PL-300: how to implement bookmarks and storytelling in Power BI reports
This guide teaches the skill of creating and managing bookmarks and storytelling in Power BI reports. It is a practical ability requested in the PL-300 because it improves report usability and presentation, besides enabling interactive scenarios without writing code.
What you need to know
Bookmarks in Power BI save the current state of a report: applied filters, visual selections, pages, focus on visuals and show/hide of objects (buttons, images, shapes). By combining bookmarks with buttons/action links, you create guided paths (storytelling), showing different scenarios without changing the model. This is useful to demonstrate business analyses, create operational dashboards with switchable views, or support interactive presentations inside the report itself.
Simple example: a report with a Region filter and a sales chart. You can create a bookmark for each region (Europe, Americas, Asia) that saves the filter and a panel state, and then link those bookmarks to buttons so the user can easily navigate between scenarios.
How it works
Key points about how it works:
- A bookmark saves: filters (report/page/visual level), selections, position/zoom in visuals and visibility of objects if you use the Selection Pane.
- There are simple bookmarks and bookmarks with the ‘data’ or ‘display’ option: you can choose to include or exclude elements when saving a bookmark (for example, ignore visual selections).
- Buttons, images and shapes can have actions that invoke bookmarks. You can also use bookmarks with the storytelling navigation bar (Bookmarks pane).
- The Selection Pane lets you name and control the visibility of objects; this is essential to show/hide content per bookmark.
In practice
Step-by-step to create a basic set of bookmarks and a navigation panel:
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Prepare the report: create the needed pages and visuals. On the View tab enable Selection and Bookmarks.
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Use the Selection Pane: order and give clear names to objects (for example, btn_Europa, pnl_Detalhe). Use the eye icon to hide or show objects as needed.
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Set a state: apply filters or selections you want the bookmark to save (e.g.: filter Region = Europe). Adjust object visibility in the Selection Pane.
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Create the bookmark: in the Bookmarks pane click Add and rename (e.g.: "Europa - Overview"). Open the bookmark options (three dots) and choose which elements to save: Data (the state of filters), Display (object visibility), Current Page, and All Visuals (visual selections).
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Create buttons to navigate: insert a Button (Insert > Buttons), select the button and in Action enable the Bookmark action, choosing the created bookmark. Repeat for each bookmark/state.
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Optional — create a storytelling bar: arrange buttons in a side bar or at the top, or use the Bookmarks pane in presentation mode; you can group bookmarks into a folder and set the playback order (Play).
// Practical usage example:
// 1. Home page with general filters
// 2. Bookmark "Resumo" saves general filters and shows summary panel
// 3. Bookmark "Detalhe Produtos" saves filter by category and shows detail panel
// 4. Buttons: "Resumo" -> bookmark Resumo; "Detalhe" -> bookmark Detalhe Produtos
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to configure the bookmark options (Data/Display/Current Page). Result: the bookmark does not reapply filters or does not show/hide objects as expected.
- Not naming objects in the Selection Pane. It becomes difficult to control visibility and create predictable bookmarks — generic names make maintenance harder.
- Relying on bookmarks for complex business logic. Bookmarks are for presentation/UX; they do not replace DAX measures, correct modelling or Row-Level Security.
How to practice
Practice by creating real scenarios: sales dashboards by region, before/after comparisons, and KPI presentations. Test all elements saved by a bookmark and validate in the Power BI Service (web). For exam preparation, use the official Microsoft Practice Assessment free and the official Study Guide (also free) for the PL-300 — both provide guidance on the measured skills, including creating interactive reports.
In summary
- Bookmarks save the report state (filters, selections, visibility) and enable interactive storytelling without code.
- Use the Selection Pane to control visibility and name objects; correctly configure the bookmark options.
- Combine bookmarks with buttons to create navigation and guided presentations inside the report.
- Test in Power BI Desktop and in the Service; use Microsoft's official resources to practice for the PL-300.