How to Create a List in Power BI

Creating a detailed bar chart or a complex map isn't always the best way to display your data. Sometimes, you just need a simple, clean list of items - like top-performing products, regional sales managers, or upcoming marketing campaigns. This article breaks down how to create clear and effective lists in Power BI using a few different methods, from a basic table to an interactive slicer.

Why Use a List in Your Power BI Report?

In a world of complex data visualizations, the humble list often gets overlooked. However, lists are incredibly powerful for several reasons. They cut through the noise and deliver raw information with unmatched clarity, making them indispensable when you need to convey specific details without aggregation or interpretation.

Imagine you're building a sales dashboard. A bar chart can show you which sales rep has the highest revenue, but a list can show you the names of all the reps on a specific team. A pie chart can show the proportion of sales from different product categories, but a list can display every single product within the "Outdoor Gear" category.

Here are a few common scenarios where a list is the perfect visual choice:

• Showing Members: Displaying a list of employees in a department, customers in a loyalty program, or all suppliers for a project.
• Detailed Breakdowns: Providing a complete list of products in a purchase order, unresolved customer support tickets, or all tasks assigned to a specific person.
• Reference and Context: Creating a list of event attendees, campaign names, or geographic locations that viewers can refer to while viewing other charts on the report.

Lists are fantastic for grounding your report in a "single source of truth." They provide the detailed, granular data that high-level charts often summarize, empowering viewers to see both the big picture and the small details that make it up.

Before You Start: Getting Your Data Ready

Before you can create a list, you need to have the right data in your Power BI model. The good news is that this is usually straightforward. The data you want to display in your list should be in a column within one of your data tables.

For example, if you want to create a list of your company's products, you'll need a "Products" table that contains a column named something like "Product Name." Similarly, a list of customers requires a "Customers" table with a "Customer Name" column.

The key is having clean, single-entry data. Each row in your list column should ideally represent one unique item you want to display. While Power BI can handle duplicates, your lists will be much more readable and effective if the source data is organized first.

Method 1: Displaying a Simple Information List with the Table Visual

The most direct way to create a list in Power BI is by using the standard Table visual. You’re essentially creating a table with only one column, which looks and functions exactly like a simple bulleted list. It's clean, easy-to-read, and perfect for displaying text information.

Follow these steps to build your single-column list:

Step 1: Add the Table Visual to Your Report

In Power BI Desktop, navigate to the Report view (the canvas icon on the left side). In the Visualizations pane on the right, find and click the icon for the Table visual. A blank table footprint will appear on your report canvas.

Step 2: Drag and Position the Visual

Click and drag the new table visual to your desired location on the report page. You can also resize it by dragging its corners or edges, just like any other object.

Step 3: Add Your Data Field

With the new table visual selected, go to the Data pane. Find the table containing the information you want to list. Click the small arrow to expand it and find the field (column) you want to use. For example, you might find the "Customer Name" field inside your "Customers" table.

Click and drag this field directly into the Columns well in the Visualizations pane. Instantly, the table will populate with a list of all your customer names.

Step 4: Format it to Look Like a List

Right now, it looks like a single-column table with a header. To make it a pure list, you need to make a couple of simple formatting adjustments.

1. Remove the Header: With the visual selected, go to the Format your visual section (the paintbrush icon) in the Visualizations pane. Expand the Column headers section and toggle the switch to Off. The "Customer Name" header at the top will disappear.
2. Adjust Fonts and Spacing: To improve readability, go to the Values section under Format your visual. Here you can increase the Font size, change the text color, and choose a different font family. Underneath Values, the Totals toggle should also be off.
3. Add a Title: The list now lacks context. Go to the General tab in the format pane. Expand the Title section and toggle it On. Enter a descriptive title like "Active Customers" so users know what they're looking at.

That's it! You now have a clean, scrollable list that's easy for anyone to read.

