Lesson 26 - Clustered Column Chart in Power BI Desktop

A clustered column chart is a type of graph that represents data in vertical bars. Each column represents a different category or group, and the height of the column corresponds to the value of the data it represents.

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 “clustered 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 & Medal

Y axis- Shows the values - Medals

Legend- Explain the groups in clustered column chart – Medal

Step 4

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, I used filters in ‘medal’ (Chose only Gold, Bronze and Silver) and in ‘Region’ (Top 7 countries which has highest medal count).          

Using the Filters Pane, you can focus on the Top 7 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 clustered column chart

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

In this demo, I chose background color as blue and gave 87% transparency which reduces the intensity of the color.

Gave suitable title for the visual and customize the font size, color and position of the title.

Chose colors for the vertical bars to show different categories.

To add data labels to the column 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 demo, I chose to display “All” data labels in “Horizontal” orientation and its placed outside at the end which shows the values above each bar. 

Step 6

Save the visual

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

When to use Clustered column chart?

You can use Clustered column charts to compare data points within discrete categories or display multiple data series side by side. Here are some scenarios when to use clustered column chart effectively.

• Analyzing time series data for categorical variables
• Comparing multiple metrics for different categories

Pros

• Clustered column chart allows users to compare multiple data series side by side. This makes it easy to see patterns and trends in the data.
• It helps users to group data based on categories, allowing them to logically organize and present information.
• Best suits for explaining categorical data with distinct groups.
• Clustered column charts enhance the visual appeal of reports and presentations, making them more engaging for the audience.

Cons

• Using clustered column charts to handle time series data may not be the most effective approach.
• When the differences between data points are small, it can be challenging to visually compare the heights of the columns accurately.
• When dealing with large number of categories, the chart becomes crowded and difficult to read.
• They might not be ideal for representing continuous data with wide range of values.

Conclusion

Column charts are a user-friendly and popular way to visualize data. They effectively display trends, comparisons, and patterns, making complex information easier to grasp. Whether you're examining sales figures, survey results, or any data with clear categories, column charts are a valuable tool to present information clearly.

Tags	Power BI
Useful links	Clustered column chart in Power BI - Power BI Docs
MS Learn Modules	Visualization types in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
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