Visual generator

Visual Generator

Build Power BI report visual definitions in PBIR (Power BI Enhanced Report) format. In PBIR, each visual is stored as a separate visual.json file inside its own directory under pages/<pageId>/visuals/<visualId>/. This skill takes a visual type and field-to-bucket mapping from the visual selector and produces all report files.

When to Use This Skill

• Generating individual visual.json files for a PBIP report
• Building visual containers with semantic query bindings
• Creating report definition files (report.json, version.json, pages.json)
• Producing definition.pbir pointer files linking report to semantic model
• Constructing visuals as part of the query-to-pbip pipeline (Stage 3)

Inputs

• visualType — The PBIR visual type string from Stage 2 (e.g., cardVisual, clusteredColumnChart)
• bucketMapping — Field-to-bucket assignments from Stage 2
• tableNames — Table and column/measure names from Stage 1
• projectName — Name of the PBIP project (for definition.pbir path references)
• pageLayout (optional) — Page dimensions; defaults to 1280x720

Outputs

File	Location	Purpose
visual.json	definition/pages/<pageId>/visuals/<visualId>/	One file per visual (schema 2.5.0)
page.json	definition/pages/<pageId>/	Page definition (schema 2.0.0)
pages.json	definition/pages/	Page ordering metadata
report.json	definition/	Report-level configuration (schema 3.1.0)
version.json	definition/	Report format version
definition.pbir	<ProjectName>.Report/	Pointer to semantic model

Visual Generation Workflow

Step 1: Build the Semantic Query

For each field in the bucket mapping, construct the appropriate field reference. The agent should use the available tables, models, and relationships from Stage 1 to determine the best way to display the visual — leveraging actual column types, sort orders, and relationships defined in the semantic model.

Column reference (for dimensions):

{
  "field": {
    "Column": {
      "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "<TableName>" } },
      "Property": "<ColumnName>"
    }
  },
  "queryRef": "<TableName>.<ColumnName>",
  "nativeQueryRef": "<ColumnName>",
  "active": true
}

Measure reference (for aggregated values):

{
  "field": {
    "Measure": {
      "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "<FactTableName>" } },
      "Property": "<MeasureName>"
    }
  },
  "queryRef": "<FactTableName>.<MeasureName>",
  "nativeQueryRef": "<MeasureName>"
}

The nativeQueryRef is typically just the column or measure name without the table prefix.

Step 2: Select and Populate the Visual Template

Load the appropriate template from assets/visual-templates/ in the query-to-pbip skill and replace placeholders:

Template	Visual Type	Placeholders
cardVisual.json	cardVisual	{{VisualName}}, {{MeasureTable}}, {{MeasureName}}
clusteredColumnChart.json	clusteredColumnChart	{{VisualName}}, {{CategoryTable}}, {{CategoryColumn}}, {{MeasureTable}}, {{MeasureName}}, optional {{SeriesTable}}, {{SeriesColumn}}
clusteredBarChart.json	clusteredBarChart	{{VisualName}}, {{CategoryTable}}, {{CategoryColumn}}, {{MeasureTable}}, {{MeasureName}}, optional {{SeriesTable}}, {{SeriesColumn}}
lineChart.json	lineChart	{{VisualName}}, {{CategoryTable}}, {{CategoryColumn}}, {{MeasureTable}}, {{MeasureName}}
tableEx.json	tableEx	{{VisualName}}, {{Columns}}
slicer.json	slicer	{{VisualName}}, {{SlicerTable}}, {{SlicerColumn}}

Replace {{VisualName}} with a 20-character hex identifier (e.g., uuid.uuid4().hex[:20]).

When Stage 1 includes derived categorical aliases (for example a SQL CASE alias), populate the Series bucket for supported visuals (clusteredColumnChart, clusteredBarChart, lineChart) so Power BI renders legend-based color splits.

