The Art of Adapting: Mastering Power BI Data Categories
In Power BI, a data category is a classification that is assigned to a field based on the type of data that it contains. Power BI uses data categories to determine how to handle and visualize the data in a field, and to provide relevant formatting options and visualization types.
There are several data categories in Power BI, including:
- Text: Text data consists of alphanumeric characters and is used to store text values such as names, descriptions, or labels.
- Date/Time: Date/Time data consists of date and time values and is used to store information about dates and times, such as the date of a transaction or the time of an event.
- Numeric: Numeric data consists of numerical values and is used to store numbers, such as quantities or amounts.
- True/False: True/False data consists of boolean values and is used to store data that can only be either true or false, such as a yes/no answer or a binary value.
- Geography: Geography data consists of geographic location data and is used to store data about geographical locations, such as countries, cities, or regions.
- Unknown: The Unknown category is used for fields that do not fit into any of the other categories, or for fields where the data category is not known.
- Whole Number: This data category includes data that is stored as whole numbers, such as integers and long integers.
- Decimal Number: This data category includes data that is stored as decimal numbers, such as currency and percentages.
- Boolean: This data category includes data that is stored as true/false values, such as yes/no or on/off.
- Currency: This data category includes data that is stored as currency values, such as prices, revenue, and expenses.
- Percent: This data category includes data that is stored as percentage values, such as profit margin and growth rate.
- Duration: This data category includes data that is stored as duration values, such as the length of a video or the duration of a flight.
- Image: This data category includes data that is stored as images, such as product images or employee photos.
By understanding the data categories in Power BI, you can more effectively use and visualize your data and make informed decisions about how to present it to your audience.