Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI

Chapter 19. Gauges and KPIs

For this and further chapters, you can use the same practice dataset as for Part I.

In Chapter 8, we set up a basic card, and in Chapter 18, we explored advanced cards from the AppsSource gallery. However, the default toolkit includes several other visuals for displaying key performance indicators (KPIs). They look more original than a simple rectangle with a number, but beginners often make mistakes with them. That’s why we’ve moved the information on gauges to the part on exotic visuals. This chapter will explain why.

Gauges

In the early days of BI technologies, gauges were a symbol of high-tech, advanced dashboards. After all, while bar charts and even waterfall charts could be built in Microsoft Excel, such realistic speedometers required specialized software. In Figure 19-1, you can see how those gauges looked.

Figure 19-1. Image with examples of fierce gauges

In every BI application, there is such a visual, and Power BI is no exception. Totals in the form of gauges with arrows, ranges of “good-bad” at first glance look attractive—and you immediately want to put them on the dashboard. In this chapter, we will try to convince you otherwise, showing where they really help highlight the key points and where they only distract from the data.

To create a gauge in Power BI, all you need is a single numerical value (let’s choose Sales fact), and you’ll ...