Power BI custom visuals development for charts you cannot buy
Power BI custom visuals development is the building of a new chart type with Microsoft's visuals SDK when the core visuals cannot show what a team needs. The result is a packaged visual file that report authors add to a report like any other visual. Power BI Agency scopes each visual in writing, shows progress weekly and hands over the full source code.
- Built on the visuals SDK
- Source code handed over
- Core visuals checked first
Last updated
What is Power BI custom visuals development?
Power BI comes with a set of core visuals, such as bars, lines, cards and maps. Beyond those, Microsoft provides an open SDK so developers can create their own. A custom visual is a small web project written in TypeScript and packaged into a single file.
Report authors then import that file into Power BI Desktop. From there it behaves like a built-in visual. For example, it takes fields, responds to slicers and shows options in the format pane.
However, a custom visual is software, so it needs care over time. Someone has to keep it working as the platform moves on. Therefore we treat the decision to build one as a real commitment, not a quick fix.
Do you really need a custom Power BI visual?
Often the honest answer is no. First we check whether a core visual can do the job with different formatting. Small multiples, conditional formatting and field parameters already cover a lot of requests.
Next we look at the visuals in Microsoft's marketplace. Many common needs, such as timelines and advanced charts, already exist there. Because those visuals come from third parties, we also review what each one does with your data before we suggest it.
Only when both routes fail do we propose a new build. That order keeps your cost down, since a formatted core visual needs no maintenance from you at all. For example, a Power BI production dashboard may need one custom gauge, while every other page uses core visuals.
What a custom Power BI visuals project delivers
Each build produces the same six items, so your team is never left with a black box.
Visual specification
A short document fixes the fields, the interactions and the format options before any code exists.
Packaged visual file
The finished visual arrives as a single file that authors import into a report.
Full source code
You receive the whole project, so another developer can change it later without us.
Format pane options
Colors, labels and sizes appear as settings. As a result, authors adjust the look without code.
Interaction support
Selection, cross-highlighting and tooltips follow the platform's patterns, so the visual feels native.
Rollout notes
A guide explains how your Power BI administrator can add it as an organizational visual.
Requests that lead to Power BI custom visuals development
These are typical cases where the core set and the marketplace both fall short.
- An industry chart with a fixed layout
- A process diagram driven by live data
- A branded scorecard with exact spacing
- A floor plan or schematic with status colors
- A chart type unique to one method
- A control that combines several inputs
How our Power BI custom visuals development process runs
A visual moves from an idea to a rolled-out file in four stages.
Feasibility check
During the free assessment we test the idea against core visuals first, and then against the SDK's limits.
Written specification
The quote fixes what the visual shows and how it behaves, so scope does not drift.
Build with weekly demos
You see the visual running on your own data each week, while changes are still cheap.
Packaging and rollout
Finally, we package the file, hand over the source and guide your administrator through rollout.
Questions on custom visuals for Power BI
How are custom visuals in Power BI distributed to report authors?
There are a few routes. An author can import the packaged file straight into a report. Alternatively, a Power BI administrator can publish it as an organizational visual, so every author in the tenant finds it in one place. Microsoft documents both routes, and we recommend the second because it keeps versions under control.
Is a custom Power BI visual safe for our data?
A visual we build for you contains only the code in the source you receive, so your team can inspect it. It runs inside the sandbox that the platform provides for all custom visuals. We also avoid calls to outside services unless the specification asks for one, and then we state it plainly.
Who maintains the visual after delivery?
That is your choice. Because you hold the source code, your own developers can maintain it. Otherwise we can look after it under a separate agreement. Either way, we explain during scoping that the SDK changes over time, so a visual may need an update in the future.
Can you modify a visual we already use?
Only when you hold the rights and the source. If the visual is an open-source project, its license decides what is allowed, so we read that first. For a marketplace visual without source, we cannot change it. Instead we look at whether a new build or different formatting solves the need.
Who does the Power BI visual development work?
Consultants at Power BI Agency do it. We are a small team, a division of Sataware Technologies, and independent of Microsoft. Testing happens against reports in your own tenant. We deliver the service online. Call (480) 485-7373, and we reply within 2 hours.
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