Step 3: Set Visual Positioning

Apply position coordinates within the visual.json:

Single full-page visual:

{ "x": 20, "y": 20, "z": 0, "height": 680, "width": 1240, "tabOrder": 0 }

Single centered card:

{ "x": 440, "y": 260, "z": 0, "height": 200, "width": 400, "tabOrder": 0 }

Multi-card header row (up to 4):

Card #	x	y	height	width
1	20	20	150	300
2	340	20	150	300
3	660	20	150	300
4	980	20	150	280

Chart with slicer:

Element	x	y	height	width	z	tabOrder
Slicer	0	0	110	110	4000	4000
Chart	110	0	680	1170	0	0

Step 4: Write Each Visual as a Separate File

In PBIR format, each visual gets its own directory and visual.json file:

definition/pages/<pageId>/visuals/
├── <visualId1>/
│   └── visual.json
├── <visualId2>/
│   └── visual.json
└── <visualId3>/
    └── visual.json

Generate a unique 20-character hex ID for each visual: uuid.uuid4().hex[:20]

Step 5: Assemble page.json

The page definition does NOT contain visual definitions (those are in separate files):

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/page/2.0.0/schema.json",
  "name": "<pageId>",
  "displayName": "<Page Title>",
  "displayOption": "FitToPage",
  "height": 720,
  "width": 1280
}

Set displayName to a descriptive title derived from the query (e.g., "Revenue by State"). Generate name as a 20-character hex ID: uuid.uuid4().hex[:20]

Step 6: Generate pages.json

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/pagesMetadata/1.0.0/schema.json",
  "pageOrder": ["<pageId>"],
  "activePageName": "<pageId>"
}

Step 7: Generate report.json

Located at definition/report.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/report/3.1.0/schema.json",
  "themeCollection": {
    "baseTheme": {
      "name": "CY25SU11",
      "reportVersionAtImport": {
        "visual": "2.4.0",
        "report": "3.0.0",
        "page": "2.3.0"
      },
      "type": "SharedResources"
    }
  },
  "resourcePackages": [
    {
      "name": "SharedResources",
      "type": "SharedResources",
      "items": [
        {
          "name": "CY25SU11",
          "path": "BaseThemes/CY25SU11.json",
          "type": "BaseTheme"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "settings": {
    "useStylableVisualContainerHeader": true,
    "exportDataMode": "AllowSummarized",
    "defaultDrillFilterOtherVisuals": true,
    "allowChangeFilterTypes": true,
    "useEnhancedTooltips": true,
    "useDefaultAggregateDisplayName": true
  }
}

Step 8: Generate version.json

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/versionMetadata/1.0.0/schema.json",
  "version": "2.0.0"
}

Step 9: Generate definition.pbir

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definitionProperties/2.0.0/schema.json",
  "version": "4.0",
  "datasetReference": {
    "byPath": {
      "path": "../<ProjectName>.SemanticModel"
    }
  }
}

Visual Container Structure (visual.json)

Every visual uses schema version 2.5.0:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/visualContainer/2.5.0/schema.json",
  "name": "<20-char-hex-id>",
  "position": {
    "x": 0, "y": 0, "z": 0,
    "height": 0, "width": 0,
    "tabOrder": 0
  },
  "visual": {
    "visualType": "<type>",
    "query": {
      "queryState": {
        "<BucketName>": {
          "projections": [ ... field references ... ]
        }
      },
      "sortDefinition": {
        "sort": [
          {
            "field": { ... field reference (Column or Measure) ... },
            "direction": "Ascending" or "Descending"
          }
        ],
        "isDefaultSort": true
      }
    },
    "drillFilterOtherVisuals": true
  }
}

sortDefinition

The sortDefinition object controls the default sort order for the visual. Always include a sortDefinition in the visual->query JSON to improve the visual presentation. The sort field reference uses the same structure as projection field references.

Sort direction values: "Ascending" or "Descending"

Guidelines for choosing sort:

• Line charts with temporal categories (year, month, date): Sort by the temporal column Ascending so data flows chronologically left-to-right. Add both year and month columns as Category projections when the query involves monthly trends.
• Column/bar charts with temporal categories: Sort by the temporal column Ascending.
• Column/bar charts with nominal categories (state, product, etc.): Sort by the measure Descending to show highest values first.
• Card visuals: Sort by the measure Descending.
• Table visuals: Sort by the first measure column Descending.

