Best ways to visualise your data in Power BI

What is data visualisation and why is it important?

Data visualisation is the process of converting raw data into graphical representations, such as charts, graphs, diagrams, and other visual formats. This process helps clarify complex data sets, making it easier to understand, analyse and derive actionable insights. 

The importance of data visualisation is inherent in the familiar saying “a picture speaks a thousand words”. By presenting data visually, it simplifies complex information, making it more accessible and comprehensible.  

The ultimate benefit of data visualisation is its capacity to enhance decision-making. By offering a clearer view of the data, it supports more informed and effective business decisions, helping organisations to act on insights promptly and strategically. 

Is Power BI good for Data visualisation?

Absolutely.  

Power BI excels in data visualisation, offering a wide array of advanced and customisable visualisations tailored to meet diverse analytical needs. From waterfall charts, and treemaps to KPI cards, Power BI provides tools that make it easy to convey complex data. 

Here is how effective data visualisations in Power BI help support your organisation: 

• See the big picture: Notice trends and spot patterns you wouldn’t be able to see if you were looking at the numbers on their own. 
• Identify the significance: How is your business performing, what needs to be modified, and where should you focus your resources? The ability to understand the significance of your data drives more effective operations and decisions. 
• Make informed decisions: With concrete numbers and tangible insights, you can be confident your decisions are backed by data. Having clear insight into performance metrics empowers you with the knowledge and arms you with the tools to make the right decisions at the right time. 
• Track trends over time: Once you’ve established a baseline, trends will begin to emerge. Track progress, spot trends, and begin using your insights to drive informed, strategic decisions. As you build your trends, shifts in patterns indicate if things drift off track, allowing you to immediately address any sign of lowered performance. 

Ways to visualise data in Power BI

Power BI offers over 300 visualisation options, each designed for specific analytical purposes. Below, we’ll explore a some of the options available, covering our favourite ones: 

Area Charts

Area Charts in Power BI, also known as layered area charts, fill the area between the line and axis with colour to indicate volume. These charts are best used for monitoring total value across trends and comparing changes over time. 

Line Charts

Line charts are among the most used and recognised charts for displaying data. The data points are connected by a straight line, with each point corresponding to a data value. Line charts are best for measuring trends over a period of time. 

Bar Charts

Bar charts are a popular choice because they are simple to create and easy to interpret. They are useful when there is a need to display data that includes negative values, as it is possible to position the bars below as well as above the x-axis. 

Combo Charts

Combo charts combine a line chart and a column chart into one visualisation. This illustrates correlations between data and allows for the comparison of multiple data sets, enabling quick insights. For example, comparing last year’s sales to this year’s while overlaying gross margin trends. 

Pie Charts

Pie charts illustrate the contribution of different values to a total and are good for displaying data for around 10 categories or fewer. They are widely used across industries for their ability to quickly convey data at a glance. 

Scatter Charts

Scatter charts use dots to demonstrate the relationship between two different variables, showing how they correlate with each other. 

Bubble Charts

Bubble charts are similar to scatter charts but add a third dimension represented by the size of the bubbles, making it easier to visualise data sets with three variables. 

Waterfall Charts

Waterfall charts, or bridge charts, show a running total as values are added or subtracted, useful for understanding how an initial value is affected by a series of positive and negative changes. 

Cards

Card visualisations simplify data display by showing a single number, enabling quick access to real-time figures such as profit made or total sales. Multi-row cards are available for displaying multiple metrics. 

Doughnut Charts

Doughnut charts are similar to pie charts but with a blank centre, allowing for the inclusion of a logo, icon, or label. They are ideal for making comparisons between categories. 

Funnel Charts

Funnel charts visualise linear processes with sequential connected stages, like a sales funnel tracking customers from leads to closed deals. 

KPIs

KPI visualisations track real-time progress towards measurable goals, helping you quickly assess whether you are ahead or behind in achieving them. 

Treemaps

Treemaps display hierarchical data within nested rectangles, with each level represented by a coloured rectangle containing smaller rectangles. They are great for showing hierarchical data relationships. 

Maps

Power BI offers various map visualisations, including Bubble Maps, Filled Maps, and Shape Maps, powered by Bing Maps. 

Bubble Map

Bubble maps place circles on each location, with bubble sizes representing data values. Hovering over data points reveals additional information via tooltips. 

Filled Map

Filled maps use shading to display how values differ across a geography or region, providing a clear visual representation of data distribution. 

Shape Map

Shape maps show relative comparisons of regions by colouring them differently but cannot show precise geographical locations. 

Tooltip Functionality

Tooltips in Power BI provide additional context and detail to data points within a visual. By hovering over a visual, you can quickly gain deeper insights without leaving the report. 

Get in touch

There are more visualisations available in Power BI, and you can find a full list on the Microsoft website. By exploring the popular visualisations listed in this blog, you should now have a better understanding of what Power BI is capable of and the powerful functionality it offers.  

To learn more about how Power BI can help overcome reporting challenges within your business read our blog or check out our Power BI webinar to the solution in action.  

As a Microsoft Partner, we implement Power BI across the majority of our projects to help our clients gain clarity around reporting and uncover actionable insights from their data. If you would like more information, please get in touch via the contact form, or email us at info@pragmatiq.co.uk  / call us on 01908 038110.