A Combo chart in Power BI combines a line chart and a column chart in a single visual. It allows you to compare multiple measures and identify patterns or trends more easily.
Power BI provides two types of Combo charts:
- Line and stacked column chart
- Line and clustered column chart
A Line and stacked column chart display column categories stacked on top of each other, while a Line and clustered column chart displays the column series side by side. Both chart types also include a line to display an additional measure.
Combo charts can use one or two Y-axes, making them useful when comparing measures with different value ranges.
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How to Proceed?
Step 1 Import the Data
Launch Power BI Desktop, create a new report page, and import the required data.
Step 2 Add a Line and Clustered Column Chart
From the Visualizations pane, select the Line and clustered column chart visual.
Step 3 Add Fields to the Visual
Add the required fields to the appropriate field wells in the Build visual pane:
X-axis – Region
Column Y-axis – No of Medals
Line Y-axis – Total Participants
Column legend – Medal
The X-axis displays the regions, while the Column Y-axis displays the number of medals. The Column legend separates the medal categories into Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
The Line Y-axis displays the total number of participants for each region.
In this example, the Line and clustered column chart compares the number of medals by region and medal type with the total number of participants by region.
The current Microsoft guidance uses the field wells X-axis, Column Y-axis, Line Y-axis, and Column legend for combo chart configuration.
Step 4 Apply Filters
Filters allow you to focus on specific data displayed in the Combo chart.
In this example, the Medal field is filtered to display only Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. A Top N filter is also applied to the Region field to display the top 10 regions based on medal count.
Using these filters makes it easier to compare medal distribution and participant counts for the top-performing regions.
Step 5 Customize the Combo Chart
You can customize the appearance of the Line and clustered column chart using the Format visual pane. You can modify settings such as the title, font size, colors, columns, lines, data labels, axes, legend, and background.
Select the visual and use the available options in the Format visual pane to customize the chart.
In this example, I selected a blue background color and set the transparency to 87% to reduce the intensity of the background color.
I also added a suitable title and customized the font size, color, and position of the title.
Different colors are used for the column series to distinguish the medal categories.
To display values on the chart, enable Data labels from the Visual section of the Format visual pane. You can customize the label position, font, color, and other available formatting options.
Since this is a Combo chart, data labels can be configured for the column and line series based on the available formatting settings.
Power BI also allows combo charts to display a secondary Y-axis. This is useful when the values represented by the columns and line have different scales.
Step 6 Save the visual
Finally, your Line and clustered column chart is ready. Save the Power BI report to preserve the visual and its formatting.
When to use Combo chart- Line and Clustered column?
Combo charts are useful when you want to compare multiple measures in a single visual. They are especially helpful when displaying a trend or measure using a line while comparing categories or values using columns.
They are also useful when the measures have different value ranges because the visual can display one or two Y-axes.
Pros
- Displays column and line measures in a single visual.
- Helps compare multiple measures and identify patterns or trends.
- Supports one or two Y-axes for measures with different value ranges.
- Reduces the need for multiple separate visuals.
Cons
- Too many data series or categories can make the chart difficult to read.
- Incorrect use of a secondary Y-axis can make comparisons misleading.
- Limited to combinations of line and column charts.
Conclusion
Combo charts are useful for comparing multiple measures and displaying different types of information in a single visual. The Line and clustered column chart displays column series side by side while using a line to represent an additional measure.
Careful selection of fields, clear labels, and appropriate axis settings help create a clear and effective Combo chart.
Useful Information
| Tags | Power BI |
| Useful links | https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/power-bi-create-a-combo-chart/g |
| MS Learn Modules | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/visuals/power-bi-visualization-combo-chart |
| Test Your Knowledge | Quiz |
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