The humble bar chart is the heart and soul of any visualization tool and is the most effective way to compare individual categorical values. We as humans are very adept at detecting small differences in length from a common baseline [1].

To quote the Harvard Business Review [2], “The ability to create smart data visualizations was once a nice-to-have skill. But in today’s complex business world, where the amount of data is overwhelming, being able to create and communicate through compelling data visualizations is a must-have skill for managers.”

If you’re going to start learning a new visualization tool, there is no better place to start than with bar chart basics. In this video I will share how to place a “percent of total” measure (i.e. value) on a Power BI bar chart. We’ll also briefly touch upon customizing the chart’s diverging color scheme.

Since Microsoft is basically giving away Power BI Desktop for free, it may become as ubiquitous as Excel. Don’t be left out!

As always, If you find this type of instruction valuable make sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel.

References:

[1] Cotgreave, A., Shaffer, J., Wexler, S. (2017). The Big Book of Dashboards: Visualizing Your Data Using Real-World Business Scenarios. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

[2] https://hbr.org/webinar/2018/02/the-right-stuff-chart-types-and-visualization-best-and-worst-practices

Make sure to watch the video for clarity but the generic version of the formula is as follows:

Vehicle Pct Total Sales = DIVIDE(sum([Measure]),CALCULATE(sum[Measure]),ALLSELECTED((‘Your Dataset’))))

All views and opinions are solely my own and do NOT necessarily reflect those my employer.