Chart Type | Category | Description | When to Use | Complexity | Best For | Finance Example | Power BI Fields | Supports Time Series | Tips | Visual Example | When to Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stacked Column Chart | Column Charts | Columns divided into segments stacked on top of each other, representing different categories | To show total values and how parts contribute to the total | Simple | ProportionsTrends | Total sales per year, broken down by product categories | X-axis (categories), Y-axis (values), Legend (segments) | Use when you need both totals and breakdown visibility | |||
100% Stacked Column Chart | Column Charts | Each column scaled to 100%, with segments showing relative percentages | To focus on proportions rather than absolute values | Medium | Proportions | Percentage share of expenses (salaries, rent, supplies) across departments | X-axis (categories), Y-axis (values), Legend (segments) | Best for comparing relative composition over time or across categories | |||
Clustered Column Chart | Column Charts | Columns for different series placed side by side within each category | Compare categories directly across groups. Compare exact values instead of totals or percentages. | Simple | Comparisons | Comparing budget vs actual profit for each quarter | X-axis (categories), Y-axis (values), Legend (series) | Limit to 3-4 series for readability, excellent for direct comparisons | |||
Line Chart with Markers | Line Charts | Line chart with each data point highlighted with marker (dot or symbol) | Emphasize exact values at each point. Small datasets or when individual points should stand out. | Simple | Trends | Quarterly profit with visible dots on each quarter | X-axis (time), Y-axis (values), Legend (optional) | Use for smaller datasets, helpful when exact values are important | |||
Single Number Card | KPI Cards | Display one headline KPI | Want immediate 'at a glance' number | Simple | KPIs | Total Revenue, YTD Operating Margin %, Cash Balance, DSO | Fields β single measure (e.g., Total Sales) | Create semantic measures with formatting baked in, use conditional formatting vs target, add date context in Category label | |||
New Card Visual (Preview) | KPI Cards | Redesigned, more flexible card visual with modern style and grouping capabilities | Business/Finance KPIs, Marketing metrics, Operations tracking. Available only in Power BI Desktop (preview). | Medium | KPIs | Revenue, margins, OPEX, budget vs actual grouped in modern card layout | Multiple metrics can be grouped in one container with full design control | Enable in Preview features, restart Power BI Desktop, requires Pro/Premium for sharing | When sharing to Power BI Service (not yet supported), production environments | ||
Line Chart | Line Charts | Data points connected by line, great for showing trends over time | Track continuous data like sales, profit, stock prices over time. Highlight overall trend rather than individual points. | Simple | Trends | Monthly revenue growth for company | X-axis (time), Y-axis (values), Legend (optional) | Best for continuous time series data, use multiple lines sparingly | |||
Multi-Row Card | KPI Cards | List several KPIs together | Want compact KPI panel without creating table | Simple | KPIs | Total Sales, Gross Profit %, OPEX, EBITDA, Free Cash Flow | Multiple measures added to visual | Keep to 3-6 metrics, align units (all Β£ or %), order by importance, rename measures for display | |||
Funnel Chart | Specialty Charts | Shows stage-to-stage drop-off in a process | Sales/marketing pipelines, recruitment funnels, grant application stages | Medium | Processes | Leads β Qualified β Proposal β Won with Overall Win % card | Group or Category (stage), Values (count/measure) | Enforce stage order using Sort by column, consider 100% stacked column for cross-stage comparisons | |||
Waterfall Chart | Specialty Charts | Explains how you get from starting amount to ending amount via increases/decreases | Bridging analyses: Budget β Variances β Actual; Opening cash β inflows/outflows β Closing cash | Advanced | Processes | Profit bridge from Prior Year to Current Year: Price, Volume, Mix, FX, Cost Savings, One-offs | Category (step name), Y value (signed measure), Breakdown (optional subcategories) | Enable connector lines, use DAX for signed variance measures, keep to 5-10 bars, mark start/end as Total | |||
Doughnut Chart | Pie & Doughnut | Shows parts-of-whole with central space that can carry a KPI | Small number of categories (2-6), stakeholders care about shares not precise magnitudes | Simple | ProportionsKPIs | Share of total OPEX by category (Payroll, Rent, Utilities, Other) | Legend (category), Values (measure), Tooltips (extra measures) | Sort descending by value, keep labels outside with % values, hide categories <3-5% or group as 'Other' | Many small categories, subtle differences, totals matter more than shares | ||
