Power BI Training Guide: Creating and Saving Personal Report Views

Introduction

Power BI allows you to create personalized views of shared reports using Personal Bookmarks. This feature lets you save your preferred filter settings, slicer selections, and visual states without affecting the original report or other users' experiences.

Personal bookmarks are saved to your Power BI account and are available whenever you access the report from any device.

NOTE: There are FOUR reports in the Huddle: Daily Checkup, Monthly Checkup, Clinical Initiative and Ortho Details. A default for one, does not carry over to the other reports. If you want a specific clinic as a default, follow the steps below for each report.

What Can You Save in a Personal Bookmark?

• Filter selections – Any filters you apply to the report
• Slicer values – Selected items in slicers (dates, categories, regions, etc.)
• Current page – Which report page you are viewing
• Sort order – How visuals are sorted
• Drill-down state – If you have drilled into a visual

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access the Bookmarks Pane

1. Open the Power BI report in the Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com)
2. Look for the Bookmarks icon in the report toolbar (it looks like a bookmark ribbon)
3. Click the Bookmarks icon and select Show more bookmarks to open the Bookmarks pane

Tip

If you don't see the Bookmarks icon, the report owner may need to enable bookmarks for the report, or you may need to use the View menu to show the bookmark bar.

Step 2: Set Up Your View

Before creating a bookmark, configure the report to show exactly what you want to save:

1. Navigate to the report page you want to bookmark
2. Apply any filters using the Filters pane
3. Make your slicer selections (dates, categories, regions, etc.)
4. Drill into visuals if needed
5. Adjust sort order on any tables or charts

Step 3: Create Your Personal Bookmark

1. In the Bookmarks pane, click Personal bookmarks to expand that section
2. Click Add or the + (plus) icon
3. A new bookmark will be created with a default name
4. Type a descriptive name for your bookmark (e.g., "Q4 Sales – West Region" or "My Weekly Dashboard View")
5. Optionally check Make default if you want this view to load automatically

Using Your Personal Bookmarks

Applying a Saved Bookmark

1. Open the Bookmarks pane by clicking the Bookmarks icon
2. Expand Personal bookmarks
3. Click on the bookmark name to instantly apply that view

Updating an Existing Bookmark

If you want to change what a bookmark saves:

1. Make the changes you want to the report view
2. In the Bookmarks pane, hover over your bookmark
3. Click the three dots (...) that appear
4. Select Update to save the new settings to this bookmark

Renaming or Deleting Bookmarks

1. Hover over the bookmark in the Bookmarks pane
2. Click the three dots (...)
3. Choose Rename to change the name, or Delete to remove it

Important

Personal bookmarks are only visible to you. Other users viewing the same report will not see your personal bookmarks and cannot be affected by them.

Resetting to the Default Report View

To clear all your filters and return to the original published view of the report:

1. Click the Reset to default button in the action bar
2. Confirm by clicking Reset in the dialog

Best Practices

Practice	Why It Matters
Use descriptive names	Names like "Q4 West Region Sales" are easier to find than "Bookmark 1"
Don't create too many	Limit to 5-10 bookmarks per report to keep them manageable
Review periodically	Delete bookmarks you no longer use to keep your list clean
Update, don't duplicate	Update existing bookmarks rather than creating new similar ones
Set a default	Choose your most-used view as the default for faster access

Common Use Cases

• Daily monitoring view – Save a bookmark with today's date filter for quick morning reviews
• Regional focus – If you manage a specific region, save a bookmark pre-filtered to your area
• Meeting prep – Create bookmarks for metrics you regularly present in meetings
• Comparison views – Save different time period comparisons (YTD, QTD, MTD) as separate bookmarks
• Default startup view – Mark a bookmark as your default so reports open to your preferred settings

Setting a Default Personal Bookmark

You can set one of your personal bookmarks as the default view when you open the report:

• Hover over the bookmark you want as your default
• Click the three dots (...)
• Select Make default
• A star icon will appear next to the bookmark indicating it is your default

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
I can't find the Bookmarks pane	Click the Bookmarks icon in the toolbar, or go to View > Bookmarks
My bookmark doesn't save my changes	Make sure to click Update after making changes to save them
Bookmark isn't applying correctly	The report data may have changed; try updating the bookmark
I don't see Personal Bookmarks option	This feature requires Power BI Pro or Premium; contact your admin
My bookmarks disappeared	Bookmarks are tied to your account; ensure you're signed in correctly

Summary

Personal bookmarks are a powerful way to customize your Power BI experience without affecting shared reports. Key points to remember:

• Personal bookmarks save your filter, slicer, and view preferences
• Only you can see and use your personal bookmarks
• Use descriptive names to easily identify your saved views
• Update bookmarks when your needs change
• Set a default bookmark to open reports with your preferred settings
• Maximum of 20 personal bookmarks per report

 

Additional Resources

For more information, visit Microsoft's official documentation:

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/consumer/end-user-bookmarks