Over the last few months, some Power Bi customers have been trying custom visualizations in preview mode. The developer tool has now been launch to general availability. Microsoft says it has listened to feedback and is debuting the tool with plenty of features.
The developer tool allows Power Bi users to create custom visuals through command line tools. These tools offer a suite of features for creating customs and test them in reports and dashboards.
As mentioned, the command line tool comes with a number of features at it moves to GA. Visual isolation allows users to run a custom visual in a sandboxed Iframe. Microsoft points out that this means library versions and global styles can be used without stepping “on anyone’s toes.”
External libraries were among the most requested features for the tool amongst Power Bi customers. The feature affords the ability to bring any external library into a visual.
Giving users a feature set across versions is important to keep customers happy. Microsoft ensures that backward compatibility in Power Bi will continue. Visuals created with the new tool will work on all upcoming Power Bi versions, the company says.
Microsoft says it is winding down its web developer tools. The new tool is completely command-line based. It is also functional across platforms and with any IDE. Source maps can be generated to make typescript code debugging easier in a browser or IDE.
Recent Updates
July was a busy month for Power Bi feature debuts. Microsoft unveiled a barcode scanner, and the extensive July update. Other notable additions to the service were support for R visuals, and the announcement of Embedded to GA. Just last week, the company announced Amazon Redshift is now available in preview for the desktop version.
