5 Steps to Create a Star Animation in Power BI

Embark on a captivating visual journey as we delve into the enchanting realm of data storytelling. With the innovative capabilities of Power BI, you can effortlessly transform your data into captivating star animations that will leave your audience mesmerized. Prepare to unfold the secrets of creating these dynamic visualizations, revealing a world where data comes alive with captivating motion and visual flair.

To begin our celestial adventure, we will harness the power of DAX measures. These versatile formulas act as the building blocks of our star animations, defining the size, color, and movement of each celestial body. Through carefully crafted calculations, we will determine the radius, shade, and trajectory of our stars, ensuring that they orbit gracefully around a central focal point. As we navigate this process, you will discover the nuances of DAX expressions, gaining invaluable insights into how to manipulate data to achieve mesmerizing effects.

Furthermore, we will venture into the realm of Power BI animations. Here, we will unravel the art of applying motion and transitions to our star visualizations. By leveraging the timeline feature, we can orchestrate the movements of our celestial bodies, creating a harmonious dance of data. You will learn how to control the duration, easing, and direction of each animation, infusing your data storytelling with an unparalleled level of dynamism and engagement. Together, we will explore the limitless possibilities of data visualization, transforming your audience’s experience from passive observation to active immersion.

Understand the Star Shape Formula

The star shape formula in Power BI is a powerful tool that allows you to create dynamic and visually appealing star shapes. The formula is based on the following equation:

= STARSHAPE(radius, points, start angle, end angle)

Where:

radius is the radius of the star shape.
points is the number of points on the star shape.
start angle is the starting angle of the star shape.
end angle is the ending angle of the star shape.

The radius parameter controls the size of the star shape. The points parameter controls the number of points on the star shape. The start angle and end angle parameters control the starting and ending angles of the star shape.

The star shape formula can be used to create a variety of different star shapes. For example, you can create a five-pointed star, a six-pointed star, or an eight-pointed star. You can also create stars with different radii and different starting and ending angles.

To use the star shape formula, you can use the following steps:

Select the cell where you want to create the star shape.
Go to the Insert tab in the Power BI ribbon.
Click on the Shape button.
Select the Star shape from the list of shapes.
Enter the values for the radius, points, start angle, and end angle parameters in the Shape Properties pane.
Click on the OK button to create the star shape.

Create a Blank Canvas

To create a star animation in Power BI, you’ll need to start with a blank canvas. This is a new report with no existing visuals or data.

To create a new report, click on the “File” menu and select “New”. Then, select “Blank Report”.

Once you have a blank canvas, you’re ready to start adding visuals. The first visual you’ll need to add is a scatter chart. This will be used to create the stars.

To add a scatter chart, click on the “Insert” menu and select “Scatter Chart”.

Once you’ve added a scatter chart, you’ll need to format it. The first thing you’ll need to do is change the shape of the markers. To do this, click on the “Format” tab and select “Shape”. Then, select “Star”.

Next, you’ll need to change the size of the markers. To do this, click on the “Format” tab and select “Size”. Then, enter the desired size in the “Marker Size” field.

Finally, you’ll need to change the color of the markers. To do this, click on the “Format” tab and select “Color”. Then, select the desired color from the “Marker Color” drop-down menu.

Property	Value
Shape	Star
Size	10
Color	Yellow

Build the Star Outline

The star outline is the foundation of our animation. We’ll start by creating a new measure called Star_Outline, which will return the outline of a star based on the specified radius and number of points.

The formula for this measure is as follows:

“`
Star_Outline =
VAR Radius = 50
VAR NumberOfPoints = 5
VAR AngleIncrement = 360 / NumberOfPoints
VAR Points = GENERATESERIES(0, NumberOfPoints-1)
VAR Angle = Points * AngleIncrement
RETURN
CONCATENATE(
“M”,
FORMAT(Radius * SIN(Angle * PI() / 180), “0.0”), “,”,
FORMAT(Radius * COS(Angle * PI() / 180), “0.0”),
” L”,
FORMAT(Radius * SIN((Angle + AngleIncrement / 2) * PI() / 180), “0.0”), “,”,
FORMAT(Radius * COS((Angle + AngleIncrement / 2) * PI() / 180), “0.0”)
)
“`

This measure takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Description
Radius	The radius of the star
NumberOfPoints	The number of points on the star

Add Background and Border Lines

Now that we have created the stars, let’s give them some context by adding a background and border lines. This will help to frame the stars and make them stand out.

Background

To add a background, select the star chart and go to the Format tab in the ribbon. Here, you can choose a color or gradient for the background. You can also adjust the transparency to make the background more or less visible.

Border Lines

To add border lines, select the star chart and go to the Format tab in the ribbon. Here, you can choose the color, thickness, and style of the border lines. You can also adjust the spacing between the stars and the border lines.

Property	Description
Background Color	The color of the background behind the stars.
Background Transparency	The transparency of the background.
Border Color	The color of the border lines around the stars.
Border Thickness	The thickness of the border lines.
Border Style	The style of the border lines, such as solid, dashed, or dotted.
Spacing	The spacing between the stars and the border lines.

