Start tab: Number
The Number section sets how values are written. It acts on the columns you selected (one or many) or on selected cells - rows have no number format of their own. With nothing of that kind selected, the section is greyed out.
📷 Screenshot needed:
start-number-group.png- the Number section with a column selected and the gallery menu open.
The Number Format box​
The box shows the category of the selection - for example Power BI or Currency - or the format string if it is a custom format. It is blank when the selected columns have different formats.
You can type into it:
- A category name (in any case:
currency,Percentage) picks that category. - An empty box goes back to Power BI.
- Anything else is taken as a custom format string, for example
#,0.00 "EUR"or0.0%.
Confirm with Enter or by leaving the box.
The gallery​
The arrow at the right of the box opens the gallery. The category the selection has now is marked.
| Entry | Notes |
|---|---|
| Dynamic | Only offered for a measure that has a dynamic format string - the format follows the value. |
| Power BI | The format the data source brings along. This is the default. Taking this choice removes the number format altogether. |
| Number, Currency, Accounting, Short Date, Long Date, Time, Comma, Percentage, Fraction, Scientific, Text, Link | See Number formats for what each one does. |
| Financial Headers > Actual, Plan, Forecast, Previous Year, Deviation, None | Sets the Financial Header marker of the selected columns by hand. Not offered when cells are selected - a cell has no header. |
| More Number Formats... | Opens the Number Format dialog. |
Picking a category from the gallery applies it with the category's own defaults - decimals, display units and options start over, as in Excel. To keep a decimals setting while switching, use the dialog.
Increase Decimal / Decrease Decimal​
One more or one fewer decimal place. They start from the number of decimals the values show now (the format string's decimals for Power BI, 2 for Currency, and so on), and never go below 0.
They are greyed out when none of the selected columns has decimals to change - dates, times, text, links and fractions have none. If you select a date column and a number column together, the buttons are on and change the number column only.
The Number Format dialog​
More Number Formats... opens a dialog with the categories on the left and the options of the chosen category on the right,
plus a Sample that shows the first value of the selection as it would look. OK applies, Cancel, Esc, the cross and a
click beside the dialog close it without applying.
📷 Screenshot needed:
number-format-dialog.png- the dialog on Currency with its fields and the sample.
| Field | Categories | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal places | Number, Currency, Accounting, Comma, Percentage, Scientific | Empty means the category's own number of decimals (Currency uses the currency's own - 2 for the Euro, 0 for the Yen). |
| 1000 separator | Number | Check box. |
| Negative numbers | Number, Currency | Minus sign or Parentheses. |
| Currency | Currency, Accounting | A list of 21 currencies. It starts as the currency of the report's language. |
| Display units | Number, Currency, Accounting, Comma | None, Thousands, Millions, Billions, Trillions. |
| Denominator | Fraction | Up to one digit (1/4), Up to two digits (21/35), Up to three digits (312/943). |
| Show | Link | Icon, Replacement text, The URL itself. |
| Icon | Link, when shown as an icon | Seven icons: Chain, External link, Arrow, Chevron, Globe, Document, Info. |
| Text | Link, when shown as a replacement text | For example "Open". If it is empty, the icon is shown instead. |
| Underline | Link, as text or URL | Check box. |
| Color | Link | The link blue until you pick one; Default goes back to it. |
| Format | Custom | The format string, with five clickable examples: #,0.00, #,0.0 "EUR", 0.0%, 0.00E+00, #,0;(#,0);"-". |
Every category has a one-line description above its fields. Changing the category in the dialog starts it from its defaults.