Power BI Visualization

Power BI Visualization
• Power BI Visualization is a way to represent data graphically using different visual
elements such as charts, graphs, tables, maps, and other visual elements. These
visualizations help to quickly understand and analyse data and extract insights.
• Power BI provides a wide range of visualizations that can be used to create interactive
dashboards and reports. These visualizations can be customized and configured to
meet specific business needs. The visualizations are also interactive, allowing users to
explore and analyse data in real-time.
• Some common types of visualizations in Power BI include column charts, bar charts,
line charts, pie charts, scatter plots, maps, tables, and gauges. These visualizations can
be combined in a single report to provide a complete picture of the data.
• In addition to basic visualizations, Power BI also offers more advanced features such
as drill-down, cross-filtering, and dynamic formatting. These features allow users to
interact with the data and gain deeper insights.
• Overall, Power BI visualizations are a powerful tool for data analysis and reporting,
helping users.to make informed decisions and drive business success.

Why is Data visualization important?

1. Data visualization provides a quick and effective way to communicate information.
2. The ability to absorb information quickly, improve insights and make faster
decisions;
3. An increased understanding of the next steps that must be taken to improve the
organization.
4. An improved ability to maintain the audience's interest with information they can
understand.
5. An easy distribution of information that increases the opportunity to share insights
with everyone involved.
6. An increased ability to act on findings quickly and, therefore, achieve success with
greater speed and less mistakes.

Visualizations in Power BI
All these visualizations can be added to Power BI reports, specified in Q&A, and
pinned to dashboards.
Area charts: Basic (Layered) and Stacked

The basic area chart is based on the line chart with the area between the axis and line
filled in. Area charts emphasize the magnitude of change over time, and can be used to
draw attention to the total value across a trend. For example, data that represents profit
over time can be plotted in an area chart to emphasize the total profit.

Bar and column charts

Cards
Multi Row
Multi row cards display one or more data points, one per row.

Single number
Single number cards display a single fact, a single data point. Sometimes a single number is
the most important thing you want to track in your Power BI dashboard or report, such as
total sales, market share year over year, or total opportunities.
Combo charts

A combo chart combines a column chart and a line chart. Combining the two charts into one
lets you make a quicker comparison of the data. Combo charts can have one or two Y axes,
so be sure to look closely.

Combo charts are a great choice:

• When you have a line chart and a column chart with the same X axis.
• To compare multiple measures with different value ranges.
• To illustrate the correlation between two measures in one visual.
• To check whether one measure meets the target which is defined by another
• measure.
• To conserve canvas space.

Decomposition Tree
The decomposition tree visual lets you visualize data across multiple dimensions. It
automatically aggregates data and enables drilling down into your dimensions in any order.
It is also artificial intelligence (AI) visualization, so you can ask it to find the next dimension
to drill down into based on certain criteria. This makes it a valuable tool for ad hoc
exploration and conducting root cause analysis.

Doughnut charts

Doughnut charts are similar to pie charts. They show the relationship of parts to a whole.
The only difference is that the centre is blank and allows space for a label or icon.

Funnel Charts

• Funnels help visualize a process that has stages, and items flow sequentially from
one stage to the
• next. One example is a sales process that starts with leads and ends with purchase
• For example, a sales funnel that tracks customers through stages: Lead > Qualified
Lead > Prospect > Contract > Close.
 • At a glance, the shape of the funnel conveys the health of the process you're
tracking.
• Each funnel stage represents a percentage of the total. So, in most cases, a funnel
chart is shaped like a funnel -- with the first stage being the largest, and each
subsequent stage smaller than its predecessor.
• A pear-shaped funnel is also useful -- it can identify a problem in the process.
• But typically, the first stage, the "intake" stage, is the largest.

Gauge charts
A radial gauge chart has a circular arc and displays a single value that measures progress
toward a goal. The goal, or target value, is represented by the line (needle). Progress toward
that goal is represented by the shading. And the value that represents that progress is
shown in bold inside the arc. All possible values are spread evenly along the arc, from the
minimum (left-most value) to the maximum (right-most value).

Radial gauges are a great choice to:

• Show progress toward a goal.
• Represent a percentile measure, like a KPI.
• Show the health of a single measure.
• Display information that can be quickly scanned and understood.

Key influencers chart

• A key influencer chart displays the major contributors to a selected result or value.
• Key influencers are a great choice to help you understand the factors that influence
a key metric.
• For example, what influences customers to place a second order or why were sales
so high last June.
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a visual cue that communicates the amount of
progress made.
toward a measurable goal.
KPIs are a great choice:
• To measure progress (what am I ahead or behind on?).
• To measure distance to a metric (how far ahead or behind am I?).
Map
Basic Map

Use a basic map to associate both categorical and quantitative information with spatial
locations.

