Insert manual input rows
Quite often we would like to insert a row in our table/matrix reports in Power BI and enter our own data. For example, a financial statement report connecting to a database query may be able to fetch revenue & expense metrics, but it might not retrieve the number of shares outstanding. Similarly, a sales report can leave out the sales data for a newly launched product category.
To address such scenarios, Inforiver allows you to insert static rows in matrix-style reports where you can input or enter the data.
1. Insert static row
The option to insert rows is available in the 'Insert' tab. Note however that the 'Insert row' option is greyed out.
Select a row as shown below. The 'Insert row' option gets enabled. Click on the dropdown as shown. You can see a list of the available options. Click on 'Static row'.
Another way to insert static rows is by using the row gripper. The gripper icon is highlighted when you hover over a row. Click on it, then select the 'Add static row' option in the insert section.
1.1. Static row properties
A side panel opens when creating a static now, as shown below. Type in the name of the category and click 'Create'. You will see an empty record created above the row that was selected before the 'Insert Row' operation.
i. Scaling factor
You can set the scaling factor for the static row depending on the data that is expected to be entered. It is set to Auto by default.
ii. Include in total
When the 'Include in total' option is enabled, any values that we type in for the new row also update the parent row 'Germany'.
iii. Distribute parent value to children
The 'Distribute parent value to children' option ensures that if a value is entered at a total level, it gets distributed to the levels below it.
iv. Bind for cross filter/RLS
You can enable the Bind for Cross filter/RLS option – this ensures that cross-filter selections and RLS settings apply to calculated/manual input rows that reference other rows. For example, if this option is not enabled, a manager handling Canada accounts can view a manually inserted row that references US data or an inserted region that is manually created at the visual level. Learn more about binding rows.
1.2. Delete a static row
To delete a static row, hover over the row and click on the row gripper. Select the 'Delete Row' option.
2. Bulk insert static rows
You can bulk-insert leaf-level rows or hierarchies using the Insert rows option.
2.1. Inserting child rows
To insert a leaf-level row, click on any child row or the parent row under which you want to create rows. From the row gripper, select the Insert Rows option. Notice that the parent category is already populated. You can key in the value for the child rows.
There are 2 ways to add new rows:
Click Add New, then choose whether to insert a single row or bulk insert 5/10 rows.
2.2. Inserting a hierarchy
To insert a new level in an existing hierarchy, you can overwrite the default parent category that is auto-populated in the Insert Rows window. For instance, if you click on United States (or any child row), the Insert Rows will automatically have United States as the Region. Double-click and overwrite the value with the desired parent category.
2.3. Disabling row insertion
You can restrict users from creating new categories for a particular level. Navigate to Insert >Manage Rows > Insert Row Settings> Insert Row Configuration.
We’ve disabled the creation of new regions. However, new subregions can still be inserted.
Notice how the Region textbox is disabled in the Insert rows window but we are able to enter values in the SubRegion textbox.
2.4. Uploading from an Excel sheet
You can upload the row categories from an Excel sheet. In the Insert Rows window, you will be able to see the data from your Excel as dropdown options. Let's see how.
STEP 1: Navigate to Insert >Manage Rows > Insert Row Settings> Insert Row Configuration. Select Options list from CSV from the dropdown.
STEP 2: On selecting the option, The Add Options from CSV window opens. Click the Upload button. You can browse and upload the source file from the CSV Upload tab. Inforiver displays a preview of the contents of the CSV file.
STEP 3: You need to map the source field from the Excel which will be used as row categories. Choose the field from the Excel from the Label Column dropdown. In this case, the mapping is as shown below:
| Excel Column | Visual Row Category |
|---|---|
Sector | Region |
Country | Sub Region |
STEP 4: You will need to set up filters if you want to map subcategories under the respective parent category. In this case, when you select Frontier markets as the Region, you would only want to see Vietnam, Romania, and Kenya in the Sub Region dropdown. Similarly, when you select CIVETS as the Region, you would only want to see Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, etc, and none of the countries that fall under the Frontier markets sector.
