Use Visuals In Power BI

ANGELES UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

College of Computer Studies
 What is in this module?

o Introduction to
visuals in Power BI
o Create and
Introduction customize simple
Learning Objectives visualizations
o Create slicers
o Map visualizations
o Matrices and tables
o Create scatter,
waterfall, and funnel
Course Description HERE charts
o Modify colors in
charts and visuals
o Page layout and
formatting
Introduction
To Visuals In
Power BI
Introduction to visuals in Power BI
This unit begins with the mainstays of visualizations, the simple visuals that everyone's familiar with, to
make sure that you know the particulars of them. The rest of the module will provide more advanced, or
at least less common, details to enhance your report-creating knowledge.
Visualizing data is one of the core parts
and basic building blocks of Power BI.
Creating visuals is one of the most
effective ways to find and share your
insights.
You'll discover a wide variety of
visualizations in Power BI, which offers
features such as simple bar charts, pie
charts, maps, and more esoteric
offerings like waterfalls, funnels, and
gauges. Power BI Desktop also offers
extensive page formatting tools, such
as shapes and images, that help bring
your report to life.
Create and customize simple visualizations

Two ways to create a new visualization in Power BI Desktop are:

• Drag field names from the Fields pane and then drop them on the report canvas. By default, your
visualization appears as a table of data.
 Create and customize simple visualizations

• In the Visualizations pane, select the type of visualization that you want to create. With this method, the
default visual is a blank placeholder that resembles the type of visual that you selected.
 Create and customize simple visualizations

• After you have created your graph, map, or chart, you can begin dragging data
fields onto the bottom portion of the Visualization pane to build and organize your
visual. The available fields will change based on the type of visualization that you
selected. As you drag and drop data fields, your visualization will automatically
update to reflect changes.

The available options for cosmetic changes to your visual vary depending on the
type of visual that you've selected.
Create combination charts
Combination charts are an effective way to visualize multiple measures that have different scales in a single
visualization.

You might want to visualize two

measures with different scales,
such as revenue and units.
Use a combination chart to
show a line and a bar with
different axis scales. Power BI
supports many different types
of combination charts by
default, including Line and
Stacked Columns charts.

You can split each column by category by dragging a category into the Column Series field. When you do
so, each bar is proportionately colored based on the values within each category.
Create slicers
Slicers are one of the most powerful types of visualizations, particularly as part of a busy report. A slicer is
an on-canvas visual filter that allows report users to segment the data by a specific value. Examples of
filters
include by year or by geographical location.
To add a slicer to your report, select Slicer from the Visualizations pane.
Create slicers
Drag the field by which you want to slice and drop it to the top of the slicer placeholder. The visualization
turns into a list of elements with check boxes. These elements are your filters. Select the box next to the
one that you want to segment, and Power BI will filter, or slice, all other visuals on the same report page.
Create slicers

A few different options are available to help you

format your slicer. You can set it to accept
multiple inputs at once, or you can use the 
Single Select mode to use one at a time. You
can also add a Select All option to your slicer
elements, which is helpful when you have a long
list. Change the orientation of your slicer from
the vertical default to horizontal, and it becomes
a selection bar rather than a checklist.

When you have multiple visualizations on the same report page, Power BI Desktop lets you control how
interactions flow between visuals.
Map visualizations
Power BI has two different types of map visualizations: a bubble map that places a bubble over a geographic
point, and a shape map that shows the outline of the area that you want to visualize.

Create bubble maps

To create a bubble map, select the Map option in the Visualization pane. In
the Visualizations options, add a value to the Location bucket to use a map
visual.

Power BI accepts many types of

location values. It recognizes city
names, airport codes, or specific
latitude and longitude data. Add a
field to the Size bucket to change
the size of the bubble for each map
location.
 Map visualizations
Create shape maps
To create a shape map, select the Filled
Map option in the Visualization pane. As
with bubble maps, you must add a value to
the
Location bucket to use this visual. Add a
field to the Size bucket to change the
intensity of the fill color.

A warning icon in the top-left corner of your visual indicates that the map needs more location data to
accurately plot values. This is a common problem when the data in your location field is ambiguous, such as
using an area name like Washington, which could indicate a state or a district.

One way to resolve the location data problem is to rename your column to be more specific, such as State.
Another way is to manually reset the data category by selecting Data Category on the Modeling tab. From
the Data Category list, you can assign a category to your data such as "State" or "City."
Matrices and tables
In the Visualizations pane, the order of the fields in the Values bucket determines the order in which they
appear in your table.
Matrices and tables
A matrix is similar to a table, but it
has different category headers on the
columns and rows. As with tables,
numerical information will be
automatically totaled along the
bottom and right side of the matrix.

