A Combo chart in Power BI combines a line chart and a column chart in a single visual. It helps compare multiple measures and display different types of information together.
Power BI provides two types of Combo charts:
- Line and stacked column chart
- Line and clustered column chart
In this blog, we will create a Line and stacked column chart.
In a Line and stacked column chart, the column categories are stacked on top of each other. The line displays an additional measure, making it easier to compare the column values with another measure in the same visual.
Combo charts can use one or two Y-axes, which is useful when the column and line measures have different value ranges.
🚀 Learn Power BI in 5 Minutes
Skip the long read.
See the key Power BI concepts in one easy-to-follow infographic.
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 Stacked Column Chart
From the Visualizations pane, select the Line and stacked 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 values into categories such as Gold, Silver, and Bronze. These medal categories are displayed as stacked sections within each column.
The Line Y-axis displays the total number of participants for each region.
In this example, the Line and stacked column chart compares the number of medals by region and medal type with the total number of participants by region.
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 Line and Stacked Column Chart
You can customize the appearance of the Line and stacked 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 stacked column sections to distinguish the gold, silver, and bronze 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, orientation, and other available formatting options.
In this example, the column data labels are displayed in a horizontal orientation and positioned at Inside center.
Since this is a Combo chart, data labels can be configured for the column and line series using the available formatting settings.
When a line value is added to a combo chart, Power BI can display a secondary Y-axis. The column and line axes can be formatted separately under the corresponding Y-axis settings.
Step 6 Save the visual
Finally, your Line and stacked column chart is ready. Save the Power BI report to preserve the visual and its formatting.
When to use Combo chart- Line and stacked column?
A Line and stacked column chart is useful when you want to compare an additional measure with the composition of categories in a single visual.
The stacked columns display how different categories contribute to a total, while the line displays another measure for comparison. Combo charts are also useful for comparing measures with different value ranges or checking relationships between measures.
Pros
- Displays composition and an additional measure 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 categories or data series can make the chart difficult to read.
- Stacked columns can make individual category values difficult to compare.
- 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 stacked column chart displays categories as stacked sections within columns 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 visual.
Useful Information
| Tags | Power BI |
| Useful links | https://gww.geeksforgeeks.org/power-bi-create-a-combo-chart/ |
| MS Learn Modules | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/visuals/power-bi-visualization-combo-chart |
| Test Your Knowledge | Quiz |
No comments:
Post a Comment