Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI

Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI

by Alex Kolokolov, Maxim Zelensky
Released September 2024
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9781098152789

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Book description

The sheer volume of business data has reached an all-time high. Using visualizations to transform this data into useful and understandable information can facilitate better decision-making. This practical book shows data analysts as well as professionals in finance, sales, and marketing how to quickly create visualizations and build savvy dashboards.

Alex Kolokolov from Data2Speak and Maxim Zelensky from Intelligent Business explain in simple and clear language how to create brilliant charts with Microsoft Power BI and follow best practices for corporate reporting. No technical background is required. Step-by-step guides help you set up any chart in a few clicks and avoid common mistakes. Also, experienced data analysts will find tips and tricks on how to enrich their reports with advanced visuals.

This book helps you understand:

  • The basic rules for classic charts that are used in 90% of business reports
  • Exceptions to general rules based on real business cases
  • Best practices for dashboard design
  • How to properly set up interactions
  • How to prepare data for advanced visuals
  • How to avoid pitfalls with eye-catching charts

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Table of contents

  1. Preface
    1. Note from Alex Kolokolov
    2. Note from Maxim Zelensky
    3. Who This Book Is For
      1. Managers and Nontechnical Professionals
      2. Data Analysts
    4. How This Book Is Organized
    5. How to Work with Practice Datasets
    6. Conventions Used in This Book
    7. Using Datasets
    8. O’Reilly Online Learning
    9. How to Contact Us
    10. Acknowledgments
  2. I. Classic Visuals
  3. 1. Power BI Interface and Chart Anatomy
    1. Power BI Key Elements
      1. Top Menu Bar
      2. Workspace Canvas
      3. View Mode Selector
      4. Visualizations Pane
      5. Data Pane
    2. How Power BI Builds Charts
    3. Format Visual
    4. Chart Anatomy
      1. Value Axis
      2. Category Axis
      3. Legend
      4. Shapes and Colors
      5. Data Labels
      6. Chart Title
    5. Responsive Mode
  4. 2. Visualization Compass: How to Choose Charts Correctly
    1. Chart Choosers
    2. Ranking
      1. Number of Categories on the Chart
      2. The Length of Category Labels and the Chart Size
    3. Dynamics
    4. Structure
    5. Common Mistakes
      1. Line Chart for Ranking
      2. Bar Chart for Dynamics
      3. Pie Chart for Dynamics
  5. 3. Column and Bar Charts
    1. Column Chart
    2. Step-by-Step Guide for Column Chart
      1. Step 1: Enable and Adjust Data Labels
      2. Step 2: Disable the Y-Axis
      3. Step 3: Customize Category Labels on the X-Axis
      4. Step 4: Edit the Chart Title
    3. Step-by-Step Guide for the Bar Chart
      1. Step 1: Enable and Adjust Data Labels
      2. Step 2: Disable Value Axis (X-Axis)
      3. Step 3: Customize Category Labels on the Y-Axis
      4. Step 4 (Optional): Adjust Bar Height
      5. Step 5: Edit the Chart Title
    4. Data Filtration Challenges
      1. 1. Too Small Values in the Data Labels
      2. 2. Category Labels Are Not Horizontal
      3. 3. Charts Cross-Filtering and Highlighting
  6. 4. Pie and Donut Charts
    1. Step-by-Step Guide for Pie and Donut Charts
      1. Step 1: Adjust Data Labels
      2. Step 2: Remove the Legend
      3. Step 3: Adjust the Inner Radius for the Donut Chart
      4. Step 4: Edit Chart Title
    2. Common Mistakes
      1. Rotation
      2. Details (Hierarchical View)
      3. Timeline at the Pie or Donut
  7. 5. Treemap
    1. Step-by-Step Guide for a Treemap
      1. Step 1: Adjust Data Labels Size
      2. Step 2: Display Percent of Total
      3. Step 3: Adjust Category Labels