Example — Line chart with year sort:

"sortDefinition": {
  "sort": [
    {
      "field": {
        "Column": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "dim_date" } },
          "Property": "year"
        }
      },
      "direction": "Ascending"
    }
  ],
  "isDefaultSort": true
}

Example — Column chart sorted by measure descending:

"sortDefinition": {
  "sort": [
    {
      "field": {
        "Measure": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "fact_sales" } },
          "Property": "Total Revenue (GMV)"
        }
      },
      "direction": "Descending"
    }
  ],
  "isDefaultSort": true
}

Temporal Projections for Line Charts

When the genie query involves time-series data (e.g., revenue over time, monthly trends), include multiple temporal columns as Category projections to enable drill-down and proper axis formatting:

"Category": {
  "projections": [
    {
      "field": {
        "Column": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "dim_date" } },
          "Property": "year"
        }
      },
      "queryRef": "dim_date.year",
      "nativeQueryRef": "year",
      "active": true
    },
    {
      "field": {
        "Column": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "dim_date" } },
          "Property": "month"
        }
      },
      "queryRef": "dim_date.month",
      "nativeQueryRef": "month",
      "active": true
    }
  ]
}

This adds both year and month to the category axis, enabling the user to see monthly breakdowns within each year.

## Visual Type to PBIR Mapping

| Display Name | PBIR `visualType` | Data Bucket |
|---|---|---|
| Card (new) | `cardVisual` | `Data` |
| Clustered Column Chart | `clusteredColumnChart` | `Category`, `Y`, `Series` |
| Line Chart | `lineChart` | `Category`, `Y`, `Series` |
| Combo Chart | `lineClusteredColumnComboChart` | `Category`, `Y`, `Y2` |
| Table | `tableEx` | `Values` |
| Matrix | `pivotTable` | `Rows`, `Columns`, `Values` |
| Slicer | `slicer` | `Values` |
| Filled Map | `filledMap` | `Category`, `Size` |
| Pie Chart | `pieChart` | `Category`, `Y` |
| Donut Chart | `donutChart` | `Category`, `Y` |
| Clustered Bar Chart | `clusteredBarChart` | `Category`, `Y`, `Series` |
| Scatter Chart | `scatterChart` | `X`, `Y`, `Size` |

## Z-Order and Tab Order

- Data visuals: z = 0, tabOrder = 0 (increment by 1000 for layering)
- Combo/overlay visuals: z = 3000, tabOrder = 3000
- Slicers: z = 4000, tabOrder = 4000

## Visual Objects Reference

The `visual.objects` property controls formatting and behavior for each visual type. The `visualContainerObjects` property controls container-level formatting (title, background, border) and applies to ALL visual types.

### Value Encoding

All values inside `objects` use expression literals. Encoding rules:

| Type | Encoding | Example |
|---|---|---|
| String | Wrapped in single quotes | `"'Top'"`, `"'Dropdown'"` |
| Number | Suffixed with `D` | `"28D"`, `"0D"` |
| Boolean | Lowercase string | `"true"`, `"false"` |
| Long integer | Suffixed with `L` | `"40L"` |

