Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI

Chapter 2. Visualization Compass: How to Choose Charts Correctly

Choosing charts for reporting remains a complex issue. Dozens of books have been written on this topic, catalogs of visualizations have been compiled, and schemes (so-called chart choosers) have been drawn up to suggest which chart to choose for your data. However, what seems right in theory may look unattractive, disproportionate, or simply displeasing to the report’s client when applied to real data. In such cases, best practices yield to subjective opinion or familiar templates. Simply referring to the “right book” is not enough; you need to convince your users why a particular chart best conveys the meaning of the data.

And there’s another issue. For true analysts, the most understandable way to present data is through tables. Analysts are deeply immersed in the meaning of the data and do not need charts. Perhaps you’ve also found yourself in a situation where you don’t care about the format of the data—whether it’s a bar chart, pie chart, or table—as long as the manager stops bothering you with their “pretty pictures.” But we understand that visualization helps to perceive information more quickly, especially for those who don’t look at reports every day or who are getting acquainted with a new report.

In any case, working with data visualization is primarily about working with people, and only then with Power BI (or another tool). We want to provide you with a methodology that will allow you to consciously ...