      4. Step 4: Adjust Colors
      5. Step 5: Edit Chart Title
    2. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Treemap
  8. 6. Timeline Charts
    1. Date Hierarchy: How It Works
    2. Step-by-Step Guide for Line Chart
      1. Step 1: Customize Timeline on the X-Axis
      2. Step 2: Adjust the Y-Axis Scale
      3. Step 3: Add Data Labels
    3. “Line Chart Family” Features
      1. Area Filling
      2. Markers
      3. Apply Settings to Specific Series
      4. Secondary Y-Axis
      5. Combined Line and Column Chart
    4. Ribbon Chart
  9. 7. Tables and Matrices
    1. Step-by-Step Guide for a Table
      1. Step 1: Edit Column Headers
      2. Step 2: Adjust Values
      3. Step 3: Set Up Style and Grid
    2. Matrix—Drill-Down Table
    3. Conditional Formatting
      1. Data Bars
      2. Icons and Quick Measure Calculation
      3. Font Color
      4. Cell Color / Heat Map
      5. Tips for Conditional Formatting
  10. 8. KPI Cards
    1. Step-by-Step Guide for a Card
      1. Step 1: Adjust Data Label (Callout Value)
      2. Step 2: Adjust Category Label
      3. Step 3: Add Contrasting Background
      4. How to Create Multiple Cards
      5. Step 4: Add Conditional Formatting
      6. Step 5: For Perfectionists: Put Category Label on Top
    2. New Card
  11. 9. Slicers and Filters
    1. Step-by-Step Guide for a Slicer by Category
      1. Step 1: Define Slicer Style
      2. Step 2: Define Selection Type
      3. Step 3: Slicer Formatting
    2. Slicer for a Range of Values and Dates
    3. Cross-Filtering
  12. 10. Putting It All Together: Dashboard Design Tips
    1. Step-by-Step Guide for a Dashboard
      1. Step 1: Place KPI Cards on Top
      2. Step 2: Define Dashboard Grid
      3. Step 3: Adjust the Page Background
      4. Step 4: Customize the Color Theme
      5. Step 5: Check Cross-Filtering
  13. Part I Quiz
    1. Answers
  14. II. Trusted Advanced Visuals
  15. 11. Funnel Chart
    1. Step-by-Step Guide for Funnel Chart
      1. Step 1: Set the Conversion Display
      2. Step 2: Set Values
      3. Step 3: Display Category Labels Without Shortening
      4. Step 4: Set Color-Coding
      5. Step 5: Title and “Text Box Trick” Again
      6. Possible Mistake
  16. 12. Map
    1. Step-by-Step Guide for Setting Up a Map
      1. Step 1: Allocate Data Fields
      2. Step 2: Add and Set Up Category Labels
      3. Step 3: Set Up the Bubble Size
      4. Step 4: Set Map Parameters
      5. Step 5: Give a Clear Headline
    2. Possible Mistakes
      1. 1. Bubbles Are Difficult to Compare
      2. 2. Data Labels Don’t Display Values
      3. 3. Appearance of Unnecessary Pie Charts
      4. 4. Mistakes in the Placement of Objects
  17. 13. Tornado Chart
    1. Possible Mistake
    2. AppSource Gallery
    3. Step-by-Step Guide for Tornado Chart
      1. Step 1: Set Up Data Labels
      2. Step 2: Adjust the Values Axis
      3. Step 3: Set Up the Y-Axis—“Group” Parameter
      4. Step 4: Customize Legend and Title
      5. Limitations of Tornado Chart by Microsoft
    4. Table-Based Tornado Chart
      1. Step 1: Set Conditional Formatting
      2. Step 2: Change the Left Bar Direction and the Bar Colors
      3. Step 3: Change the Table Style and Remove the Grid
      4. Step 4: Format Data Labels
      5. Benefits of a Tornado-Style Table
  18. 14. Waterfall Chart
    1. Data Preparation
    2. Step-by-Step Guide for Default Waterfall
      1. Step 1: Adjust Data Labels
      2. Step 2: Scale Y-Axis
      3. Step 3: Configure the X-Axis and Determine the Number of Columns
      4. Limitation of Standard Waterfall Chart
    3. Simple Waterfall
    4. Transforming Data with Power Query
      1. Step 1: Execute the Pivot Column Function
      2. Step 2: Select Values Column
      3. Step 3: Close & Apply
    5. Step-by-Step Guide for Simple Waterfall
      1. Step 1: Reposition Fields
      2. Step 2: Define Pillars
      3. Step 3: Configure Data Labels and Y-Axis
      4. Step 4: Adjust Category Labels for the X-Axis
