Power BI offers specialized visuals—Ribbon, Funnel, Waterfall, Scatter, Pie, and Donut charts—designed to handle data storytelling that standard bars or lines cannot. Whether you are identifying the critical drop-off in a sales pipeline or tracking how market leaders swap ranks over time, these charts provide deep diagnostic value.
? Key Concepts
Flow & Volume: Funnel and Waterfall charts focus on how a value moves through a sequence of events.
Rank Volatility: Ribbon charts emphasize the change in ordinal position rather than just absolute values.
Correlation & Relationships: Scatter charts are the industry standard for plotting two independent numerical variables to find patterns.
Structural Composition: Pie and Donut charts visualize how segments contribute to a 100% total.
? Syntax / Theory
Successful implementation of these charts requires understanding their specific Field Wells. For example, a Scatter chart requires two distinct measures for the X and Y axes, while a Waterfall chart needs a categorical "bridge" to display the intermediate steps between an initial and final value.
Ribbon charts visualize which category holds the top rank across a time period. The "Ribbons" connect categories across the X-axis, and when a crossover occurs, it indicates a shift in leadership.
? Funnel Chart
Funnel charts are used to show a linear process with connected stages. They calculate the "Percentage of First" and "Percentage of Previous" automatically to show where efficiency is lost.
? Waterfall Chart
Waterfall charts explain the delta (change) between two points. They show individual positive and negative contributions resulting in a final total.
? Scatter Chart
Scatter charts are used to find Outliers. By plotting Sales vs. Profit, you can quickly see which products are high-volume but low-margin (high on X, low on Y).
? Pie & ? Donut Charts
These show part-to-whole relationships. Donut charts are often preferred as the center can display a Summary Card for the total value.
? Use Cases
Market Analysis: Using Ribbon charts to see which brand leads each quarter.
Sales Operations: Using Funnels to measure lead-to-deal conversion rates.
Financial Reporting: Using Waterfalls to bridge "Budget" vs "Actual" spending.
Strategic Planning: Using Scatter charts to categorize products into "Winners" and "Losers."
Demographics: Using Donut charts to show the split of customer gender or age groups.
?️ Interactive Visual Guide
Select a chart type below to see a visual simulation of its core structure.
Click a button above to generate the chart preview.
? Tips & Best Practices
Limit Slices: Never exceed 3-4 slices in a Pie or Donut chart; human eyes struggle to compare angles accurately.
Color Logic: Use Green for increases and Red for decreases in Waterfall charts to follow standard financial conventions.
Analytical Lines: Add Ratio Lines or Trend Lines to Scatter charts to make correlations more obvious.
Avoid "Spaghetti" Ribbons: If a Ribbon chart has too many categories, it becomes unreadable. Use a Top N filter to show only the top 5 competitors.
? Try It Yourself
The Ranking Walk: Create a Ribbon chart with "Quarter" on the X-axis, "Sales" on the Y-axis, and "Category" as the Legend. Watch the crossover points.
The Efficiency Check: Build a Funnel chart. Drag your "Sales Stage" to the Category and "Revenue" to the values. Check the "Percentage of First" tooltip.
Correlation Discovery: Create a Scatter chart. Place "Quantity" on X and "Profit" on Y. Add "Category" to the Values bucket and identify your outliers.
The Formatting Challenge: Create a Donut chart. Go to the Format Pane and turn on Detail Labels. Set the label content to "Category, Percent of total."