Skip to main content
Microsoft Idea

Power BI

Under Review

Interactive R Visuals

Vote (212) Share
David E's profile image

David E on 23 Feb 2016 20:12:57

Many R packages combine R with JavaScript and output html for a richer, more interactive experience. Add support for interactive R visuals from packages such as htmlwidgets to Power BI. PBI currently requires a static image as output for the R visual.

Comments (15)
David E's profile image Profile Picture

Ganesh Alwarsamy on 06 Jul 2020 00:16:13

RE: Interactive R Visuals

This would be the best enhancement to PBI

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Alex Power BI User on 06 Jul 2020 00:06:17

RE: Interactive R Visuals

This would really open up a bunch of possibilities that are not currently available to us with standard visuals, and means we can avoid creating custom visuals unless absolutely necessary. Things such as maps with custom polygons would be a benefit to some of the reports we have created, whereas at the moment we're having to use a bunch of work arounds that aren't quite as good as that sweet sweet polygon.

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Rob on 05 Jul 2020 23:36:22

RE: Interactive R Visuals

Adding basic support for a standard HTML-rendered R visual would be a huge win. My audience has a difficult time buying into the R visuals without being able to mouse-over and see tooltips with the underlying values. Custom visuals are a long-term liability as API's change and evolve. Also, creating custom visuals quickly becomes annoying and developing the R scripts is much more convenient when we're able to drag inputs into the visual, click 'Edit script in external IDE' and have PowerBI kick over the initial data frame.

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Kyle on 05 Jul 2020 23:22:28

RE: Interactive R Visuals

I agree with Lifu; having custom visuals is a great step, but still not very convenient compared to interactive visuals via the R Script visual. Please, please allow the R Script visual to accept HTML output as well!

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Lifu Huang on 05 Jul 2020 23:03:09

RE: Interactive R Visuals

Do we have plans to make the R Script component to support interactive visuals? I know it's been a step forward to support interactive visuals in custom visuals, it's still not as convenient and maintainable.

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Guillermo on 05 Jul 2020 22:51:27

RE: Interactive R Visuals

Interactive R custom visuals are out :)
https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/interactive-r-custom-visuals-support-is-here/

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Power BI User on 05 Jul 2020 22:48:55

RE: Interactive R Visuals

I need R visuals to be interactive !! Otherwise I am using custom visual SandDance to look at non-aggregated data to keep the interaction in my graphs

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Power BI User on 05 Jul 2020 22:48:55

RE: Interactive R Visuals

Agreed. R visual interactivity is essential to our data when drilling is needed within the visual (which is often). Not having this reduces the usefulness of the R custom visuals.

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Power BI User on 05 Jul 2020 22:48:15

RE: Interactive R Visuals

GoogleVis is openly advertising it will host Shiny apps for free. Microsoft, you have made progress with PowerBI in comparison to other data discovery tools by providing a useful integration capability with R. Don't stop now!

David E's profile image Profile Picture

Jonathan Mak on 05 Jul 2020 22:43:09

RE: Interactive R Visuals

I'd say things like leaflet and ggplotly will be extremely handy and will catapult beyond the likes of tableau or quikview