### General Structure

```json
"objects": {
  "propertyName": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "subProperty": {
          "expr": {
            "Literal": {
              "Value": "'value'"
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

---

cardVisual

Property Group	Sub-Property	Type	Description
labels	fontSize	Number	Font size for the value label (e.g., "28D")
labels	labelDisplayUnits	Number	Display units: 0D = Auto, 1D = None, 1000D = Thousands, 1000000D = Millions
labels	color	String	Hex color for label text
categoryLabels	show	Boolean	Show/hide category label below the value
categoryLabels	fontSize	Number	Font size for the category label

Example — Card with fontSize 28, auto display units:

"objects": {
  "labels": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "fontSize": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "28D" } }
        },
        "labelDisplayUnits": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "0D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "categoryLabels": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "fontSize": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "12D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

---

clusteredColumnChart

Property Group	Sub-Property	Type	Description
categoryAxis	show	Boolean	Show/hide category axis
categoryAxis	labelAngle	Number	Axis label rotation in degrees
categoryAxis	fontSize	Number	Axis label font size
valueAxis	show	Boolean	Show/hide value axis
valueAxis	gridlineShow	Boolean	Show/hide horizontal gridlines
valueAxis	labelDisplayUnits	Number	Display units for axis labels
labels	show	Boolean	Show/hide data labels on bars
labels	labelDisplayUnits	Number	Display units for data labels
labels	fontSize	Number	Data label font size
labels	color	String	Data label color
legend	show	Boolean	Show/hide legend
legend	position	String	Legend position: 'Top', 'Bottom', 'Left', 'Right'
legend	fontSize	Number	Legend font size
dataPoint	fill	Color	Per-series color (requires selector)

Example — Column chart with visible axes, data labels off, legend on top:

"objects": {
  "categoryAxis": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "labelAngle": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "0D" } }
        },
        "fontSize": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "9D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "valueAxis": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "gridlineShow": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "labelDisplayUnits": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "0D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "labels": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "false" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "legend": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "position": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'Top'" } }
        },
        "fontSize": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "9D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Per-series color using selector pattern:

"dataPoint": [
  {
    "properties": {
      "fill": {
        "solid": {
          "color": {
            "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'#19F5E2'" } }
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "selector": {
      "metadata": "fact_sales.Total Revenue (GMV)"
    }
  }
]

---

lineChart

Property Group	Sub-Property	Type	Description
categoryAxis	show	Boolean	Show/hide category axis
categoryAxis	labelAngle	Number	Axis label rotation in degrees
categoryAxis	fontSize	Number	Axis label font size
valueAxis	show	Boolean	Show/hide value axis
valueAxis	gridlineShow	Boolean	Show/hide horizontal gridlines
valueAxis	labelDisplayUnits	Number	Display units for axis labels
lineStyles	showMarker	Boolean	Show data point markers on lines
lineStyles	strokeWidth	Number	Line thickness in pixels
lineStyles	markerShape	String	Marker shape: 'circle', 'square', 'diamond', 'triangle', 'cross', 'pentagon', 'hexagon'
labels	show	Boolean	Show/hide data labels
labels	labelDisplayUnits	Number	Display units for data labels
labels	fontSize	Number	Data label font size

Example — Line chart with markers enabled, stroke width 2px:

"objects": {
  "lineStyles": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "showMarker": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "strokeWidth": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "2D" } }
        },
        "markerShape": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'circle'" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "categoryAxis": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "fontSize": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "9D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "valueAxis": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "gridlineShow": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "labelDisplayUnits": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "0D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "labels": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "false" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

---

slicer

Property Group	Sub-Property	Type	Description
data	mode	String	Slicer mode: 'Dropdown', 'List', 'Between'
data	canSelectAll	Boolean	Show "Select All" option
