Power BI Visual Types: Which Chart, When?

The range of visuals in Power BI is wide, but every visual has a correct use scenario. Using a column chart where a pie chart is right causes the viewer to misread the data. In this article we'll examine the main visual types and their usage rules.

01. Card / KPI Cards

Highlighting a single value. On a GM dashboard, 4-6 KPI cards show the pulse of the business. Unlike a Card, a KPI shows a target comparison and trend.

02. Table & Matrix

A Table is a simple list; a Matrix is a pivot table. Ideal for detailed analysis, but with many rows a summary chart is more effective.

03. Clustered vs Stacked Column

If sub-groups within the same category are compared, use Clustered; if you want to see the sub-groups' contribution to the total, use Stacked. The wrong choice makes the data read the other way.

04. Line vs Area vs Ribbon

Line for a time-series trend; Area if it should be seen with total volume; Ribbon if a change in ranking is to be emphasized. Each tells a different story.

05. Pie & Donut

Suitable only for 3-5 categories with complementary percentages. A pie with 10 slices can't be read. A Donut allows extra information (the total) to be placed in the center.

06. Treemap

For hierarchical and relative size comparison. For example, product category-subcategory-brand. Area-based perception can be stronger than a Pie.

07. Waterfall

A visual breakdown of the pluses and minuses from a starting value to an ending value. Indispensable in financial analysis (budget vs actual).

08. Funnel

The narrowing across sequential process steps (sales funnel, hiring process). Each step's ratio to the previous one is calculated automatically.

09. Gauge

The position of a single value within a target range. Should be used sparingly — it takes up a lot of space and gives little information.

10. Scatter & Bubble

The relationship between two (Scatter) or three (Bubble) variables. Strengthened with regression analysis.

11. Map & Filled Map

Geographic distribution. Sales by province, store-location density.

12. Slicer

A filter. 3-5 slicers on a page is optimal; more creates clutter.

13. Decomposition Tree

Lets you break a value (sales) down into subcategories and explore interactively. One of the AI-supported visuals.

14. Key Influencers & Smart Narrative

Automatically finds the factors that most influence a KPI (Key Influencers), or generates natural-language commentary for the report (Smart Narrative). AI visuals add extra value for the business user.