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Troubleshooting & FAQ

Common symptoms, what causes them, and how to fix them.

The chart doesn't render​

The landing page is still showing​

The visual shows its landing page until Entity ID is populated. That's the only field it truly requires. Check that:

  • Entity ID has a column in it, not just Parent ID.
  • The column actually returns values — a filter or a slicer may have emptied it.
  • The values aren't all blank. Rows with a blank, null, NaN or infinite Entity ID are dropped.

The chart is blank even with fields bound​

Every row was filtered out, or every Entity ID value was invalid. Clear your page filters and slicers and check the column's contents in a table visual.

The hierarchy is wrong​

Everything is on one level​

Parent ID isn't matching Entity ID. Cards whose parent can't be found are promoted to top level, so a total mismatch flattens the whole chart.

Check for:

  • Different data types. 1 as a whole number in one column and "1" as text in the other still match (numbers are converted to text), but 1.0 and "1" don't.
  • Trailing spaces or case differences. Leading and trailing spaces are trimmed, but "a1" and "A1" are different cards.
  • Parent IDs that were filtered out. If a slicer removes the managers, their reports become roots.

There are several top-level cards when I expect one​

That's the intended behaviour when several cards have a blank or unmatched Parent ID — they're drawn side by side under an invisible shared root. If you expect one root, look for rows whose Parent ID points at an entity that isn't in the data (often filtered out, or a typo).

A card is missing​

  • Its Entity ID was blank or invalid.
  • It shares an Entity ID with another card — duplicates are collapsed into one card. See One row per card.
  • It's hidden inside a collapsed branch. Use the search box, which reaches into collapsed branches.
  • Your data exceeds the 30,000-row limit and it fell outside the window. Filter the data before it reaches the visual.

Circular references (A → B → C → A) are detected and broken automatically by promoting one card in the loop to top level. That card will appear detached from its expected parent. Fix the loop in the data — it's almost always a data-quality issue rather than an intended structure.

Cards look wrong​

The cards show IDs instead of names​

Nothing is bound to Information Fields. The first Information Field becomes the card's title; without one, the card falls back to the Entity ID.

Text is cut off with an ellipsis​

The value is wider than the card. Either turn Auto Width on (Format → Card Configuration), raise the fixed Width, or move the value into Tooltips.

The image doesn't appear​

Work through these in order:

  1. Is it a data URI? The value must start with data:image/png;base64, (or jpeg, jpg, gif, webp, svg+xml). A plain https://… link is rejected — the visual is Microsoft-certified and cannot fetch external resources.
  2. Was it truncated on load? Power BI truncates text values longer than 32,766 characters, which is about 24 KB of image. Resize the source images to 128 × 128 and re-encode.
  3. Is it too big? Anything over roughly 500 KB decoded is ignored.
  4. Is Show Image on? Format → Image → Show Image.

See Images on cards for the Power Query recipe.

  • The Card URL value must be an absolute http:// or https:// address. Relative paths, mailto: and other schemes are ignored.
  • Check Format → Card Configuration → Show Card URL Link is on.
  • The icon is hidden in contexts where the visual can't interact with the host.

My colour picker has no effect​

Dark Mode is probably on. It overrides the background, card background, card text, link, KPI and legend-font colours, and those pickers are hidden while it's active. High-contrast mode overrides them too, but leaves the pickers visible.

An Accent Color group has no swatch​

Only the first 30 distinct values get a picker. Additional groups are still coloured, from the report theme's palette. Group the category into fewer buckets if you need control over all of them.

KPI problems​

The KPI pill is missing​

The pill only appears when a comparison is possible. Depending on your Comparison mode:

ModeThe pill needs
% of targetA KPI Target measure returning a number greater than zero for that card
Change vs. previousKPI Period bound, at least two rows for that card, and a previous value that is non-zero and non-blank
AutoEither of the above

A forced mode is deliberately strict: cards that can't support it show no pill at all, rather than silently falling back to the other comparison.

The KPI value doesn't appear at all​

KPI values must be numeric. Text values are ignored, and the KPI row is skipped entirely. Check that the field holds a measure or a numeric column, not a text column.

The numbers look wrong on the card but right in the tooltip​

Display units shorten the value on the card (1.24M); the tooltip always shows the full number. Set Display units to None in Format → KPI Configuration → General if you want the exact figure on the card.

Attainment shows when I expected change vs. previous​

In Auto mode a usable target always wins. Force the mode to Change vs. previous in Format → KPI Configuration → General.

The sparkline doesn't appear​

  • KPI Period must be bound.
  • The card needs at least two rows with a non-blank period.
  • Check your data is at the card and period grain, not just the card grain.

The sparkline is in the wrong order​

Text period labels sort alphabetically. "2025-Q1", "2025-Q2" works; "April", "May" doesn't. Set Sort by column on the dimension in your model, or use a real date column.

Legend colours don't match the pills​

They do match — but the legend describes the thresholds in force. When any card in the chart is using target mode, the legend cites the attainment thresholds; otherwise it cites the variance thresholds. Hover a legend item to see which.

Interaction problems​

Clicking a card doesn't filter anything​

  • The other visuals' interactions may be turned off. Select the Org Chart, then Format → Edit interactions, and set the other visuals to Filter.
  • In a published report opened in reading view, check the report itself allows cross-filtering.

The chart changes shape when I click another visual​

That's expected. The Org Chart doesn't dim in response to cross-filtering — filtered-out rows are removed and the tree redraws. To stop it, select the other visual, choose Format → Edit interactions, and set the Org Chart to None.

The view resets when the report refreshes​

Expand/collapse state is stored with the report and survives refreshes. It is re-seeded when you change Expand all on load or Expanded levels on load, and it's discarded when the data's structure changes (different Entity ID values), because the old state no longer refers to anything.

Zoom jumps around when I expand a card​

It shouldn't — a single expand or collapse keeps your zoom and pan. The chart does deliberately re-fit after a levels menu selection, a focus action, or a structural data change.

Licensing​

A licence notification appears on the visual​

The visual is unlicensed in this environment. Every feature keeps working — the notification is the only effect. See Licensing & support.

The notification appears even though we bought a licence​

  • Licences are per user. Everyone who edits or views the report needs one assigned.
  • Check the licence is assigned in the Microsoft 365 admin center, not just purchased.
  • If the report runs on Power BI Report Server, Embedded, Publish to web or a national cloud, AppSource licensing doesn't apply there — use a direct licence key instead.

My licence key says "License verification requires HTTPS"​

The key is verified using browser cryptography that is only available on secure origins. Enable HTTPS on the Power BI Report Server hosting the report.

Performance​

The chart is slow with a large hierarchy​

  • Turn Expand all on load off and set Expanded levels on load to 2 or 3.
  • Filter the data before it reaches the visual — to one division, one region, or a level range.
  • Turn Show Image off, or shrink the images. A few hundred Base64 images add real weight to the model.
  • Remember the visual receives at most 30,000 rows.

Getting more help​

If none of the above matches what you're seeing, contact hello@chartpad.io. It helps to include:

  • whether you're in Power BI Desktop or the Service,
  • the visual's version,
  • a screenshot,
  • and a small sample of the data shape (a few rows of Entity ID / Parent ID is usually enough).
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