Lesson 24 - Funnel Chart in Power BI Desktop

 A funnel chart is a data visualization tool that looks like an inverted triangle or funnel, as the name implies. It is used to represent progressive decrease in data as they go through different stages.

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 “Funnel chart” which is highlighted in the given figure.

Step 3

Drag the data fields into “Field Section” that you want to analyze.  

Category: Specifies a distinct stage or step in a process or sequence – Sport

Values: Specifies numeric data associated with each category in the visual – Number of Participants

Step 4

Filters in funnel chart are useful for focusing on specific subsets of data or stages in a process.

In this scenario, I applied a "Top N" filter with the "Bottom" selection and set the number to 7, displaying the six sports with the lowest participant counts.

The "By value" option allowed me to filter out these sports based on specific conditions, ensuring a focus on the lowest-performing categories.

I used it to filter out the bottom 7 sports with low participant counts.

Step 5 

Customize the appearance.

You can modify its appearance and features. This includes adjusting colors, labels, tooltips, legends, and
other aspects to suit your preferences. This improves the chart's visual appeal and effectiveness.

Refer Lesson 6 - Formatting the visuals in Power BI Desktop

Colors option allows you to adjust the color scheme to make chart visually appealing.

Data labels displays numeric values associated with each category. You can customize the font, color, background color and position of the data labels in the visual. In this case, I chose to display data labels in “inside center” position.

Category labels displays the names or labels of each stage or category in the process, providing clarity and context to the chart's data. You can customize the font and color of the category labels.

By default, category labels in a funnel chart are displayed on the left-hand side of the visual, helping users quickly identify and understand each stage or category in the process.

Both data labels and category labels in a funnel chart can usually be turned off or hidden by users if they are not needed or if a cleaner, less cluttered visualization is preferred.

Conversion rate labels represent the percentage or ratio of data movement between stages. You have the option to disable the conversion rate label in a funnel chart if it's not necessary for your presentation. In this figure, conversion rate labels are highlighted in red color.

Step 6

Save the visual

Finally, your Funnel chart is ready. Click save button to save the visual.

When to use Funnel Chart?

Funnel charts are used where you want to track and analyze the progression of data across different stages of process. Here are some scenarios in which you might use Funnel charts.

• When creating a funnel chart, ensure that your dataset contains categorical data representing stages and corresponding numerical values for each stage, like counts or percentages.
• To identify inefficiency in the data flow within a process.

Pros

• Funnel charts offer a space-efficient way to convey crucial information in reports.
• Funnel charts make complicated data easy to understand, ensuring accessibility to all the audiences.
• Funnel charts enable straightforward performance comparison between different stages or categories.

Cons

• Funnel charts excel in visualizing sequential data with distinct stages but may not be well-suited for non-linear processes or datasets lacking clear stages.
• Dealing with extensive datasets containing numerous stages in a funnel chart can pose challenges and may reduce its effectiveness.
• Funnel charts become challenging to understand when it deals with large dataset containing numerous stages.

Conclusion

Funnel charts are valuable data visualization tools that simplify complex data, making it easy to understand and analyze the progression or conversion rates through different stages of a process. Funnel charts are versatile, adapting well to diverse business and analytical contexts, and they improve communication and decision-making, particularly in multi-stage processes.

Tags	Power BI
Useful links	Create and use funnel charts in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
MS Learn Modules	Visualization types in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
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