ArcGIS Map

➢ The combination of ArcGIS maps and Power BI takes mapping beyond the
presentation of points. on a map to a whole new level.
➢ The available options for base maps, location types, themes, symbol styles, and
reference layers creates gorgeous informative map visuals.
➢ The combination of authoritative data layers (such as census data) on a map with
spatial analysis conveys a deeper understanding of the data in your visual.
Azure Map

Tip
Used to associate both categorical and quantitative information with spatial locations.

Filled map (Choropleth)

A filled map uses shading or tinting or patterns to display how a value differs in proportion
across a geography or region. Quickly display these relative differences with shading that
ranges from light (less-frequent/lower) to dark (more-frequent/more).

Tip
The more intense the colour, the larger the value.
Shape Map

Shape maps compare regions on a map using colour. A shape map can't show precise.
geographical locations of data points on a map. Instead, its main purpose is to show
relative. comparisons of regions on a map by colouring them differently.

Matrix

• The matrix visual is a type of table visual (see Tables in this article) that supports a
stepped layout.
• A table supports two dimensions, but a matrix makes it easier to display data
meaningfully across multiple dimensions. Often, report designers include matrixes
in reports and dashboards to allow. users to select one or more element (rows,
columns, cells) in the matrix to cross-highlight other visuals on a report page.

Tip
The matrix automatically aggregates the data and enables drilling down into the data.
Pie Charts

Pie charts shows relationship of parts to a whole.

Power App Visuals

Report designers can create a Power App and embed it into a Power BI report as a visual.
Consumers can interact with that visual within the Power BI report.
Q&A visual

The Q&A visual lets you ask questions about your data using natural language.

R script visuals
Tip
Visuals created with R scripts, commonly called R visuals, can present advanced data
shaping and analytics such as forecasting, using the rich analytics and visualization power
of R. R visuals can be created in Power BI Desktop and published to the Power BI service.
Ribbon chart

Ribbon charts show which data category has the highest rank (largest value). Ribbon charts
are effective at showing rank change, with the highest range (value) always displayed on
top for each time.

Scatter
Scatter, bubble, and dot plot chart
• A scatter chart always has two value axes to show one set of numerical data along a
horizontal axis and another set of numerical values along a vertical axis.
• The chart displays points at the intersection of an x and y numerical value,
combining these values into single data points.
• These data points may be distributed evenly or unevenly across the horizontal axis,
depending on the data.
• A bubble chart replaces data points with bubbles, with the bubble size representing
an additional dimension of the data.

• Both scatter and bubble charts can also have a play axis, which can show changes
over time.
• A dot plot chart is like a bubble chart and scatter chart except that it can plot
numerical or
• categorical data along the X axis. This example happens to use squares instead of
circles and plots. sales along the X axis.
By definition, high-density data is sampled to create visuals reasonably quickly that are
responsive to interactivity. High-density sampling uses an algorithm that eliminates
overlapping points, and ensures that all points in the data set are represented in the visual.
It doesn't just plot a representative sample of the data. This ensures the best combination
of responsiveness, representation, and clear preservation of important points in the overall
data set.

Slicers
A slicer is a standalone chart that can be used to filter the other visuals on the page. Slicers
come in many different formats (category, range, date, etc.) and can be formatted to allow
selection of only one, many, or all the available values.

Slicers are a great choice to:

• Display commonly used or important filters on the report canvas for easier access.
• Make it easier to see the current filtered state without having to open a drop-down
list.
• Filter by columns that are unneeded and hidden in the data tables.
• Create more focused reports by putting slicers next to important visuals.

Smart narrative

The Smart narrative adds text to reports to point out trends, key takeaways, and add
explanations and context. The text helps users to understand the data and identify the
important findings quickly.
Standalone images

A standalone image is a graphic that has been added to a report or dashboard.

Tables

A table is a grid that contains related data in a logical series of rows and columns. It may
also contain headers and a row for totals. Tables work well with quantitative comparisons
where you. are looking at many values for a single category. For example, this table
displays five different measures for Category.

Tables are a great choice:

• To see and compare detailed data and exact values (instead of visual
representations).
• To display data in a tabular format.
• To display numerical data by categories.
Tree maps
Tree maps are charts of coloured rectangles, with size representing value. They can be
hierarchical,with rectangles nested within the main rectangles. The space inside each
rectangle is allocated. Based on the value being measured. And the rectangles are arranged
in size from top left (largest) to bottom right (smallest).

