Lesson 25 - Stacked Column chart in Power BI Desktop

 A stacked column chart is a visual representation that uses vertical columns to display data. Each column represents a category or group, and it is divided into segments to depict subcategories or individual components of the data. It helps illustrate the composition of a whole while showing the contribution of individual parts.

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 “Stacked column chart” which is highlighted in the given figure.

Step 3

Drag the data fields into “Field Section “that you want to analyze.  
using the stacked column chart.

X-axis: Represent categories or groups that you want to compare - Country

Y-axis: Represents numerical value that you want to display within each category or group in X-axis – Number of Participants

Legend: Represents sub-categories within each group displayed on X-axis. Subcategories are visually stacked within each column - Gender.

Step 4

Filters in a stacked column chart enable users to selectively focus on specific categories or subcategories of data for deeper analysis.

Here, I utilized a "Top N" filter, specifying "Bottom" as the selection in "Show items" and set the number to 6 to display the six countries with the fewest participants.

The "By value" option enables us to filter data based on specific conditions. In this case, I used it to filter out the bottom 6 countries with low participant counts.

Step 5

Customizing the appearance

You can customize the appearance of the visual.  You can change Title, Font size, Style, Colors and Data labels. Click anywhere on the visual and set the below properties in the Format section.

Refer Lesson 6 - Formatting the visuals in Power BI Desktop

You are allowed to choose colors for sub-categories to differentiate them. This improves clarity and helps viewers easily identify and understand the distinctions between various sub-categories within your chart.

“Reverse stacked order” option allows you to rearrange the order of data series easily. 

Spacing refers to the gap or distance between individual columns or bars within the chart. Adjusting the spacing can impact the overall appearance and readability of the chart.

Data labels are used to display specific numerical values associated with each individual stack within each column. You can adjust the font, color and position of the data labels within the chart.

Total labels represent the sum or total value of all the individual segments in a given column. This label shows combined value of all the sub-categories within each category.

In this figure, I have highlighted total labels using red-colored circles and data labels with blue-colored circles.

Step 6

Save the visual

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

When to use Stacked column chart?

Stacked column charts are used when you want to visually represent the composition of data points or categories by stacking segments to show how they contribute to the whole. You can use the stacked column chart for following scenarios.

• When you want to analyze and contrast various categories or subcategories within a dataset.
• When you want to track changes on data composition over a period of time, you can use stacked column chart.
• To enhance the ability to spot patterns, anomalies, or trends in data composition more effectively, utilize the color-coded segments in a stacked column chart.

Pros

• Stacked column charts are easy to make and understand, so wide audience can use them. 
• Effectively displays trends over a period, especially when a time series is placed on the X-axis.
• The automatic aggregation of values within each category simplifies the presentation of cumulative data.

Cons

• Stacking can lead to loss of precision in showing each separate piece of data because the values are aggregated.
• Using excessive subcategories in a stacked column chart can result in confusion and misunderstanding.
• When dealing with a large number of categories over time, the chart can appear crowded and become challenging to comprehend.

Conclusion

Stacked column charts are a useful visualization tool for displaying proportions, tracking trends over time and highlighting relative compositions within datasets. Whether you are analyzing budget breakdowns, sales distribution, or market segment compositions, a stacked column chart often serves as the most effective visualization tool.

Tags	Power BI
Useful links	Power BI - Stacked Column Chart Example - Power BI Docs
MS Learn Modules	Visualization types in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
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