Animate the Star’s Rotation

To animate the star’s rotation, you’ll use the custom visual’s “Rotation” property. This property accepts a numeric value in degrees, where positive values indicate clockwise rotation and negative values indicate counter-clockwise rotation.

In the “Rotation” property’s formula bar, enter the following expression:

= SUM(Star[Angle]) * 360 / 360

This expression calculates the sum of the “Angle” column values and normalizes the result to a range between 0 and 360 degrees. The result is then multiplied by 360 to convert it to degrees.

Property	Value
Rotation	= SUM(Star[Angle]) * 360 / 360

To visualize the rotation, ensure that the “Animate” option is enabled in the custom visual’s “Animation” settings. This will cause the star to rotate continuously at the specified rate.

Control Animation Duration and Delay

One of the most important aspects of creating animations in Power BI is controlling their duration and delay. By default, all animations last for 500 milliseconds, but you can change this value to create animations that are faster or slower. You can also specify a delay before an animation starts, which can be useful for creating a more dynamic and engaging experience for your users.

To control the duration and delay of an animation, you need to use the following properties:

Property	Description
duration	The duration of the animation in milliseconds.
delay	The delay before the animation starts in milliseconds.

For example, the following code creates an animation that lasts for 1000 milliseconds (1 second) and has a delay of 500 milliseconds (0.5 seconds):

animate(
  transition_duration=1000,
  transition_delay=500
)

Create Multiple Animated Stars

To create multiple animated stars, follow these steps:

Create a new Power BI report.
Import the data you want to use.
Create a scatter plot or bubble chart.
Select AdvancedPie from the Chart Types menu in the top menu bar.
Go to the Format tab.
Under the Data Labels section, check the box next to Show Data Labels.
Under the Data Label Appearance section, set the Font Color to White.
Under the Shape section, select the Star shape.
Under the Animation section, check the box next to Enable Animation.
Set the Animation Type to Grow.
Set the Animation Duration to 1000 ms.
Click OK.

The animation will now play automatically when the report is viewed.

Here is a table summarizing the steps to create multiple animated stars:

Step	Description
1	Create a new Power BI report.
2	Import the data you want to use.
3	Create a scatter plot or bubble chart.
4	Select AdvancedPie from the Chart Types menu in the top menu bar.
5	Go to the Format tab.
6	Under the Data Labels section, check the box next to Show Data Labels.
7	Under the Data Label Appearance section, set the Font Color to White.
8	Under the Shape section, select the Star shape.
9	Under the Animation section, check the box next to Enable Animation.
10	Set the Animation Type to Grow.
11	Set the Animation Duration to 1000 ms.
12	Click OK.

Integrate Animation into Power BI Dashboard

Add visual appeal and enhance user engagement by incorporating animations into your Power BI dashboards. Here’s a comprehensive step-by-step guide:

1. Create a Measure for Animation

Define a measure that controls the animation’s duration and delay. Use the following formula:

Measure Name	Formula
AnimationDuration	IF(ISBLANK(SELECTEDVALUE(‘Table'[Column])), 0, 1000)

Replace ‘Table’ with your actual table name and ‘Column’ with the column used to trigger the animation.

2. Create a Star Shape

Insert a ‘Custom Visual’ from the Visualizations pane and select ‘Star Chart’. Adjust the settings as desired to create a star shape.

3. Animate the Star Shape

Apply the AnimationDuration measure to the ‘Animation Speed’ property of the star chart. Set the ‘Animation Type’ to ‘Fade In’ or ‘Fade Out’.

4. Trigger Animation

Select the slicer or filter visual that will trigger the animation. In the ‘Format’ pane, under ‘Interactions’, enable ‘Animation’. Choose the star chart as the target visual.

5. Adjust Animation Duration and Delay

Modify the value in the AnimationDuration measure to adjust the animation duration and delay. Higher values increase the duration, while lower values decrease it.

6. Add Additional Stars

Duplicate the star chart and adjust the ‘Animation Delay’ property to create multiple stars with staggered animations.

7. Control Animation Direction

Use the ‘Animation Direction’ property to control whether the animation fades in or out when the value changes.

8. Customize Animation Settings

Explore the ‘Advanced Animation’ settings to customize the animation type, duration, delay, and easing function.

9. Consider User Accessibility

Avoid excessive animations or animations that may distract users. Ensure the animations enhance user experience rather than hinder it.

10. Understand Animation Limitations

Animations may impact dashboard performance, especially for large datasets or complex animations. Monitor dashboard performance and adjust animations as needed. Additionally, animations are not supported in Power BI Service mobile apps.

How To Make A Star Animation In Power Bi

To create a star animation in Power BI, you can use the following steps:

Create a new measure to calculate the star rating. This measure should return a value between 0 and 5, where 0 is the lowest rating and 5 is the highest rating.

Create a new calculated column to create the star animation. This calculated column should use the following formula:

“`
= IF ( [Star Rating] >= 5, 5, IF ( [Star Rating] >= 4, 4, IF ( [Star Rating] >= 3, 3, IF ( [Star Rating] >= 2, 2, IF ( [Star Rating] >= 1, 1, 0 ) ) ) ) )
“`

Create a new card visual and set the Value field to the Star Animation calculated column. This will create a card visual that shows the star rating as an animated star.