Tree maps are a great choice:

• To display large amounts of hierarchical data.
• When a bar chart can't effectively handle the large number of values.
• To show the proportions between each part and the whole.
• To show the pattern of the distribution of the measure across each level of
categories in the hierarchy.
• To show attributes using size and colour coding.
• To spot patterns, outliers, most-important contributors, and exceptions.
Waterfall chart

• A waterfall chart shows a running total as values are added or subtracted. It's
useful for understanding how an initial value (for example, net income) is affected
by a series of positive and negative changes.
• The columns are colour coded so you can quickly tell increases and decreases. The
initial and the final value columns often start on the horizontal axis, while the
intermediate values are floating columns. Because of this "look", waterfall charts
are also called bridge charts.

Waterfall charts are a great choice:

• When you have changes for the measure across time or across different categories.
• To audit the major changes contributing to the total value.
• To plot your company's annual profit by showing various sources of revenue and
arrive at the total profit (or loss).
• To illustrate the beginning and the ending headcount for your company in a year.
• To visualize how much money, you make and spend each month, and the running
• balance for your account.

Implementation of Conditional formatting

Conditional formatting is a powerful feature in Power BI that allows you to format your
data based on specific criteria.
Here's how to implement conditional formatting in Power BI:
1. Select the visual that you want to apply conditional formatting to.
2. Go to the "Visualizations" pane on the right side of the screen.
3. Click on "Conditional formatting" at the top of the pane.
4. Choose the type of formatting you want to apply (e.g., background color, font
color,data bars, etc.).
5. Select the field you want to apply the formatting to.
6. Choose the criteria that will trigger the formatting (e.g., greater than, less than,
equalities.).
7. Set the formatting options (e.g., the color, fill, or border style).
8. Repeat steps 5-7 for each condition you want to apply.
9. Click "OK" to save your formatting settings.

Formatting techniques you can use in Power BI, such as:

• Data bars: These are horizontal bars that show the value of a measure relative to
other values in the same category.
• Colour scales: These assign a colour gradient to a measure based on its value relative
to other values in the same category.
• Icons: These use symbols (e.g., arrows, check marks, X's) to visually represent a
measured value relative to a threshold.
• Rules: These allow you to apply specific formatting to data that meets certain criteria
(e.g., highlight all values over a certain amount in red).
• Field value formatting: This allows you to format specific values within a field (e.g.
highlight a particular product or customer).
To apply these formatting techniques, follow the same steps as above, but select the
specific type of formatting you want to use from the "Conditional formatting" pane.

Common conditional formatting rules:

• Highlight values that exceed a certain threshold.
• Highlight the top or bottom values in a column or row.
• Colour-code cells based on a specific value or range of values.
• Apply data bars to visualize the relative size of values in a column or row.
In addition to these basic rules, Power BI also supports more advanced conditional
formatting. options, such as colour scales and icon set. These options can help to further
emphasize. important data and provide a more detailed analysis of the data.

Overall, conditional formatting is a powerful tool in Power BI that can help to make data
more. Visually appealing and easier to analyse, leading to better insights and decision-
making.

Implementation of Formatting techniques

Formatting techniques in Power BI allow users to customize the appearance of their
reports and dashboards to better communicate insights and make data more visually
appealing.
Power BI allows for several formatting techniques to be implemented on various visuals
and components. Some of the formatting techniques that can be implemented in Power BI
are:

Data labels and tooltips: Data labels and tooltips help in providing additional information
about the data points in the visuals. To implement this, select the visual and go to the
"Visualizations’ pane. Under the 'Data label' option, select 'On' or 'Auto'. Similarly, under the
Tooltip' option, select 'On' or 'Auto'.

Conditional formatting: Conditional formatting helps in highlighting specific data points

based on certain conditions. To implement this, select the visual and go to the
'Visualizations' pane. Under the 'Conditional formatting' option, select the type of
formatting you want to apply, such as colour scales or data bars. Then, specify the rules
and conditions for the formatting.

Background and foreground colours: Background and foreground colours can be used to
change the colours of the visuals and components. To implement this, select the visual or
component and go to the 'Format' pane. Under the 'Background' or 'Foreground' options,
select the colour you want to apply.

Borders and lines: Borders and lines can be used to highlight certain areas or boundaries.
To implement this, select the visual or component and go to the 'Format' pane. Under the
'Border' or 'Line' options, select the type and colour of the border or line you want to
apply.
Font and text formatting: Font and text formatting can be used to change the style, size,
and colour of the text. To implement this, select the visual or component and go to the
'Format' pane. Under the 'Font' or 'Text box' options, select the font, size, and colour you
want to apply.

