14. Visuals and Their Formatting
14.15 KPI Visual
In short: The KPI visual shows a value, a target (goal) and a trend axis.
Quick answer: the short, self-contained version of this lesson is the guide Power BI KPI, Card and Scorecard.
Start with a problem
Rani wants one tile that shows May sales, the target, and whether the trend is up.
Explain simply
The KPI visual shows a value, a target (goal) and a trend axis. It colours the value green or red depending on whether it beats the target.
Show the data
| Month (FY 2026-27) | Total Sales (₹) | Target (₹) |
|---|---|---|
| Apr-2026 | 900 | 1,000 |
| May-2026 | 1,200 | 1,100 |
| FY to date | 2,100 | 2,100 |
About this data: This table uses columns: Month (FY 2026-27), Total Sales (₹), Target (₹). This table uses columns: Shown, Value. This table uses columns: Wrong result, Reason, Correction. Values shown are the lesson examples already on this page (not a new dataset).
Fictional sample data. Practice file: visuals_orders_apr_may_2026.csv, monthly_targets_fy2026_27.csv (source: src/practice/).
Demonstrate
- Insert KPI.
- Value:
Total Sales. Trend axis: Month. Target:Target. - Format › Visual › Goals › Show goal and distance.
Show the result
Your result should look like this (fictional sample):
| Shown | Value |
|---|---|
| Indicator (latest month) | ₹1,200 |
| Goal | ₹1,100 |
| Distance | +9.09% |
| Trend background | Apr 900 → May 1,200 |
Explain what happened
The KPI visual takes the last point on the trend axis (May) as the indicator and compares it with the target for that same point: (1,200 − 1,100) ÷ 1,100 = +9.09%.
Explore further
- Lower-is-better KPIs (delivery minutes) need Direction: Low is good in the format settings.
Detailed reference for this lesson:
Shows the current value, a target and the trend as a background area chart.
- Field wells: Value, Trend axis (required, e.g. Month or Date), Target.
- Example: Value = Total Orders; Trend axis =
'Date'[Year Month]; Target = Target Orders (from the Targets table). The indicator turns green when above target. - Formatting: Callout value, Icon, Trend axis (on/off, direction: High is good or Low is good, which matters for Avg Delivery Time!), Target label (distance to goal as % or absolute), Colours (good/neutral/bad).
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, don't make a mistake here: for Avg Delivery Time or Cancellation Rate, students leave Direction on "High is good", so the KPI shows green when performance gets worse. Set Direction = Low is good for these KPIs. Also make sure the trend axis uses your Date table. Clear?
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, इथे चूक करू नका: Avg Delivery Time किंवा Cancellation Rate साठी students Direction "High is good" वरच ठेवतात, त्यामुळे performance खराब झाला की KPI हिरवा दिसतो. या KPIs साठी Direction = Low is good set करा. Trend axis तुमचा Date table वापरतो याचीही खात्री करा. समजलं का?
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, यहाँ गलती मत करना: Avg Delivery Time या Cancellation Rate के लिए students Direction को "High is good" पर छोड़ देते हैं, जिससे performance ख़राब होने पर KPI हरा दिखता है. इन KPIs के लिए Direction = Low is good set करो. यह भी पक्का करो कि trend axis तुम्हारी Date table इस्तेमाल करे. समझ आया?
Fix common mistakes
| Wrong result | Reason | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| KPI blank | No trend axis | Add a date/month field to Trend axis |
| Red when value is good | Direction set to High is good for a time measure | Change Direction to Low is good |
| Goal = ₹2,100 | Target not filtered per month | Relate targets to Month or use a per-month measure |
Practise independently
Practice task
Filter to April only. What does the KPI show?
Hints
- With one month the trend has a single point.
Solution
Indicator ₹900, goal ₹1,000, distance −10.0%, coloured red.
Think like a professional
Agree the target source (finance file, monthly) before building. A KPI that compares with the wrong target is worse than no KPI.
Revision card