Power BI is a powerful data visualization tool that allows users to create interactive reports and dashboards. While Power BI comes with a wide range of built-in visuals, sometimes users need more customized and specific visualizations to meet their needs. This is where the Power BI Custom Visuals Gallery comes in. In this blog post, we will explore the Custom Visuals Gallery, its benefits, and provide examples of custom visuals that can enhance your data visualization experience.

 

What is the Power BI Custom Visuals Gallery?

The Power BI Custom Visuals Gallery is a marketplace where users can access a wide range of custom visuals created by the Power BI community. Custom visuals are developed by third-party developers and are designed to enhance and expand the capabilities of Power BI. Users can download and use custom visuals for free, and they can be used in Power BI reports and dashboards like any other built-in visual.

 

Benefits of Custom Visuals

 

Custom visuals offer several benefits that can enhance your data visualization experience in Power BI. These benefits include:

 

  • Enhanced functionality: Custom visuals offer additional functionality that is not available in the built-in visuals in Power BI. This can include more advanced charts, graphs, and other visualizations that are specifically designed to meet your unique needs.
  • Improved aesthetics: Custom visuals can be more visually appealing than the standard visuals in Power BI. This can help to make your reports and dashboards more engaging and easier to understand.
  • Increased customization: Custom visuals can be customized to meet your specific branding and design needs. This can help to create a more cohesive and professional look and feel for your reports and dashboards.
  • Access to the Power BI community: The Custom Visuals Gallery provides access to a vibrant and active community of developers and users who are working to enhance the capabilities of Power BI.

Examples of Custom Visuals

Now that we've explored the benefits of custom visuals, let's take a look at some examples of custom visuals that can enhance your data visualization experience in Power BI.

 

Chiclet Slicer

The Chiclet Slicer is a custom visual that allows users to filter data using a series of buttons or images. This can be particularly useful for dashboards where you want to provide a more intuitive way for users to filter and navigate through data. The Chiclet Slicer also allows users to customize the appearance of the buttons, including adding custom images or changing the background color.

 

Sankey Chart

The Sankey Chart is a custom visual that displays the flow of data between different categories. This can be useful for visualizing complex data relationships or for showing how data moves through a process or system. The Sankey Chart allows users to customize the colors, labels, and node sizes to meet their specific needs.

 

Tornado Chart

The Tornado Chart is a custom visual that allows users to compare the relative importance of different data points. The chart displays a horizontal bar chart with positive values on one side and negative values on the other. This can be useful for identifying which factors are most important in a data set and can help to guide decision-making.

 

Card with States

The Card with States custom visual is a variation on the standard Card visual in Power BI. It allows users to display a metric or KPI along with a color-coded indicator that shows whether the metric is above or below a certain threshold. This can be useful for quickly identifying which metrics require attention and can help to prioritize decision-making.

 

Hierarchy Slicer

The Hierarchy Slicer is a custom visual that allows users to filter data using a hierarchical structure. This can be useful for data sets that have multiple levels of categories or for data that is organized into a hierarchical structure. The Hierarchy Slicer allows users to drill down through the hierarchy to view more detailed data, and it can be customized to display different levels of hierarchy, as well as the colors and font sizes used in the visualization.

 

Bullet Chart

The Bullet Chart is a custom visual that displays a single metric along with a comparison target and a range of values. This can be useful for monitoring progress towards a goal or for comparing the performance of different data points. The Bullet Chart allows users to customize the colors and font sizes used in the visualization, as well as the range of values displayed.

 

Word Cloud

The Word Cloud custom visual displays the most frequently occurring words in a data set as a cloud of text, with the size of each word representing its frequency. This can be useful for identifying common themes or topics in text data, such as customer feedback or social media posts. The Word Cloud allows users to customize the colors, font sizes, and number of words displayed in the visualization.

 

Scatter Chart with Labels

The Scatter Chart with Labels custom visual is a variation on the standard Scatter Chart in Power BI. It allows users to display data points with labels, making it easier to identify individual data points and their characteristics. The Scatter Chart with Labels allows users to customize the colors, font sizes, and placement of the labels in the visualization.

 

Timeline Slicer

The Timeline Slicer custom visual allows users to filter data by a specific time range or date. This can be useful for analyzing data that is time-based, such as sales data or social media activity. The Timeline Slicer allows users to customize the colors and font sizes used in the visualization, as well as the time range displayed.

 

Circular Sankey

The Circular Sankey custom visual is a variation on the standard Sankey Chart in Power BI. It displays the flow of data between different categories in a circular format, making it easier to see the relationships between different data points. The Circular Sankey allows users to customize the colors, labels, and node sizes used in the visualization.

 

Conclusion

The Power BI Custom Visuals Gallery is a valuable resource for users who need more customized and specific visualizations to meet their data visualization needs. Custom visuals offer enhanced functionality, improved aesthetics, increased customization, and access to the Power BI community. By using custom visuals in Power BI, users can create more engaging and informative reports and dashboards that help to drive business success. Some popular examples of custom visuals include the Chiclet Slicer, Sankey Chart, Tornado Chart, Card with States, Hierarchy Slicer, Bullet Chart, Word Cloud, Scatter Chart with Labels, Timeline Slicer, and Circular Sankey. With so many options available in the Custom Visuals Gallery, there is sure to be a custom visual that meets your unique data visualization needs.