These are some of the formatting techniques that can be implemented in Power BI to
enhance the visual appeal and clarity of the data.

POWER BI ANIMATION VISUAL

SCATTER PLOT CHART:
• A scatter chart is a diagram that displays the relation between two numeric variables for
a set of values.
• Typically, a scatter chart plots data points for a set of values for two variables using
Cartesian coordinates.
• They allow you to compare data points on two axes at the same time far more easily
than you can in a line or column chart.
• The scatter chart in Power BI is the only default visualisation that you can use to create
animations.

Creating A Scatter Chart

• Let's start simple and create a scatter chart that shows the relationship between
sales and profit. From the Visualizations pane, select "Scatter chart". It is the icon
that shows five dots on a chart.
• Next, you need to specify column values for the "X-Axis" and "Y-Axis" fields. Drag
"Sales" and "Profit" columns from the "Fields" pane and drop them in the "X-axis" and
"Y-Axis" fields, respectively.
• By default, you will see only a single data point, the sums of the two datasets.
• If you hover your mouse over the data point, you will see the values shown.
• A scatter chart with one data point doesn't tell you much.

• In the reports view, Power BI Desktop will create the following scatter chart.
• It would be better if you could see sales and profits grouped by categories of products.
• To do so, drag the "Product-Sub-Category" column from the 'Fields" pane and drop it to
the "Details" field.
If you hover over any data point, you will see the sub-category name.
• To see the category name for the products with high sales and high profits, you can
hover over the data points near the top-right corner of your scatter chart, as we have
done with office machines above.
Your scatter chart will now look like this:

• Labelling Data Points To display category names along with data points, go to the
'Format" option (paint roller icon) in your scatter chart and then drag the value for
the "Category labels" option to "On".
• In the output below, you can see the names of your sub-categories along with data
points.

• Changing the Size of Data Points By default, the scatter chart in Power BI displays all
the data points with equal size.
 • You can plot data points with variable sizes by assigning them weights. You can
produce scatter charts where the size of a data point (or bubble) it relates to.
In our example, this would be the volume of sales for all the products in each category.
• To do this, you need to add the "Order Quantity" column from the "Fields" pane to
the "Size" field.
• You also add the "Product Category" column to the "Legend" field".
These changes will adjust the colour of the data points depending on their primary product
category.
Adding Animations with Play
The Power BI scatter chart is the only default chart that can be used to plot animations in
Power Bl.
Something that's difficult to do in SSRS and Google Data Studio. To do so, you need temporal
or time-series data, e.g., year, dates, months, etc. Let's create an animation that changes the
position of data points on a scatter chart based on yearly information.
Select the "Year" values from the "Order Date" date hierarchy and drop them on the "Play
Axis" field.
You will now see a play option on your scatter chart and a bar showing progress across the
bottom of your chart.
If you click the play button (the triangle), you will see that the data point positions and sizes
will change with the year.

We can also trace a trend in your animation.

• Once your animation has finished playing, if you click on any data point, you will be
able to see its trend over the years, where a line and differing size bubbles trace how
the data for that point has changed over time.
POWER BI ANIMATION VISUAL AND SCATTER PLOT CHART

Key Points
A scatter plot chart in Power BI is a graphical representation of data points that helps you
identify relationships and patterns between two numeric variables. The chart displays the
values of two measures as a set of points on a two-dimensional plane. Each point on the
scatter plot represents the intersection of the two measures. To create a scatter plot chart in
Power BI, you need to follow these steps:
1. Open Power BI Desktop and load the data you want to visualize.
2. Click on the "Visualizations" tab on the right-hand side of the screen.
3. Select "Scatter chart" from the available chart types.
4. Drag and drop the two measures you want to compare into the "Values" section of
the chart.
5. Customize the chart as per your requirement. You can change the chart type, add
data labels, add trend lines, etc.
6. Once you have created the scatter plot chart, you can analyse the data points on the
chart to identify patterns and relationships between the two measures. The scatter
plot chart also allows you to highlight specific data points, zoom in on certain areas
of the chart, and interact with the chart to explore the data in more detail.

Some key things to keep in mind when working with scatter plot charts in Power BI are:
• Ensure that the two measures you are comparing are both numeric.
• Use a meaningful X and Y axis labels to help users understand the data.
• Consider adding a trend line or data labels to make the chart more informative.
• Use colours or shapes to differentiate between different categories or groups in the
data if needed.
• By following these tips and best practices, you can create informative and meaningful
scatter plot charts in Power BI to help you analyse your data.