Combo Chart (Column + Line)

Purpose

Overlay a column series (magnitude) with a line series (rate/ratio or a second measure).

Use when

• Comparing related measures with different scales (e.g., revenue vs margin %).
• Showing a trendline on top of monthly totals.

Power BI fields

• Shared axis (time/category)
• Column values (measure)
• Line values (measure)
• Optional: Secondary axis for the line

Tips

• Put the rate/percentage on the secondary axis; format as % with 0–100% bounds.
• Limit to one line if possible—more than two series becomes hard to read.
• Add a constant line (target) from the Analytics pane.

Finance example

Monthly Revenue (columns) vs Profit Margin % (line); target margin as a constant line.

Here’s the Combo Chart:

• Blue bars → Revenue (£) over 2018–2022.
• Red line with markers → Profit Margin (%) across the same years.

This chart makes it easy to compare absolute revenue growth with relative profitability trends.

Combo Chart with Line and Stacked Column Chart

Power BI offers two main types of combo charts that combine columns and lines in one visual:

• Line and Stacked Column Chart
• Line and Clustered Column Chart

These visuals help you compare two related measures with different scales — for example, total revenue (absolute value) and profit margin (percentage).

Power BI Fields Setup (for both types)

• Shared Axis: time or category (e.g., Month, Year, Region)
• Column Values: numeric measures (e.g., Revenue, Cost, Sales)
• Line Values: secondary metric (e.g., Margin %, Growth %)
• (Optional) Secondary Axis: for the line when measures use different scales

Tips for Effective Combo Charts

• Use a secondary axis for the percentage/rate measure — format as % (0–100).
• Keep one line for clarity; more than two lines make interpretation difficult.
• Use the Analytics pane to add a constant line (e.g., target margin).
• Use consistent colour coding — e.g., columns in blue, line in red/orange.
• Avoid overcrowding: choose stacked when you need totals, clustered when you need comparison.

Finance Example:

• Line and Stacked Column Chart:

Displays total revenue by product category (stacked columns) with profit margin % (line) over time.

→ Helps monitor category contribution and overall profitability trend.

• Line and Clustered Column Chart:

Shows actual vs budget revenue (clustered columns) with profit margin % (line) over time.

→ Helps compare performance vs plan and track efficiency trends simultaneously.

Explanation

1. Line and Stacked Column Chart

• Each stacked column represents total revenue made up of different product categories (A, B, C).
• The line shows the profit margin (%) trend over the same period.
• It helps you see both:
• Composition of revenue by category, and
• Overall performance via the margin line.
• Best for showing how category contributions and profitability move together.

2. Line and Clustered Column Chart

• Each period (month) has two columns side by side — one for Actual Revenue and one for Budget Revenue.
• The line shows the profit margin (%), giving context to how efficiently the company performed relative to the plan.
• Useful for performance comparison (Actual vs Budget or Target) while tracking profitability trends.