      5. Benefits of the Simple Waterfall
  19. 15. Bullet Chart
    1. Bullet Chart Options
    2. How to Build a Bullet Chart
      1. Bullet Chart by Microsoft
      2. Bullet Chart by OKViz
    3. Step-by-Step Guide for Bullet Chart by OKViz
      1. Step 1: Switch Off the X-Axis and Switch On Data Labels
      2. Step 2: Adjust or Turn Off the Color Coding on the Scale (States)
      3. Step 3: Setting Up the Y-Axis
      4. Step 4: Setting Up Conditional Formatting
    4. How to Build a Vertical Bullet Chart
    5. Paid Version of Bullet Chart by OKViz
  20. 16. Gantt Chart
    1. Gantt Chart by Microsoft
      1. Simple Gantt Chart
      2. Hierarchical Gantt Chart
    2. Step-by-Step Guide for Microsoft’s Gantt Chart
      1. Step 1: Adjust the Date Type
      2. Step 2: Expand the Category Area
      3. Step 3: Add Data Labels
      4. Step 4: Adjust Bars: Colors and Height
      5. Step 5 (Optional): Remove Gridlines
      6. Limitations of the Gantt Chart by Microsoft
    3. Gantt by MAQ Software
    4. Step-by-Step Guide for Gantt Chart by MAQ Software
      1. Step 1: Configure Category Hierarchy
      2. Step 2: Adjust Area Proportions
      3. Step 3: Customize the Time Axis
      4. Step 4: Configure Data Labels
      5. Step 5: Customize Colors for Bar Formatting
      6. Step 6: Remove Unnecessary Elements
    5. Comparison of Gantt Charts
  21. 17. Sankey Chart
    1. Data Preparation
    2. Step-by-Step Guide for Sankey Chart by Microsoft
      1. Step 1: Allocate Data Fields
      2. Step 2: Adjust Node Positions
      3. Step 3: Adjust Colors for Nodes and Links
      4. Limitation for Data Labels
    3. Common Mistake
  22. 18. Advanced KPI Cards
    1. Essential Criteria for a Perfect KPI Card
    2. Step-by-Step Guide for Multi-Target KPI
      1. Step 1: Define Grid
      2. Step 2: Adjust Alignment for Values and Category Labels
      3. Step 3: Adjust Values
      4. Step 4: Adjust Fonts
      5. Step 5: Set Up Conditional Formatting for Additional Measures
      6. Step 6: Multiplication and Background Color
      7. Step 7: Add a “Micro” Visualization—Bullet Chart
  23. Part II Quiz
    1. Answers
  24. III. Risky Advanced Visuals
  25. 19. Gauges and KPIs
    1. Gauges
    2. Advanced Gauge by xViz
    3. Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
  26. 20. Scatterplots
    1. How to Create and Customize a Scatterplot
      1. Step 1: Allocate Data Fields
      2. Step 2: Add Category and Value for the Bubble Size
      3. Step 3: Add Zoom Slider
      4. Step 4: Add Play Axis and Animation
    2. Hexbin Scatterplot
    3. How to Create and Customize Hexbin Scatterplot
  27. 21. Word Cloud
    1. Alternatives for Word Cloud
      1. Rating: Quantitative Comparison
      2. Structure: Part of a Whole
      3. Cross-Filtration
    2. How to Create and Customize a Word Cloud
      1. Step 1: Disable Text Rotation
      2. Step 2: Combine Split Phrases
      3. Step 3: Adjust Text Size
      4. Step 4: Limit the Amount of Text
      5. Step 5: Customize Chart Colors
    3. Another Word Cloud from AppSource
  28. 22. Decomposition Tree
    1. How a Decomposition Tree Works
    2. How to Set Up the Decomposition Tree
    3. Density
      1. Connectors
      2. Bars
      3. Category Labels, Values, and Headers
    4. Simple Alternatives to the Decomposition Tree
      1. Bar Charts with Cross-Filtering
      2. Matrix with Conditional Formatting
  29. 23. AI-Based Visuals
    1. Key Influencers
    2. Questions and Answers (Q&A)
  30. 24. Radar and Aster Plot
    1. Radar Chart by xViz
    2. Aster Plot by Microsoft
  31. 25. Chord Diagram
    1. How to Build a Chord Diagram
    2. Common Mistake
  32. Conclusion
  33. Index
  34. About the Authors

Product information

  • Title: Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI
  • Author(s): Alex Kolokolov, Maxim Zelensky
  • Release date: September 2024
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781098152789