Method 2: Creating an Interactive Filter List with the Slicer Visual

What if you want a list that users can click on to filter other visuals on your report page? That’s exactly what the Slicer visual is for. It presents your data as an interactive list that drives the rest of your dashboard.

For example, you could have a Slicer with a list of product categories. When a user clicks "Electronics," all the other charts on the page (like sales revenue and profit margin) will automatically update to show data only for the electronics category.

Here’s how to set one up:

1. Add a Slicer: From the Visualizations pane, select the Slicer icon. A new, blank slicer will appear on the report canvas.
2. Add Your Field: From your Data pane, drag the categorical field you want to use for filtering (e.g., "Product Category" or "Region") into the Field well in the Visualizations pane.
3. Set the Style to a List: By default, the Slicer should appear as a vertical list with checkboxes. If not, go to Format your visual > Slicer settings > Style and choose Vertical list. A Dropdown style is also an option if you want to save space on your canvas.
4. Configure Selection Options: Under Slicer settings > Selection, you can enable options like Multi-select with CTRL or Show "Select all" to give your users more control over how they filter the data.

Now, your list is a dynamic part of your report, allowing users to explore and segment the data with a simple click.

Method 3: Enhancing a List with the Multi-row Card

Sometimes, a list of names isn't enough, you may want to show one or two key data points alongside each item. For this, the Multi-row Card visual is a perfect choice. It displays items in a list format but gives each item its own "card" with associated values.

This is extremely useful for things like:

• A list of sales reps with their current sales total and number of deals closed.
• A list of projects with their assigned project manager and deadline.
• A list of content marketing articles with their total pageviews and average time on page.

Here’s how to build a multi-row card:

1. Select Multi-row Card: In the Visualizations pane, click the Multi-row card icon.
2. Add Your Category: From the Data pane, drag the main item for your list (e.g., "Sales Rep Name") into the Category field. This creates the primary label for each card in the list.
3. Add Supporting Values: Now drag the metrics you want to display (e.g., "Total Revenue" and "Deals Won") into the Values field. Each rep's name will now appear on its own card with their specific revenue and deal count displayed below it.
4. Format the Card: Use the Format your visual pane to adjust the look. You can change text sizes and colors for both the Category labels (the names) and the Callout values (the numbers) to ensure it's easy to read and understand. Adding a descriptive title is also highly recommended.

The multi-row card elegantly bridges the gap between a simple list and a full table, providing crucial context in a compact and visually appealing way.

Pro Tips for Effective BI Lists

Creating the list visual is just the first step. To make your lists truly effective and user-friendly, consider these extra tips:

• Limit Your List Size with Filters: A list with 10,000 products isn't particularly helpful. Use the Filters pane in Power BI to narrow it down. A common practice is to apply a "Top N" filter. For example, drag your "Customer Name" to the filter well, select "Top N," and set it to show the Top 10 customers based on a value, like "Sales Amount".
• Sort for Quicker Scanning: An unsorted list of names is hard to scan. With your list visual selected, click the ellipsis (...) at the top right corner, go to Sort by, and choose the field you want to sort by. Then use Sort ascending or Sort descending to arrange it.
• Add Context Through Interaction: Make your lists dynamic. Set up your visuals so that when a user clicks a bar in a chart (e.g., a "Sales by Year" chart), your list visual automatically filters to show the relevant items for that year. This makes the whole report feel connected.

Final Thoughts

While Power BI offers a universe of complex visualization tools, mastering the basics - like creating a simple list - is fundamental to building clear, effective reports. Whether you need a simple information display, an interactive filter, or a lightly summarized card, there's a list option available to present your details cleanly and efficiently.

We know that while tools like Power BI are incredibly powerful, they come with a steep learning curve that can be intimidating, especially for marketing and sales folks who just need quick answers. Instead of spending hours wrangling visuals, we built Graphed to do the heavy lifting for you. You can connect your marketing and sales data sources in seconds and create entire dashboards just by describing what you want to see - "Show me a list of my top 10 Shopify products by revenue last month" - and get a live, interactive report built instantly.