A combo chart in Power BI is a powerful visualization tool that combines two different types of charts in a single chart to help us represent and compare various types of data in an effective way. Combining a line chart and a bar chart (column chart), we can visualize and analyze data in an easier way.
There are generally two types of combo charts available in Power BI
- Line and Stack Column chart
- Line and Clustered Column chart.
In this blog we going to discuss about creating Combo chart/Line and stacked column.
As the name represents in Stack column chart, the data categories are shown in form of stacks.
How to Proceed?
Step 1
Launch power BI desktop app and open the new report page and import the data required
Refer Lesson 7 - Power BI Datasets to build great visuals
Step 2
In “visualizations” pane click on “Line and Stacked Column chart” which is highlighted in the given figure
Step 3
Drag the data fields into “Field Section “that we want to compare and analyze.
X axis: Represent categories – Region
Y axis: Shows the values – No of Medals
Line Y axis: Shows the values – Total participants
Column Legend: Explain the groups in column – Medal
In combo chart we can additionally able to show Line Y axis.
Here in this visual we added column legend as medal which shows medal categories like Gold, Silver, Bronze along with “No of participants by region in “line Y axis where column Y axis showing “No of Medals by Region”
Filters in the chart are like special tools that allow us to focus on specific parts of the data, making it easier to understand. Here, we used filters in medal (Chose only Gold, Bronze and Silver) and in Region (Top 10 countries which has highest medal count).
Using the Filters Pane, you can focus on the Top10 countries and see the type of medal each of them won. It helps us easily view and analyze the specific achievements of these countries in the Olympic Games
Step 5
Customizing the appearance of Stacked column chart
You can customize the appearance of the visual. You can change Title, Font size, Style, Colours and Data labels. Click anywhere on the visual and set the below properties in the Format section.
In this visual, I chose background colour as blue and gave 87% transparency which reduces the intensity of the colour.
Gave suitable title for the visual and customize the font size, colour and position of the title.
Chose colors for the vertical bars to show different categories.
To add data labels to the chart, click on the “Data Labels” section under “Visual”. Here you can choose which data to display in the labels and adjust their position, font, and color.
In this visual, I chose to display Column data labels in “Horizontal” orientation and its position placed Inside Center which shows the values above each bar.
Since this is the combo chart, we have the option to set the position for both line and column chart
Step 6 Save the visual
Finally, your Line and stacked column chart is ready. Click save button to save the visual.
When to use Combo chart- Line and stacked column?
Combo charts are mostly used to analyze multiple scenarios. Combo charts are mostly used to compare and visualize the trends over time and categories. Here line charts can show trends over time whereas the segmented data can be shown in bars.
Pros
- This chart type allows us to display both trends and composition in a single visual.
- This is the space efficient option which eliminates the usage of multiple separate charts.
- More interactive
Cons
- Combo charts are visually clumsy when we have multiple data series or categories to display
- Limited to only combination of line chart and column chart
Conclusion
Combo charts can be a powerful tool for certain data visualization which needs Careful design, clear labelling, and correct data selection are essential to overcome these cons and ensure that combo charts effectively convey our data and insights.
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