId}/ReportSection?filter=Sales/Region eq 'North America'

• Replace {groupId} with the group ID of your report.
• Replace {reportId} with the actual report ID.

Method 3: Embedding Power BI reports with parameters using JavaScript

By embedding Power BI reports with JavaScript, it enables a more interactive and personalized experience for users. Developers can pass filter values or another setting at runtime, allowing customized report views within a web application. This approach gives you the flexibility to Power BI filter programmatically using runtime values.

Step 1: Obtain an embed token: The report can only be accessed by an embed token.

Step 2: Create an embed configuration: Use the Power BI JavaScript SDK for setting up the embed configuration 

Step 3: Apply filters: Add filters directly to control the data shown in the report.

Syntax:

Performance Comparison

Security Considerations When Passing Parameters

When passing parameters programmatically in Power BI, especially with REST API and JavaScript embedding, follow these practices:

1. Monitor and log API usage for audit and troubleshooting.
2. Use secure tokens (OAuth or Embed tokens) to prevent unauthorized access.
3. Validate filter inputs to avoid injection or unintended data exposure.
4. Limit what filters users can modify unless absolutely necessary.

Combining Programmatic Filters with Power BI Bookmarks

Power BI Bookmarks capture the current state of a report, including applied filters, selected visuals, and page layout. This allows users to return to specific report views quickly and consistently. When integrated with dynamic filters, bookmarks provide powerful, interactive capabilities such as:

1. Preset Views: Developers can create and save specific filter configurations as bookmarks. This makes it easy to provide tailored report views for different audiences or use cases.
2. User-Driven Interactions: While bookmarks define a starting point, dynamic filters in Power BI allow users to further refine the data on top of the bookmarked state, offering greater personalization and flexibility.
3. Interactive Storytelling: Users can navigate between bookmarked views (e.g., sales overview, regional analysis) while maintaining filter context. This creates a seamless, narrative-like report experience.
4. Overall Benefit: By combining bookmarks with dynamic filters, reports become more engaging and intuitive for users while giving developers fine-grained control over the reporting flow and logic.

Power BI Filters vs. DAX Measures: When to Use What?

Best Practices for Programmatically Passing Parameters in Power BI 

• Ensure that the passed criteria are accurate and handle the case of no data matching your filter.
• Apply the right security practices to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access.
• You should maintain your parameters using naming structures.
• When you are applying large data, avoid passing multiple filters, as it may throttle the performance of your application.

Conclusion

Passing parameters programmatically is an effective way to improve user experience and give you more flexibility in how you use your dashboard. You can use any of the methods described below to gain maximum flexibility in how you can deal with data. Overall, it is recommended that you practice good practices and choose which method to manage data, but it can lead to useful reports for users. It also allows for more dynamic, interactive reports that respond to user input live. Parameter passing helps put the users in the position of exploring data intuitively and making faster, informed decisions.

To learn more about Power BI and its functions, check out this Power BI Course and also explore Power BI Interview Questions prepared by industry experts.

Passing Parameters to Power BI Filter Programmatically – FAQs