ArcGIS for Power BI – v 2024.2
The 2024.2 release of ArcGIS for Power BI continues to uphold our commitment to quality, introducing a mix of enhancements, bug fixes, and quality of life updates. As Power BI evolves, so do we—bringing you new features, better performance, and a more seamless experience.
Make sure you’re using the latest version of Power BI Desktop or restart Power BI Online to take full advantage of these exciting updates. Dive into the details and explore what’s new!
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Version 2024.2.500
Release Date:1/9/2025
Join layer update
The Join Layer feature now offers an enhanced experience if you are looking to interact with ArcGIS layers in Power BI reports through common attribute joins. Based on valuable feedback from our user community, we’ve made significant improvements in this release. Users now have access to more options when configuring the join, and the joined result layer is now a stand-alone feature layer. This update empowers you with enhanced interactivity, better data handling, and the ability to perform more advanced analysis, making the Join Layer feature more versatile and impactful than ever before.
Learn more about Join layer.
ArcGIS layer styling and layer properties
In response to popular demand, you can now style ArcGIS layers directly within ArcGIS for Power BI—whether you're a guest user or an ArcGIS user. However, please note that guest users will have limited options when styling ArcGIS layers. Specifically, feature information, layer visible range, and layer transparency will not be available to guest users during the styling process.
Similar to styling the Power BI data layer, you can style ArcGIS layers by navigating to Symbology to configure bivariate rendering and Symbol type, or use the Style options to adjust symbol styling, clustering and vary by attribute. Go to Layer Properties where you can manage feature information, layer visible range, labels, layer transparency, and layer refresh. To enable Feature Information under Layer properties, simply toggle Feature information on from the Format visual pane.
Note: Layers with Arcade expressions are not supported.
Learn more about ArcGIS layer styling and layer properties.
Custom symbology
While the default symbology provided may not meet all of your mapping needs, ArcGIS users now have the ability to upload their own custom symbols. This feature allows for greater flexibility in styling your maps so your visualizations match your specific requirements.
Learn more about how to add a custom symbol.
More map tool controls for the report designer
In previous versions, report designers had limited control over the map tools. With this release, we've introduced the ability to toggle on/off all map tools directly from the Visualizations Format visual pane. This gives report designers full control over the map tools.
Learn more about map tools controls.
Quality of life updates:
Tooltip Formatting: There is added support for more advanced tooltip formatting options, including:
- Decimal rounding for numerical values
- Support for percentage and unique characters
- Enhanced date formatting for non-English locale settings
Bug fixes:
- Map Loading Issues (Critical Fix):
- Fixed: Maps were previously failing to load when switching between tabs in ArcGIS Maps for Power BI. This issue has been resolved, ensuring smooth transitions between tabs without blank map visualizations.
- Error Messages: Resolved various error message-related issues.
- Localization Fixes: Addressed multiple localization-related issues to improve language support.
- Join Layer Bugs:
- Fixed a problem where hidden join layers could still be filtered using a pie chart.
- Resolved an issue where, when the join layer field well was populated, ArcGIS for Power BI would zoom to the full extent of the world when cross-filtering from a table.
- Legends Persistence: Legends now persist after cross-filtering and cross-highlighting in ArcGIS for Power BI.
- Symbology Issues: Addressed an issue where the sample shape color did not update when changing the color ramp with the "Classify data" toggle turned off in the Symbology options tab of the Layers pane.
- "No Legend" Bug: Fixed a bug where "No legend" would appear when adding data to the map in certain workflows.
- Power BI data layer Tooltips: Resolved several issues related to Power BI data layer tooltips in ArcGIS for Power BI.
- Location Type Tool: Fixed a bug where the "Location type" tool would appear when adding the same data to XY.
- Clustering Bug: Fixed an issue where clustering was lost when sharing a report from Power BI Desktop to Power BI Online.
- Sign-In Blocking Page: Addressed an issue where the sign-in blocking page would prevent loading data when switching between different Power BI visuals, showing an incorrect message after entering the map.
- Session Timeout: Resolved the issue where ArcGIS for Power BI logs users out after switching between pages.
- Missing "Show All" Button: Fixed the issue where the "Show all" button was missing on the Layers widget/legend card after changing the color ramp for symbols.
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Enhancements & Bug Fixes
Version 2024.2.550
Release Date:2/10/2025
In addition to the new features and improvements highlighted above, this February update also includes a number of enhancements and bug fixes. Here are the key updates:
Enhancements
- Improved Selection and Interaction
Selection Highlighting: When making selections on Power BI features through an ArcGIS layer, the selected ArcGIS layer features will be highlighted in cyan for easy identification. Additionally, selected Power BI features will be highlighted in a distinct way, ensuring you can clearly differentiate between the two.
Selection Tool Behavior: The Selection tool will be disabled if there is no Power BI data layer or joined layer added to the map, or they are hidden or clustered, even if ArcGIS layers are present or visible.
Simplified Selection Process: You can now single-click on ArcGIS layer features to make selections for the Power BI features directly, without needing to open the Selection tool. This functionality is available when there is only one Power BI data layer and one ArcGIS layer. Similarly, if there’s only one joined layer on the map, you can also single-click to select features from the joined layer, even without opening the Selection tool.
- Join Layer Reference Fix: When a join layer reference doesn’t exist, the joined result layer will be automatically removed from the map, and a toast message will notify you of the issue.
Join layer reference missing
- Basemap Reset: You can now easily reset the basemap if the one used in the map is deleted or becomes unavailable.
Bug Fixes
- ArcGIS Login Box Issue: An issue has been fixed where the ArcGIS login box prompted in Power BI when opening reports via a different network, even when the content was shared with everyone. After the fix, Power BI report viewers won’t see the sign in blocking page if the map meets the embed and publish requirement check.
- Cluster Text and Feature Label Visibility: Cluster text and feature labels now remain visible after enabling Enable Clustering and Show Labels.
- Error Messages: Addressed various error message-related issues.
- Join Layer Bugs: Resolved multiple bugs related to join layers for more consistent behavior.
- Exact Match Reset: Fixed the problem where the Exact Match toggle would reset to off after being toggled on and updating the location type.
- Localization Issues: Fixed several localization-related problems to enhance support for non-English languages.
- Legend Card Persistence: Addressed a bug where the legend card would disappear when the size or color field wells were filled or changed.
- Clear Filters Option Disabled: Fixed the issue where the Clear Filters option became disabled when unchecking all options in the Filters pane.
- Legends Not Persisting: Legends now persist after applying filters in ArcGIS for Power BI.
- Enlarge Visual Message: Enlarge visual message is now properly available for Power BI users.
- Guest User Access to Feature Information for joined result layer: Guest users can now access feature information for the joined result layer when a feature layer has been added to the map.
- Drill Through Feature: Resolved a bug where the Drill Through feature remained greyed out when used with the ArcGIS for Power BI visual.
- Buffer Analysis Error: For ArcGIS users, buffer analysis now runs smoothly without errors when performing single select on certain ArcGIS layers.
- Heat Map: Resolved an issue where selections could be made on a heat map, which was not intended behavior.
As always, we value your feedback and are committed to making ArcGIS for Power BI better with each release. Your suggestions help guide our improvements, and we’re excited to bring you these updates to enhance your mapping experience. Please feel free to share your ideas or if you find anything is broken or does not make sense.
Stay tuned for future updates, and we look forward to hearing more from you!