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03 - Visualize and analyze

Domain 3: Visualize and analyze the data (25-30%)

Choosing a visual

The exam asks which visual answers a stated question. The mapping is conventional:

Question shape Visual
Trend over time Line chart, or area chart for cumulative
Comparison across categories Bar or column chart
Ranking Sorted bar chart
Part of a whole, few categories Stacked bar, or pie only for two or three slices
Relationship between two measures Scatter chart, with a third measure as bubble size
Distribution Histogram, or box plot as a custom visual
A single number against a target Card, KPI, or gauge
Geographic pattern Map, filled map, or shape map
Detail rows Table; matrix when you need row and column grouping
What drives a metric Key influencers
Where a total breaks down Decomposition tree

Pie and donut charts are correct answers less often than candidates expect. A bar chart usually communicates the same comparison more accurately.

Filtering

Four levels, narrowest first:

  1. Visual-level filter - one visual
  2. Page-level filter - all visuals on a page
  3. Report-level filter - every page
  4. Slicer - a visual the user controls, filtering the page by default

Sync slicers apply one slicer across several pages, configured in the Sync slicers pane with separate visibility and sync settings.

Edit interactions controls whether selecting in one visual filters, highlights, or does nothing to each other visual on the page.

Filter pane formatting controls what users can see and change: hidden filters, locked filters, and applied filter cards.

  • Drilldown moves through a hierarchy within one visual.
  • Drillthrough moves to a detail page filtered by the selected context. The target page needs the drillthrough field configured; keep-all-filters is a setting.
  • Tooltips show extra values on hover. A report page tooltip is a page sized as a tooltip and assigned to a visual, allowing rich hover content.
  • Bookmarks capture report state: filters, slicer selections, sort, drill level, and visibility from the Selection pane. Combined with buttons they build show-and-hide toggles and guided navigation.
  • Buttons and page navigation provide app-like movement between pages.
  • Personalize visuals lets consumers change a visual without editing the report, when enabled.

AI and analytical visuals

Visual Answers
Key influencers Which factors most affect a metric or outcome
Decomposition tree Where a total breaks down, with AI-suggested next splits
Smart narrative An automatically written summary of the visual or page
Q&A Natural language questions against the model
Anomaly detection Outliers in a time series, with explanations

Analytics pane adds reference lines: constant, average, median, percentile, trend, forecast, and min/max.

Quick measures generate common DAX without writing it, which is also a good way to learn patterns.

Q&A quality depends on the model: table and column names, synonyms defined in the Q&A setup, and hidden technical columns all matter.

Accessibility

Reliably tested. A report should be usable without relying on color or a mouse.

  • Alt text on every meaningful visual
  • Tab order set in the Selection pane so keyboard navigation is logical
  • Color contrast sufficient, and never the only means of conveying meaning
  • Themes with accessible palettes
  • Avoid excessive visuals per page; each is another stop for a screen reader
  • Titles and labels that read as sentences

Other output paths

  • Analyze in Excel connects Excel PivotTables to the semantic model.
  • Paginated reports are the right tool for pixel-perfect, printable, multi-page output such as invoices and statements, rather than interactive exploration.
  • Subscriptions email a snapshot on a schedule.
  • Export to PDF, PowerPoint, or Excel, with governance settings controlling what is permitted.

Key terms

  • Drillthrough - navigation to a detail page filtered by the context selected in the source visual
  • Report page tooltip - a page sized as a tooltip and assigned to a visual for rich hover content
  • Bookmark - a saved report state including filters, selections, sort, drill level, and visual visibility
  • Selection pane - the pane controlling visual visibility and tab order
  • Sync slicer - a slicer whose selection applies across multiple report pages
  • Edit interactions - the setting controlling whether a selection in one visual filters, highlights, or ignores another
  • Key influencers - an AI visual identifying which factors most affect a chosen metric or outcome
  • Decomposition tree - an AI visual breaking a measure down across dimensions with suggested next splits
  • Smart narrative - an automatically generated text summary of a visual or report page
  • Anomaly detection - a time-series analytic identifying outliers and offering explanations
  • Analytics pane - the pane adding reference, trend, and forecast lines to a visual
  • Personalize visuals - a setting letting consumers modify a visual without edit rights on the report
  • Paginated report - a pixel-perfect, printable report format suited to operational documents rather than exploration
  • Tab order - the keyboard navigation sequence through visuals, set in the Selection pane