Page navigation, links & actions

Native configuration

Buttons, page navigation, hyperlinks and drill-through actions — and how they differ from selection.

Working example

Buttons

Hyperlink column (Web URL cell element)

Anna Visser	Open HR record	Row selection ≠ navigation
Bram Vos	Open HR record	Row selection ≠ navigation
Carla Jansen	Open HR record	Row selection ≠ navigation
Daan Mulder	Open HR record	Row selection ≠ navigation

Action log — current page: Overview

No action performed yet.

What it is

Buttons and images carry actions: Page navigation, Bookmark, Drill through, Back, Web URL, Q&A.

When to use it

Whenever movement through the report should be explicit rather than discovered.

Native Power BI capability

Yes — Button ▸ Action. Table cells support Web URL formatting for hyperlinks.

UX considerations

Selecting a row is not navigation. Navigation needs a visible control.
Style all four button states: default, hover, pressed, disabled.
Label buttons with the destination, not with 'Click here'.

BI developer considerations

Use the Web URL cell element for hyperlink columns.
Page navigation can be bound to a measure for conditional destinations.

QA considerations

Every button performs its stated action.
External links open in the expected target.

Limitations

No row-level action buttons inside the table visual.
Actions do not run write-back operations without Power Apps or a custom solution.

HTML prototype note

This interactive HTML example simulates the native Power BI behaviour. It is not Power BI itself and should not be interpreted as an implementation of the Power BI rendering engine.

Designer ↔ BI developer handoff

UX designer defines

Information hierarchy and column order
Required fields and measures
Default state (sort, filters, selection)
Interaction intent and what it should affect
Responsive priority and what may be dropped
Accessibility expectations and focus order
Empty, loading and error states

BI developer implements

Dataset fields, measures and relationships
Visual configuration in the format pane
Filters, sort order and interaction wiring
Drill-through / drill-down configuration
Conditional formatting rules
Row-level security and permissions
Query performance optimisation

QA validates

Data correctness against the source
Correct default state on first load
Sorting and filtering behaviour
Drill and selection behaviour
Permissions and row-level security
Empty states and responsive layout
Performance and export behaviour