Why Use Custom Visuals in Power BI?
While Power BI comes with a robust set of built-in visuals, custom visuals from AppSource can:
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Boost Impact: Instantly make your reports more polished, insightful, and engaging.
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Provide Unique Functionality: Offer features not available in the standard visual library (e.g., dynamic slicers, animated races).
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Enhance Branding: Allow for greater visual customization and flair.
Getting Custom Visuals: AppSource & Trust
You can access the library of custom visuals directly from Power BI Desktop in the Visualization pane by clicking the ellipsis (…) and selecting “Get more visuals” to open AppSource.
Important Considerations (Trust & Policy)
When acquiring custom visuals, you must consider organizational security policies, which often restrict usage based on the developer or certification status:
| Criterion | Icon | Description |
| Publisher | N/A | Some organizations only allow visuals designed by Microsoft Corporation due to trust concerns, restricting all third-party developers. |
| Certification | Blue Checkmark/Award | Certified visuals have been reviewed by the Power BI team for safety, security, and guaranteed compatibility across all Power BI platforms (Desktop, Service, Mobile). Many organizations limit users to only certified visuals. |
| Cost | Free/Trial/Paid | Always check the pricing model, which can range from free to a monthly, per-user, or annual cost. All five visuals shown in the video are free (though some have paid/pro tiers). |
Top 5 Free Custom Visuals
Here are the five custom visuals recommended for adding impact to your Power BI reports:
1. Play Axis (Dynamic Slicer)
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Function: Acts as a dynamic slicer that automatically cycles through field values (e.g., countries, dates, products).
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Best For: Showing data evolution or change over time in a presentation format.
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Key Customization: You can adjust the Animation settings to control the time (milliseconds) spent on each data point, autoplay, and looping.
2. Inforiver Super Filter
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Function: A highly versatile slicer that offers numerous style options within one visual.
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Best For: Reducing the clutter of multiple slicers and easily changing the display style.
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Key Customization:
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Date Filters: Offers calendar, slider, or relative date styles.
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Category Filters: Offers checkboxes, radio buttons, lists, tiles, or toggle icons, along with single-select or multi-select options. It also has a built-in play axis feature.
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3. Animated Bar Chart Race
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Function: Animates a single bar chart over a time or movement field (e.g., week number) to show rankings changing dynamically.
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Best For: Presentations to clearly demonstrate shifts in leaderboards or how competitive metrics grow and fall over time.
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Key Customization: Control the duration (speed), top N ranking displayed, and customize the font and label visibility
4. Infographic Designer
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Function: Allows you to replace standard bars/columns with custom icons or graphics to visualize data.
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Best For: Creating engaging, non-traditional charts that align with brand themes (e.g., using bicycle icons for cycling data).
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Key Customization:
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Access the shape editor using the pencil icon when the visual is selected.
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Choose from default shapes (people, nature, business) or upload your own icons.
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Set “Multiple units on” to prevent warping and maintain the icon’s aspect ratio.
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5. Elaine Aquarium
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Function: A novelty visual that displays data as fish in an aquarium. The size of the fish is determined by the linked metric (e.g., profit).
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Best For: Tracking internal competitions or metrics in a fun, non-serious way.
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Key Note: The free plan allows only basic functionality and one metric. A paid license is required for features like custom themes, different fish styles, and labels. Negative numbers cause the fish to flip upside down and float to the top.
Next Steps & Resources
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The presenter encourages users to share their favorite custom visuals in the comments.
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Training Resource: If you’re looking to deepen your Power BI skills, check out the provided resource: Power BI Training from DataBear