Gauge Chart | Specialty Charts | Shows single KPI performance against min/target/max | Quick 'speedometer' view for one metric (e.g., Utilisation %, On-time close %) | Medium | KPIs | Close Timeliness % (value) vs 95% target, bounds 0-100% | Value (KPI measure), Target value, Minimum and Maximum | Define all with measures so gauge responds to slicers, keep big and lonely, use sparingly | |||
Scatter Chart | Specialty Charts | Reveals relationships/correlation between two numeric variables, spots outliers | Test whether 'more X leads to more Y', data points represent entities (customers, SKUs, branches) | Advanced | Relationships | Ad Spend (X) vs Weekly Sales (Y) by campaign, colored by channel with trendline for ROI | X axis (measure), Y axis (measure), Details (entity/category), Legend (optional), Size (optional), Play axis (time) | Add trend line to show correlation, standardize axes, label outliers with data labels | |||
Bubble Chart | Specialty Charts | Compare three variables: X and Y positions + bubble size | Must show extra quantitative dimension (e.g., market share) without separate chart | Advanced | RelationshipsComparisons | X = Revenue, Y = Gross Profit, Size = Market Share, by Region | X axis, Y axis, Size (all measures), Details (entity), Legend (group), Play axis (time) | Use tooltips for exact values, cap max/min bubble size so tiny entities remain visible | |||
Combo Chart (Column + Line) | Specialty Charts | Overlay column series (magnitude) with line series (rate/ratio or second measure) | Comparing related measures with different scales (e.g., revenue vs margin %), showing trendline on monthly totals | Advanced | TrendsComparisons | Monthly Revenue (columns) vs Profit Margin % (line) with target margin constant line | Shared axis (time/category), Column values, Line values, Optional secondary axis | Put rate/percentage on secondary axis, format as % with 0-100% bounds, limit to one line | |||
100% Stacked Bar Chart | Bar Charts | Total length of each bar fixed at 100%, showing percentage share | To compare proportion of categories across groups. Absolute values less important than percentage contribution. | Medium | ProportionsComparisons | Percentage share of revenue from product categories across regions | Y-axis (categories), X-axis (values), Legend (segments) | Best for comparing relative composition across different groups | |||
100% Stacked Area Chart | Area Charts | Values expressed as percentage of total (always adds up to 100%) | To compare proportion or share of each category over time, not absolute values. Focus on distribution rather than totals. | Medium | ProportionsTrends | Percentage of sales from each product category across years | X-axis (time), Y-axis (values), Legend (categories) | Use when comparing relative performance, not absolute growth | When absolute values are more important than proportions | ||
Area Chart | Area Charts | A line chart with the area under the line filled in | To show changes in values over time, highlight magnitude of trends (e.g., profit growth, sales increase). Best for single series or few series where overlapping is not confusing. | Simple | Trends | Monthly revenue growth over time | X-axis (time/category), Y-axis (values), Legend (optional) | Use for continuous data, avoid too many overlapping series | |||
Stacked Area Chart | Area Charts | Multiple area charts stacked on top of each other. Each category's values build on the previous one | To show how different categories contribute to a total over time. Useful when you want both the overall trend and individual contribution of each series. | Medium | TrendsProportions | Total revenue by region (North, South, East, West) over time | X-axis (time), Y-axis (values), Legend (categories) | Keep categories manageable (3-6 max), ensure clear color distinction | |||
Stacked Bar Chart | Bar Charts | Bars placed on top of each other in a single line. Each segment represents part of the total | To show total values and how different parts contribute | Simple | ProportionsComparisons | Total expenses by department with segments for salaries, utilities, supplies | Y-axis (categories), X-axis (values), Legend (segments) | Use when you need to compare totals and contributions simultaneously | |||
Pie Chart | Pie & Doughnut | Shows data as slices of a circle. Each slice represents part of the whole (100%) | To show proportions or percentage share of categories. Best with few categories (2-6 max). | Simple | Proportions | Share of total sales by product category | Legend (categories), Values (measure) | Keep categories small and distinct, use for clear percentage contributions | Too many categories (cluttered), small differences between categories, when totals matter more than shares | ||
Clustered Bar Chart | Bar Charts | Bars for different series placed side by side within same category | To compare values across categories directly. Good for spotting differences between groups. | Simple | Comparisons | Comparing actual vs budgeted sales for each year | Y-axis (categories), X-axis (values), Legend (series) | Ideal for direct comparisons, limit to 3-4 series for readability |