Mastering Microsoft Power BI

Tables versus charts

An initial step in the visualization selection process is to determine whether a table, a chart, or a combination of both is most appropriate. Power BI's table visual provides simple row groups of dimension values and measures, and the matrix visual supports both an X and a Y axis field like a pivot table in Excel. Both the table and the matrix visuals are superior to charts in enabling users to look up specific data points. However, despite conditional formatting options available to table and matrix visuals, charts are superior to table and matrix visuals in displaying trends, comparisons, and large volumes of distinct data points.

The following matrix visual breaks down the AdWorks Net Sales measure by two product ...