Power BI October update adds Gantt and slicer options
Fernan Espejo reviews October Power BI changes, including preview visuals and a capacity update that affects semantic model workloads.
Key insights
- The new core Gantt chart visual is in preview and can be enabled through Power BI Desktop's preview features.
- List slicers add a dropdown mode, selected-item pills, and an option to pin selections at the top.
- Fabric skills can recommend custom visuals and bind data fields, but adding those visuals remains a manual step.
- Auto-expand hierarchy is generally available, supports field parameters, and may need to be switched off in existing reports.
- Surge protection now monitors long semantic model refresh usage while the job runs, rather than only after it completes.
Fernan Espejo of Solutions Abroad recently reviewed the October 2026 Power BI update in a video lasting just under eight minutes. His summary covers report-authoring skills, visual and slicer changes, hierarchy behavior, personal bookmarks, and semantic model surge protection. The practical takeaway is that several authoring improvements are available to test, while the hierarchy change and capacity behavior deserve attention from teams managing existing reports and workloads.
What's new
Fabric skills used with AI coding tools such as Claude or Codex can now work with Power BI custom visuals. As Espejo demonstrates, the skills can find and bind data fields to a custom visual, validate the data, and recommend an AppSource visual based on a description of the desired chart. The addition does not mean the tool automatically inserts the visual: Espejo says adding custom visuals remains a manual step.
A Gantt chart has been added to Power BI's core visual offerings, but it is still in preview. Espejo contrasts this with earlier workarounds, including matrix-table formatting, third-party visuals, and HTML techniques. Teams that could not use third-party visuals may find a built-in option useful, but the preview status means it is something to test rather than assume is ready for every production report.
The list slicer adds a dropdown mode with more ways to present list items, including subtitles and images. It can keep selected items at the top and display selections as pills. Espejo notes that the list slicer is also in preview. The chart plot-area background can now be given a color, and the video notes that the setting can be conditionally formatted.
Two further usability changes affect chart axes and personal views. Auto-expand hierarchy is now generally available and supports field parameters, while personal bookmarks can retain column widths and, according to Espejo, appear to retain ordering as well. He is less certain about exactly what ordering refers to, so the column-width behavior is the clearer point to rely on from the demonstration.
Why it matters
For report authors, the custom-visual support could make AI-assisted report design more useful in environments that rely on visuals beyond Power BI's core set. It can assist with selecting, binding, and validating data for a visual, but the human author still controls whether the custom visual is added. The video does not describe licensing requirements or the specific availability of these skills, so teams should not infer those details from the demonstration.
The Gantt chart and dropdown list slicer address familiar report-design needs: showing task schedules and keeping long filter lists manageable. Both are preview features in Espejo's account. That makes them relevant for makers who want to evaluate them, but teams should account for their preview status before making them dependencies in reports used for routine business processes.
Admins and report owners should also review the auto-expand hierarchy setting. Espejo says it was turned on by default in his experience and unexpectedly changed charts for a client using field parameters. He had to turn it off individually on affected charts and wished for a global setting. His experience is a warning to check reports after the update; the video does not establish that every report or tenant will behave identically.
The surge-protection change is most relevant to capacity-backed workloads. Espejo describes it as affecting Fabric capacity and Power BI Premium capacity workspaces, while ordinary Power BI Pro shared workspaces are not affected unless they are working on capacity. The improvement concerns how long-running background work, such as a semantic model refresh, reports usage during execution.
How it works
- Try the Gantt visual: In Power BI Desktop, use the preview features options to turn on the Gantt chart, as shown in the video. The visual remains in preview.
- Configure a list slicer: Choose dropdown mode, then use available item details and selection options to tailor the list. Selected values can appear as pills, and selections can be pinned to the top.
- Check hierarchy behavior: For charts with more than one column on an axis, review the auto-expand hierarchy option under the axis and values settings. The video says it now supports field parameters and is generally available.
- Save a personal view: Adjust table column widths, then save the view in a personal bookmark. The update preserves column widths; ordering may also be retained, though the video is not definitive about that detail.
- Understand capacity protection: Previously, a long refresh could report its usage only after finishing. The update monitors usage while the job runs, giving surge protection earlier information as capacity approaches its threshold. Espejo says incoming jobs may then be accepted, even if throttled or delayed, rather than rejected.
These changes affect different layers of report use: authoring, filtering, presentation, personal customization, and capacity management. The video does not show a single configuration process that applies all of them. In particular, turning on the Gantt preview is a distinct step, while the hierarchy behavior is described as having rolled out with the update.
Limitations and open questions
The Gantt chart and list slicer are explicitly described as previews, so the video does not establish their final behavior or general availability. Espejo does not provide a detailed walkthrough of every setting or supported visual type, and he says he plans to cover Gantt charts in a separate video. The automatic visual recommendation is also not automatic insertion: custom visuals still require a manual addition.
The hierarchy default surprised Espejo, and he reports having to change settings on multiple charts individually. The video does not confirm a tenant-wide control or describe the exact scope of the default. It also leaves the bookmark ordering detail uncertain. For surge protection, the description is based on Espejo's understanding; the video does not provide configuration steps, capacity thresholds, or measured performance results.
Readers can explore more Power BI reporting coverage on HubSite 365. For the feature summary itself, the video points viewers to a Microsoft Fabric Community blog post, but that post URL is not included in the permitted source list here.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Are the Gantt chart and dropdown list slicer ready for production?
The video describes both as preview features. It does not establish when they will become generally available, so teams should test them before relying on them in production reports.
Does custom-visual support let AI add visuals to a report automatically?
No. The skills can recommend a custom visual, bind data fields, and validate data, but Espejo says adding the visual to the report remains a manual step.
Who is affected by the surge-protection change?
The video identifies Fabric capacity and Power BI Premium capacity workspaces as affected. Regular Power BI Pro shared workspaces are not affected unless they are working on capacity.
What should report owners check after the update?
Check charts using hierarchy axes and field parameters, because Espejo found auto-expand enabled by default in his experience. He reports changing affected charts individually.