general	orientation	String	Layout orientation: 'Vertical', 'Horizontal'
selection	singleSelect	Boolean	Restrict to single selection

Example — Dropdown slicer with single select:

"objects": {
  "data": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "mode": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'Dropdown'" } }
        },
        "canSelectAll": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "general": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "orientation": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'Vertical'" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "selection": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "singleSelect": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Example — Date range slicer (Between mode):

"objects": {
  "data": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "mode": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'Between'" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

---

tableEx

Property Group	Sub-Property	Type	Description
values	fontSize	Number	Cell font size
values	fontFamily	String	Cell font family (e.g., 'Segoe UI')
columnHeaders	fontSize	Number	Header font size
columnHeaders	fontFamily	String	Header font family
columnHeaders	bold	Boolean	Bold header text
grid	gridVertical	Boolean	Show vertical grid lines
grid	gridHorizontal	Boolean	Show horizontal grid lines
grid	rowPadding	Number	Vertical padding per row in pixels

Example — Table with grid lines and custom font sizing:

"objects": {
  "values": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "fontSize": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "10D" } }
        },
        "fontFamily": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'Segoe UI'" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "columnHeaders": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "fontSize": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "11D" } }
        },
        "fontFamily": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'Segoe UI'" } }
        },
        "bold": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "grid": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "gridVertical": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "gridHorizontal": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "rowPadding": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "4D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

---

visualContainerObjects (All Visual Types)

The visualContainerObjects property is set at the same level as visual.objects but controls the visual container chrome (title bar, background, border, header). These apply to every visual type.

Property Group	Sub-Property	Type	Description
title	show	Boolean	Show/hide visual title
title	text	String	Title text content
title	fontSize	Number	Title font size
title	fontColor	String	Title text color (hex)
title	alignment	String	Title alignment: 'Left', 'Center', 'Right'
background	show	Boolean	Show/hide background fill
background	color	String	Background color (hex)
background	transparency	Number	Background transparency (0–100)
border	show	Boolean	Show/hide border
border	color	String	Border color (hex)
border	radius	Number	Border corner radius in pixels
visualHeader	show	Boolean	Show/hide visual header icons

Example — Visual with title, background, and border:

"visualContainerObjects": {
  "title": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "text": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'Total Revenue'" } }
        },
        "fontSize": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "12D" } }
        },
        "fontColor": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'#333333'" } }
        },
        "alignment": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'Left'" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "background": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "color": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'#FFFFFF'" } }
        },
        "transparency": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "0D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "border": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "true" } }
        },
        "color": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "'#E0E0E0'" } }
        },
        "radius": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "4D" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "visualHeader": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": { "Literal": { "Value": "false" } }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

---

filterConfig

The filterConfig property defines per-visual filters. It sits at the same level as visual inside the visual container. Each filter entry requires a unique name (20-character hex string), a field reference, and a type.

Filter types:

Type	Use Case
Categorical	Filters on column values (dimension fields)
Advanced	Filters on measure values (numeric comparisons)
Advanced (date range)	Filters on date columns using And + DateSpan for date range (>= start, <= end)
RelativeDate	Filters on date columns using Now / DateAdd expressions for rolling current-date windows

Example — Categorical filter on a column:

"filterConfig": {
  "filters": [
    {
      "name": "a1b2c3d4e5f678901234",
      "field": {
        "Column": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "dim_date" } },