Many cosmetic options are available

for matrices, such as auto-sizing
columns, switching between row and
column totals, setting colors, and
more.
Create scatter, waterfall, and funnel
charts
To create a blank chart, select Scatter chart from the Visualizations pane. Drag and drop the two fields
that you want to compare from the Fields pane to the X Axis and Y Axis option buckets. At this point, your
scatter chart probably has a small bubble in the center of the visual. You need to add a measure to the
Details bucket to indicate how you want to segment your data. For example, if you're comparing item sales
and revenue, you might want to split the data by category, or manufacturer, or month of sale.
Adding another field to the Legend bucket will color-code your bubbles according to the field's value. You
can also add a field to the Size bucket to alter the bubble size according to that value.
Create scatter, waterfall, and funnel
charts

Scatter charts have many visual formatting options as well, such as turning on an
outline for each colored bubble and switching between individual labels. You can
change the data colors for other chart types as well.
Create scatter, waterfall, and funnel
charts
You can create an animation of your bubble chart's changes over time by adding a time-based field to the
Play Axis bucket. Select a bubble during an animation to see a trace of its path.
Create waterfall and funnel charts
Waterfall and funnel charts are two of the more noteworthy (and uncommon) standard visualizations that
are included in Power BI. To create a blank chart of either type, select its icon from the Visualizations pane.
Create waterfall and funnel charts
Waterfall charts are typically used to show changes in a specific value over time.
Create waterfall and funnel charts
Waterfalls only have two bucket options: Category and Y Axis.
Drag a time-based field, such as Year, to the Category bucket,
and drag the value that you want to track to the Y Axis bucket.
Time periods where an increase in value occurred are
displayed in green by default, while periods with a decrease in
value are displayed in red.
Funnel charts are typically used to show changes over a
specific process, such as a sales pipeline or website retention
efforts.

You can slice and customize Waterfall and Funnel charts.

Modify colors in charts and visuals

Occasionally, you might want to modify the colors that are used in charts or
visuals. Power BI gives you control over how colors are displayed. To begin, select
a visual and then select the paintbrush icon in the Visualizations pane.
Modify colors in charts and visuals

Power BI provides many options for changing the colors or formatting the
visual. You can change the color of all bars in a visual by selecting the color
picker beside Default color and then selecting your color of choice.

You can change the color of each bar (or other element, depending on the
type of visual that you selected) by turning the Show all slider to On. A color
selector will then appear for each element.
Modify colors in charts and visuals
Conditional formatting
You can change the color based on a value or measure. To do so, select the vertical ellipsis next to Default
color.
Modify colors in charts and visuals
Conditional formatting
The resulting visuals will be colored by the gradient that you select.
Page layout and formatting
Power BI Desktop gives you the ability to control the layout and formatting of your report pages, such as
size and orientation.

Use the Page View menu from the View tab to change the way that your report pages scale. The available
options include Fit To Page (default), Fit To Width, and Actual Size.
Page layout and formatting
You can also change the page size. By default, the report page size is set to 16:9. To change the page size,
make sure that no visuals are selected, select the paintbrush icon on the Visualizations pane, and then
select Page Size to expand that section.

Options for page size include 4:3 (more of a square aspect ratio) and Dynamic
(the page will stretch to fill the available space). A standard letter size option is
available for reports as well. You might need to resize your visuals after changing
the page size to ensure that they're completely on the canvas.

You can specify a custom page size, setting the size by inches or pixels, and you
can also change the background color of the entire report.

Another option is to select Cortana, which sizes the report so that it can be used
as a result for searches that use Cortana.
 Page layout and formatting
Add static elements
Along with data-bound visuals, you can also add static elements such as text boxes, images, and shapes to
improve the visual design of your reports. To add a visual element, select Text Box, Image, or Shapes from
the Home tab.

You can display large titles, captions, or short paragraphs in Text boxes, which can also include links and URLs.

Selecting Image will open a file browser where you can select the image from your computer or other
networked source. By default, resizing an image in your report will maintain its aspect ratio.

You can insert five types of Shapes, including rectangles and arrows. Shapes can be opaque or transparent
with a colored border. The latter is useful for creating borders around groups of visualizations.
Page layout and formatting
Manage how elements overlap
When you have several elements on a report, Power BI lets you manage how they overlap with each other.
This ordering of layers is known as the z-order.
To manage the z-order of elements in a report, select an element and use the Bring forward and Send
backward buttons on the Visual tools tab.
Page layout and formatting
Reuse a report layout

Individual pages of a report can be complex, with multiple visualizations that interact in specific ways and
have precise formatting. Occasionally, when building a report, you might want to use the same visuals and
layouts for two different pages. For example, if you've just put together a report page on gross revenue, you
might want an almost identical page on net revenue.
Recreating all your work would be difficult, but with Power BI Desktop, you can duplicate a report page.
Right-click the tab that you want to copy and then select Duplicate Page.
 END
By: Jewel Anne R. Atanacio