Once the steps discussed above are completed, you will be able to see the data from your Excel in the Region and Sub Region dropdowns.
Follow the steps discussed in sections 2.1/2.2 to insert the configured row categories into your visual.
2.5. Insert rows from semantic models
You can also insert rows and their leaf categories from semantic models. The procedure is similar to adding single and multi-select options from the semantic model.
STEP 1: To pick and upload row categories from a semantic model, navigate to Insert > Manage Rows > Insert Row Settings > Insert Row Configuration > Manage. Select Options list from Semantic Model from the 'Category' dropdown.
STEP 2: The Add options from Semantic model window opens. In the Table Connection tab, select the workspace, semantic model and the table you need to connect to. Click Next.
STEP 3: Go to the Options configuration tab and choose the column from the connected table that will be used as the option label. In the example below, we have chosen the column 'Category' from the table 'Contoso-Product'. This column's members will be used to populate the 'Categories' row level. STEP 4: You can optionally specify a filter if hierarchical data is involved, and you want to maintain the same structure in your reports. In the Columns dropdown, select the field based on which you need to filter the options. In this case, it is the Contoso - Product.SubCategory which can be used to identify the Category. Select the matching field from the visual (SubCategory) in the Visual Column dropdown.
Then click Add.
Because of this filter, when you insert a row and add a sub-category first, you will be prompted with the category to which it belongs.
Configuring filter options is optional. By adding it, we ensure that the dropdown list for each category displays only the relevant sub-categories and vice-versa. For example, if you choose "Cellphones" as the category, only the sub-categories under "Cellphones" will be displayed, not other categories.
Similarly, when you choose a sub-category, you can add it only under the relevant category.
STEP 5: Follow the same steps from 1 to 4 for SubCategory dimension.
Once the configuration is completed as shown in the image above, you can follow the steps in sections 2.1/2.2 to insert the configured row categories into your visual.
You will see the data from the semantic model in the Category and Sub Category dropdowns.
The rows are inserted as shown below:
The base data in our visual may be from one table, but the options in the dropdown may be from a different table; in such cases, you can specify a join. For more information on using joins and filters, please refer to this section.
2.6. Setting user permissions
You can explicitly set permissions for users to insert rows in read mode. You have options to restrict all users, allow all users, or authorize specific users to insert rows. Navigate to Insert > Manage Rows >Settings > Insert Row Access to set permissions.
Enable the Allow in Read Mode toggle to allow users to insert rows in reading mode.
To allow all the members in your organization to insert rows, choose the All users radio button.
If you want to restrict users from inserting rows, choose the Specific users radio button. You will then be able select the users to whom you want to provide access.
2.7. Allow blank values in categories
While inserting row hierarchies manually, you can enable the Allow Blank Values toggle if you expect blank row categories in the leaf nodes. This option is available at Insert tab > Manage Rows > Insert Row Settings > Insert Row Configuration > Manage.
By default, this toggle is disabled. The blank categories are highlighted in a red error box, and Inforiver prevents you from inserting rows.
By enabling this option, you can insert row hierarchies that contain blank leaf categories. In the image below, notice that the Corporate segment has only one product and does not have any discount bands under it. Similarly, the Consumer segment does not have any products or discount bands tagged to it as the row categories were left blank while inserting rows.
Please note that you cannot create blank parent nodes for child nodes that are not blank.
3. Row hierarchy
This option can be used to insert a single user-defined level for hierarchical data. Only one row is created while using this option, unlike the multiple static row option, where you can define the hierarchy structure with multiple nested levels and rows.
After creating a custom hierarchy level, you can insert static rows, calculated rows, aggregated rows, etc. as demonstrated in the example below.
In the next section, we'll be looking at inserting manual input columns.
Resources
Insert row and manually enter data in Power BI matrix reports
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