Page patterns
A page pattern is a reusable composition of a complete Power BI page. Start from the question the page must answer, then pick the sections, the native components and the interaction patterns that answer it.
ReportA set of pages with one navigation model.
→Page patternReusable composition of a complete page.
→SectionReusable content region within a page.
→ComponentThe native Power BI visual or control.
→ConfigurationApproved styling, settings and behaviour.
→Interaction patternHow users filter, select, drill or navigate.
Example: Overview page → KPI summary section → Card/KPI component → approved KPI configuration → drillthrough interaction.
Overview / Dashboard“How are we performing right now?”Slicer · Card / KPI visual · Line chart with reference line · Bar chartOrientationBasicView pattern →
Performance Analysis“Why is this KPI above or below budget?”Card · Line chart · Waterfall chart · Bar chart with hierarchyAnalysisIntermediateView pattern →
Variance / Difference Analysis“Why is actual different from target?”Cards · Waterfall chart · Ranked bar chart · MatrixAnalysisIntermediateView pattern →
Comparison“How does this store compare to the benchmark?”Slicer / field parameter · Clustered bar chart · Line chart, two series · Matrix with delta columnsAnalysisIntermediateView pattern →
Search / Explore“Where is this article?”Slicer with search · Table visual · Card with COUNTROWS measure · Drillthrough pageDetailBasicView pattern →
Detail“What do I know about this store?”Back button · Card / multi-row card · Line chart · TableDetailBasicView pattern →
Exceptions / Attention“What requires my attention?”Card with exception count · Table with conditional formatting · Top N visual filter · Button / drillthroughOrientationIntermediateView pattern →
Monitoring“Is performance developing as expected?”KPI visual · Line chart + constant line · Table with icons · Monitoring layout templateOrientationBasicView pattern →
Root-Cause Analysis“Why did this happen?”Decomposition tree · Key influencers · Waterfall chart · Matrix / TableAnalysisAdvancedView pattern →
Operational Table“What are today's numbers per item?”Matrix with hierarchy and subtotals · Conditional formatting (background, data bars, icons) · Export data · Styled table themeDetailBasicView pattern →
Distribution / Segmentation“How is this spread across items?”Treemap / Donut (share) · Bar chart (ranking) · Scatter chart (two measures) · HistogramAnalysisIntermediateView pattern →
Drillthrough Detail“What sits behind this data point?”Drillthrough filters · Back button · Table · Card with SELECTEDVALUEDetailBasicView pattern →
Period / Trend Analysis“How has this developed over time?”Line / area chart · Combo chart (line + column) · Date slicer (between / relative) · Analytics pane reference linesAnalysisIntermediateView pattern →
Target / Budget Tracking“Are we going to make the target?”KPI visual · Gauge / bullet (bar with target line) · Line chart with constant line · Matrix with attainment %OrientationIntermediateView pattern →
Print / Management Summary“What are the headlines this period?”Text box (findings, context) · Card · Line and bar chart · A4 page size canvas settingOrientationBasicView pattern →
Explain a deviation
Work the exceptions
Compare two scopes
Section catalogueOpen the 12 reusable sections →
Design-system convention
Sections are reusable across patterns. Design them once, then compose pages from them instead of inventing a new layout per page.
Landing / Navigation“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Enter a report, domain or report section and choose where to go next.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Overview / SummaryOverview / Dashboard“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Understand overall status and the most important changes or exceptions at a glance.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.KPI / ScorecardTarget / Budget Tracking“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Monitor targets, benchmarks and KPI health across a set of measures.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Monitoring / OperationalMonitoring“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”See what needs attention now and support recurring operational review.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Analysis / ExplorePerformance Analysis“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Investigate a business question by changing dimensions, filters or analytical views.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Trend / DevelopmentPeriod / Trend Analysis“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Understand how a measure changes over time and whether the direction is expected.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.ComparisonComparison“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Compare entities, periods, channels, categories or peers on a consistent basis.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Variance / Actual vs TargetVariance / Difference Analysis“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Show how actual performance differs from budget, target, norm or previous period.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Driver / Root-Cause AnalysisRoot-Cause Analysis“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Explain why a KPI, variance or outcome changed and identify the strongest contributors.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Contribution / Breakdown“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Understand which categories or segments make up a total and which contribute most.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.DistributionDistribution / Segmentation“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Understand spread, concentration, variability and outliers rather than only averages.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Segmentation“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Compare meaningful groups and identify differences in performance or behaviour.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Search / LookupSearch / Explore“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Find a specific entity, item, store, article, partner or record using known attributes.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.List / ResultsOperational Table“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Browse, filter, sort and compare a larger result set before opening one item.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Entity DetailDetail“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Understand one selected business entity in context.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Transaction DetailDrillthrough Detail“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Inspect exact underlying records, events or transactions supporting an analysis.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Exception / AttentionExceptions / Attention“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Prioritize abnormalities, risks or underperformance that require investigation or action.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Forecast / Planning“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Understand the expected future state and compare it with targets or capacity.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Scenario / What-if“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Evaluate how changing one or more assumptions affects an outcome.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Geographic / Location“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Understand spatial differences and compare performance across locations or regions.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Process / Funnel“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Understand progression through stages, conversion and bottlenecks.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Reconciliation / Audit“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Validate numbers, expose mismatches and support traceability between sources or calculations.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Narrative / Explanation“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Explain a result or decision using a deliberate sequence of key messages and evidence.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.Help / Definitions“Derived from the page purpose; write it explicitly before implementation.”Explain report usage, metric definitions, ownership, scope and analytical conventions.Context/control → status/primary answer → explanation/breakdown → detail → next step.