Making Data Work for You: Practical Techniques for Power BI KPI Visuals

KPI: Key Performance Indicators are metrics that are used to measure the success or progress of a business, project, or initiative. In Microsoft Power BI, KPI visuals are a type of visualization that allow you to display and track KPIs in dashboards and reports.

KPI visuals in Power BI consist of a primary value, a target value, and a graphical representation of the difference between the two.

The primary value is the current value of the KPI, and the target value is the desired or target value.

The graphical representation can be a bar, a gauge, or a card, and it allows you to quickly see whether the KPI is meeting or exceeding the target.

To create a KPI visual in Power BI, you’ll need to select the “KPI” visualization type from the “Visualizations” pane and drag it onto the canvas. Then, you’ll need to select the fields that you want to use as the primary value and the target value.

You can also customize the appearance and formatting of the KPI visual, such as the color of the graphical representation and the font size and color of the values.

KPI visuals are a useful tool for tracking the progress of business goals and objectives, and they can also help you identify areas where you are meeting or exceeding expectations, as well as areas where you need to improve.

You can use KPI visuals in combination with other visualizations, such as charts and tables, to provide a more comprehensive view of your data and performance.

KPI visuals in Power BI typically consist of a single value, a goal value, and an indicator that shows whether the current value is above or below the goal value.

Additionally, KPI visuals may also include a trend arrow that shows whether the current value is increasing or decreasing over time.

Here’s the process for adding a KPI visual to a report:

1. Go to the “Visualizations” pane, which is typically located on right side of the screen.
2. Click on the “KPI” option to add a new KPI visual.
3. Drag the field that you want to use as the current value from the “Fields” pane to the “Values” field well in the “Format” section of the “Visualizations” pane.
4. Drag the field that you want to use as the goal value to the “Target” field well in the “Format” section of the “Visualizations” pane.
5. Select the appropriate data type and formatting options for the KPI visual.
6. The KPI visual should now be displayed on the report and the current value, Goal value and the Indicator will be displayed in the visual.