Best Power BI Visual Types Explained – Charts, Tables, Maps & More

MY TABLES AND COLUMNS ARE

ORDERS : ORDER_ID PRODUCT NAME UNITS BUYER_ID MEDIUM

DELIVERY : ORDER_ID PROCESS_DAYS DELIVERY_DAYS PARTNER DATE TOTAL_DELIVERY_DAYS

PRODUCT : NAME COLOR MAKING_DAYS MATERIAL COST_PRICE SALE_PRICE

BUYERS : BUYER_ID CITY CODE STATE

STACKED BAR CHART

1. A stacked bar chart displays segments of a whole, stacked on top of one another in a single bar for each group.
2. Good for showing how individual sub-categories contribute to the total.
3. LEGENDS ARE THE SUBCATORIES

STACKED COLUMN  CHART

1. Columns for sub-categories are stacked vertically within each group

CLUSTERED BAR CHART

1. Bars for different categories are placed side by side within each group.
2. Easier to compare values of sub-categories; harder to see total.

CLUSTERED COLUMN CHART

1. Columns for sub-categories are placed side by side within each group

100% STACKED BAR CHART

1.  Each column (vertical bar) is 100% high, showing the relative percentage breakdown of sub-categories within each group.
2. LEGENDS ARE SUBCATEGORIES

100% STACKED COLUMN CHART

1.  Each bar (row) represents a category, with segments showing the percentage contribution of each sub-category. The bar always totals 100%.

Line Chart

1. A line chart displays data points connected by a line, usually over time. It focuses on trends and comparisons.
2. Showing how something changes over time
3. Comparing trends between multiple items (e.g., different products)
4. Highlights movement and fluctuations in values precisely.
5. " Did product sales go up or down this month compared to last month? "

AREA CHART

1. An area chart is like a line chart but with the area under the line filled in with color. It also shows change over time, but emphasizes volume or contribution.
2. Showing how totals accumulate over time
3. Visualizing part-to-whole relationships (e.g., sales by product as part of total sales)
4. Highlights magnitude or volume, not just trends.
5. "How many total units were sold this month — and how much did each product contribute?"

STACKED AREA CHART

1.  A stacked area chart is like a regular area chart, but the values are stacked on top of each other. Each layer represents a part of the total, and the top of the stack shows the cumulative value.
2.  Showing part-to-whole relationships over time

100% STACKED AREA CHART

1.  A 100% Stacked Area Chart shows proportional trends over time or a sequential axis. It’s similar to a 100% stacked column chart, but instead of vertical bars, it uses filled areas under a line to represent relative contributions.
2. Each area represents a category (like delivery medium), and its height shows its percentage of the total at that point (like over time).

LINE AND STACKED COLUMN CHART

1. Columns are stacked — categories add up vertically for each X-axis value.
2. Line overlays the total column stack (or another value).
3.  Showing part-to-whole relationships (percent or absolute) and comparing that to a second value (line).
4. Example: Show sales by product category (stacked) and total profit (line).
5. Use Line + Stacked Column when you care about the total value and category composition.

LINE AND CLUSTERED COLUMN CHART

1.  Columns are side-by-side (clustered) — each column represents a separate category at each X-axis point.
2. Line overlays a different measure (or the same, aggregated differently).
3. Use Line + Clustered Column when you care about directly comparing each category individually.

RIBBON CHART

1.  Shows ranking changes of categories over time. Great for visualizing shifting trends (e.g., top product, top delivery partner).
2.  Track which delivery partner had the highest number of deliveries over time.

WATERFALL CHART

1.  Shows incremental changes (positive/negative) contributing to a final total.
2.  INSIGHT : See how each product or medium contributes to total profit — who adds vs. who reduces margin.

FUNNEL CHART 

1. Visualizes a linear flow or conversion process (e.g., steps from order to delivery).
2. Chart the progress of sequential data through at least four stages.
3. Chart items where the amount in the first stage is expected to be greater than the amount in the final stage.

SCATTER CHART

1.  Shows relationship between two numerical variables.

PIE CHART

1.  Shows part-to-whole relationships for a single category.

DONUT CHART

1.  Purpose: Like a pie chart, but with a center hole for labels or totals.

TREEMAP

1.  A Treemap in Power BI is a great visual to show hierarchical data and proportional size comparisons using nested rectangles. It works well when you want to show contribution to a total
2.  Can include hierarchy: e.g., State → City

GAUGE

1.  Displays progress toward a goal or target. It’s like a speedometer showing how close you are to a defined benchmark.

CARD

1.  Displays a single number—simple and direct. Great for showing KPIs at a glance.

MULTIROW CARD

1.  Displays multiple individual values in a list format.
2. Each row shows a single field or measure, with no trend or goal tracking.

KPI

 Shows a single metric with:

1. A trend line (time-based)
2. An optional target (goal) comparison
3. A directional indicator (up/down)

SLICER

1.  A Slicer is a filtering tool — it lets the user interactively filter visuals based on values from a field.
2. Press CTRL for selecting multiple values

TABLE

Use Table when:

1. You need to show raw data or individual records.
2. You want a simple, clean layout without grouping.

MATRIX

Use Matrix when:

1. You want to summarize data across multiple dimensions (e.g., Year vs Product).
2. You need subtotals, grand totals, or drill-down capabilities.
3. Pivoted (like Excel PivotTables)
4. Summarized view

KEY INFLUENCERS

1.  Automatically identifies which fields have the most impact on a selected outcome (e.g., delivery time, revenue, order count).

QNA

1.  AFTER CLICKING QNA VISUAL WAIT A FEW SECONDS
2. Allows users to ask natural-language questions (typed) and get automatic charts or answers.

DECOMPOSITON TREE

1.  Breaks down a metric (e.g., sales) across multiple dimensions (e.g., Region → Product → Manager).

NEW CARD

1.  WE CAN SCROLL DOWN USING THE DOWN ARROW GIVEN IN MIDDLE BOTTOM SIDE OF VISUAL

NEW BUTTON SLICER

1.  A slicer styled as a set of interactive buttons instead of a dropdown or checklist.

PY : PYTHON SCRIPT EDITOR

1.  Install python IDLE setup in computer and required libraries
2.  MUST ENABLE in power bi THESE SETTING FROM FILE > OPTIONS & SETTINGS > OPTIONS > python scripting
3. Take the visual
4. Write python code