          "Property": "year"
        }
      },
      "type": "Categorical"
    }
  ]
}

Example — Advanced filter on a measure:

"filterConfig": {
  "filters": [
    {
      "name": "b2c3d4e5f6789012345a",
      "field": {
        "Measure": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "fact_sales" } },
          "Property": "Total Revenue (GMV)"
        }
      },
      "type": "Advanced"
    }
  ]
}

Example — Combined filters (typical for charts):

"filterConfig": {
  "filters": [
    {
      "name": "a1b2c3d4e5f678901234",
      "field": {
        "Column": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "dim_date" } },
          "Property": "year"
        }
      },
      "type": "Categorical"
    },
    {
      "name": "c3d4e5f67890123456ab",
      "field": {
        "Measure": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "fact_sales" } },
          "Property": "Total Revenue (GMV)"
        }
      },
      "type": "Advanced"
    }
  ]
}

Example — Advanced date range filter (And + DateSpan):

When a SQL query contains an absolute date-level filter (e.g., FROM '2017-01-01' TO '2017-12-31'), use an Advanced filter with an And condition combining two Comparison nodes — one for >= (start date) and one for <= (end date). Each comparison wraps the date literal in a DateSpan with TimeUnit: 5 (day granularity).

ComparisonKind values:

Value	Logical Meaning	Description
0	Equal	The values are identical.
1	Greater Than	The first value is strictly larger than the second.
2	Greater Than or Equal	The first value is larger than or equal to the second.
3	Less Than	The first value is strictly smaller than the second.
4	Less Than or Equal	The first value is smaller than or equal to the second.
5	Not Equal	The values are different.

TimeUnit values:

Value	TimeUnit	Description
0	None	No specific time unit specified.
1	Year	Annual level granularity.
2	Quarter	Three-month period.
3	Month	Standard calendar month.
4	Week	7-day period.
5	Day	24-hour period.
6	Hour	Hourly granularity.
7	Minute	Minute-level granularity.

Placeholders for absolute date ranges:

• {{DateRangeFilterGuid}} — unique 20-character hex GUID for this filter
• {{DateRangeEntity}} — the date table name (e.g., dim_date)
• {{DateRangeProperty}} — the date column name (e.g., date)
• {{DateRangeAlias}} — the source alias for the date table in the From clause
• {{DateStart}} — the start date literal (e.g., "datetime'2017-01-01T00:00:00'")
• {{DateEnd}} — the end date literal (e.g., "datetime'2017-12-31T00:00:00'")

{
  "name": "{{DateRangeFilterGuid}}",
  "field": {
    "Column": {
      "Expression": {
        "SourceRef": {
          "Entity": "{{DateRangeEntity}}"
        }
      },
      "Property": "{{DateRangeProperty}}"
    }
  },
  "type": "Advanced",
  "filter": {
    "Version": 2,
    "From": [
      {
        "Name": "{{DateRangeAlias}}",
        "Entity": "{{DateRangeEntity}}",
        "Type": 0
      }
    ],
    "Where": [
      {
        "Condition": {
          "And": {
            "Left": {
              "Comparison": {
                "ComparisonKind": 2,
                "Left": {
                  "Column": {
                    "Expression": {
                      "SourceRef": {
                        "Source": "{{DateRangeAlias}}"
                      }
                    },
                    "Property": "{{DateRangeProperty}}"
                  }
                },
                "Right": {
                  "DateSpan": {
                    "Expression": {
                      "Literal": {
                        "Value": "{{DateStart}}"
                      }
                    },
                    "TimeUnit": 5
                  }
                }
              }
            },
            "Right": {
              "Comparison": {
                "ComparisonKind": 4,
                "Left": {
                  "Column": {
                    "Expression": {
                      "SourceRef": {
                        "Source": "{{DateRangeAlias}}"
                      }
                    },
                    "Property": "{{DateRangeProperty}}"
                  }
                },
                "Right": {
                  "DateSpan": {
                    "Expression": {
                      "Literal": {
                        "Value": "{{DateEnd}}"
                      }
                    },
                    "TimeUnit": 5
                  }
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

The And condition goes inside Where[0].Condition — it is not a second item in the Where array. Do not include "howCreated": "User" in any filter entry.

Current-date-relative ranges (e.g., "last 12 months", "last 90 days"):

When the Genie query or user intent includes a rolling period relative to today, emit a native PBIR RelativeDate filter instead of substituting precomputed literal start/end dates.

Placeholders for native RelativeDate:

• {{RelativeDateFilterGuid}} — unique 20-character hex GUID for this filter
• {{RelativeDateEntity}} — the date table name (e.g., dim_date or dim_date_delivery)
• {{RelativeDateProperty}} — the date column name (typically date)
• {{RelativeDateAlias}} — the source alias for the date table in the From clause
• {{RelativeDateAmount}} — rolling period size (e.g., 12)
• {{RelativeDateTimeUnit}} — PBIR DateAdd time unit for the requested period

