Data Binding

Data binding connects a catalog layer to your Power BI semantic model, letting you colour, highlight, and interact with map features based on your data. This turns static reference boundaries into dynamic, data-driven visualisations.

How Data Binding Works

1. Each catalog layer's vector tiles contain attribute properties — for example, a UK postcode layer has a postcode property on every feature.
2. Your Power BI data has a column with matching values — for example, a PostalCode column.
3. In the catalog dialog, you select the vector-tile property as the key field.
4. At runtime, Icon Map matches each row of your Power BI data to a feature in the catalog layer based on the key field.
5. Matched features can then be styled using Power BI's conditional formatting — fill colour, outline colour, extrusion height, and more.

Configuring Data Binding

When a layer supports data binding (indicated by a "Data Binding" capability badge), a data-binding section appears in the configuration panel:

Key Field

Select the vector-tile property to match against your Power BI data. The dropdown shows all available properties defined in the layer's schema — each with a description of what it contains.

Choose the property that corresponds to the column in your Power BI data. For example:

Hide Unmatched Features

When enabled, features in the catalog layer that don't have a matching row in your Power BI data are hidden from the map. This is useful when your data only covers a subset of the layer's features — for example, showing only the states where you have sales.

Auto-Zoom to Matched Features

When enabled, the map automatically zooms to fit all features that have a match in your Power BI data. This ensures your data is visible without manual panning.

You can also set a max zoom for the auto-zoom calculation, to prevent the map from zooming in too far when you have very few matched features.

Runtime Behaviour

Conditional Formatting

Once a layer has data binding configured, you can use Power BI's conditional formatting to drive layer styling from your data:

• Fill colour — colour each matched feature based on a measure or column value.
• Outline colour — set per-feature outline colours.
• Outline width — vary outline thickness by data.
• Extrusion height — set per-feature 3D heights from a measure.

These overrides are applied through the Power BI formatting pane — see Format Pane Settings.

Tooltips

Matched features display Power BI tooltips on hover, showing the data associated with the matched row — just like any other data-driven element in Power BI.

Selection & Cross-Highlighting

Clicking a matched feature selects the corresponding data row in Power BI, triggering cross-highlighting and cross-filtering with other visuals on the page. Lasso selection is also supported.

When features are selected:

• Selected features render at full opacity.
• Unselected features dim to 30% opacity.

Styling Precedence

When both catalog-dialog configuration and Power BI conditional formatting are applied, conditional formatting takes priority for matched features. Unmatched features (if visible) use the catalog-dialog configuration.