{
  "name": "{{RelativeDateFilterGuid}}",
  "field": {
    "Column": {
      "Expression": {
        "SourceRef": {
          "Entity": "{{RelativeDateEntity}}"
        }
      },
      "Property": "{{RelativeDateProperty}}"
    }
  },
  "type": "RelativeDate",
  "filter": {
    "Version": 2,
    "From": [
      {
        "Name": "{{RelativeDateAlias}}",
        "Entity": "{{RelativeDateEntity}}",
        "Type": 0
      }
    ],
    "Where": [
      {
        "Condition": {
          "Between": {
            "Expression": {
              "Column": {
                "Expression": {
                  "SourceRef": {
                    "Source": "{{RelativeDateAlias}}"
                  }
                },
                "Property": "{{RelativeDateProperty}}"
              }
            },
            "LowerBound": {
              "DateSpan": {
                "Expression": {
                  "DateAdd": {
                    "Expression": {
                      "DateAdd": {
                        "Expression": {
                          "Now": {}
                        },
                        "Amount": 1,
                        "TimeUnit": 0
                      }
                    },
                    "Amount": -{{RelativeDateAmount}},
                    "TimeUnit": {{RelativeDateTimeUnit}}
                  }
                },
                "TimeUnit": 0
              }
            },
            "UpperBound": {
              "DateSpan": {
                "Expression": {
                  "Now": {}
                },
                "TimeUnit": 0
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Use the reference pattern from generated-reports/DeliveryDaysTrends/.../visual.json as the baseline for month windows. Treat "howCreated": "User" as a Desktop-authored artifact, not a required generated property.

Choose the relative-date table to match the requested timeline:

• Purchase/order timeline -> dim_date.date
• Delivery timeline -> dim_date_delivery.date

Data-anchored rolling ranges (e.g., "latest 12 months in the data"):

Do not emit native RelativeDate for data-anchored windows. Native RelativeDate always anchors to Now, not to the max available row in the model.

Instead:

1. Ask Stage 1 to materialize a helper measure or flag such as Show Last 12 Purchase Months or Show Last 12 Delivery Months.
2. Reuse the standard Advanced measure-filter pattern to require that helper field to evaluate to 1 for the visual.
3. Keep the axis/filter date role aligned with the helper measure's anchor table (dim_date, dim_date_delivery, etc.).

This preserves deterministic historical-window behavior for sparse datasets.

Relative date ranges (legacy literal date substitution pattern):

Only use literal {{DateStart}} / {{DateEnd}} substitution when the request is for an explicit absolute range or when a downstream consumer cannot accept RelativeDate.

User Intent	{{DateStart}}	{{DateEnd}
Last 90 days	datetime'<currentDate - 90 days>T00:00:00'	datetime'<currentDate>T00:00:00'
Last 30 days	datetime'<currentDate - 30 days>T00:00:00'	datetime'<currentDate>T00:00:00'
Last 6 months	datetime'<currentDate - 6 months>T00:00:00'	datetime'<currentDate>T00:00:00'
Last year	datetime'<currentDate - 365 days>T00:00:00'	datetime'<currentDate>T00:00:00'
Year-to-date	datetime'<Jan 1 of current year>T00:00:00'	datetime'<currentDate>T00:00:00'

How to compute:

1. Determine the current date at generation time (e.g., 2026-02-26).
2. Subtract the specified duration to get the start date.
3. Format both dates as datetime'YYYY-MM-DDT00:00:00' (Power BI datetime literal format).

Example — "last 90 days" generated on 2026-02-26:

• {{DateStart}} = datetime'2025-11-28T00:00:00'
• {{DateEnd}} = datetime'2026-02-26T00:00:00'

These computed values are substituted directly into the DateSpan → Literal → Value fields in the absolute date-range filter. The {{DateRangeEntity}} and {{DateRangeProperty}} should reference the date table and date column from the semantic model (e.g., dim_date.date).

---

References

• Microsoft PBIR VisualContainer Schema — Official JSON schema definitions (schema 2.5.0 current as of January 2026)
• Power BI Desktop Project Report Documentation — Microsoft documentation for PBIR report format
• Community pbir-visuals Templates — Open-source PBIR visual templates with placeholder patterns

Preserving SemanticModel Content

Critical: After the SemanticModel is copied from the existing project (Stage 4), do NOT remove any tables, models, relationships, or definition files from the SemanticModel — even if they are not directly referenced by the current visual. The complete SemanticModel must remain intact because:

• Other visuals or reports may depend on those tables/relationships
• Removing tables breaks ref table declarations in model.tmdl
• Removing relationships breaks foreign key integrity
• Power BI Desktop validates the entire model on load, not just the visual's bindings

The visual generator should only add report files (visual.json, page.json, etc.) — never delete or modify existing SemanticModel content.

Error Handling

Situation	Resolution
Template placeholder not found in mapping	Use empty string; log warning
Unknown visual type	Fall back to tableEx template
Missing table/measure name	Use placeholder with TODO comment
Page dimensions exceed 1280x720	Clip to default dimensions