Power BI Core Visualizations: Pie, Donut, and Treemap

Chart your data journey! Transform data into insights with Power BI core visualizations.

1. Introduction to Core Visuals

• Pie charts : show data as slices of a circle, representing the contribution of each category to a whole.
• Donut charts : similar to pie charts but with a blank center that can be used for labels or icons.
• Treemap charts : use nested rectangles to visualize hierarchical data levels.
• Best practice: choose the right chart depending on the purpose and data size.

2. Customizing Pie Charts

Adjusting Colors :

• Use the Slices property in the Format pane.
• Keep category colors distinct and consistent across visuals.

Formatting Data Labels :

• Options include position (inside/outside), displaying category name, value, or percent of total.
• Avoid clutter; adjust font size, background, and color for clarity.

Using Legends :

• Add legends to show category color mapping.
• Combine legends with concise data labels for total + % values.

Best Practice:

• Use pie charts for a small number of categories (ideally ≤ 5).

3. Customizing Donut Charts

Color & Labels :

• Same as Pie charts.

Inner Radius :

• Adjust spacing to control the width of the ring.
• Larger inner radius = more “donut-like,” draws focus to the center.

Center Space Usage :

• Add KPI text, totals, or labels in the center.

Best Practice :

• Use only when you have few, simple categories.

4. Customizing Treemap Charts

Colors :

• Assign consistent category colors across visuals.

Labels :

• Turn on Data Labels and adjust size, color, display units, decimals.
• Increase font weight for parent categories.

Tooltips :

• Show detailed info (e.g., product code, sales %) when hovering.

Drill-Down Feature :

• Navigate hierarchy levels interactively (e.g., Product >> Region).

Best Practice :

• Works best when category size differences are significant.

5. Advanced Techniques

Current Year Sales by Product (Donut) :

• Measures: Total Sales CY and Remaining CY Sales.

Total Sales CY =
TOTALYTD ( [Total Sales], DateTable[Date] )

Remaining CY Sales =
VAR _allSales =
    CALCULATE ( [Total Sales CY], ALL ( Sales ) )
RETURN
    _allSales - [Total Sales CY]

• Center label shows selected product and sales.

Selected Product =
IF (
    ISFILTERED ( Products[Product] ),
    IF (
        HASONEVALUE ( Products[Product] ),
        VALUES ( Products[Product] ),
        CONCATENATEX ( ALLSELECTED ( Products[Product] ), Products[Product], ", " ) & " Sales"
    ),
    "All Products"
)

• Subtitle measure compares performance vs. last year and target.

Product Sales Subtitle =
VAR _lyYTDSales =
    TOTALYTD (
        [Total Sales],
        DATESBETWEEN (
            DateTable[Date],
            DATE ( MAX ( DateTable[Year] ) - 1, 1, 1 ),
            DATE ( YEAR ( TODAY () ) - 1, MONTH ( TODAY () ), DAY ( TODAY () ) )
        )
    )
VAR _compare = [Total Sales CY] - _lyYTDSales
VAR _percentDiff = _compare / ( ( _lyYTDSales + [Total Sales CY] ) / 2 )
RETURN
    FORMAT ( [CY Sales Percent of Target], "0.0%" ) & " of Sales Target | "
        & IF ( _compare < 0, "▼", "▲" )
        & FORMAT ( ABS ( _percentDiff ), "0.0%" ) & " compared to previous"

Current Year Sales by Region (Donut) :

• Create region-wise CY measures (Asia, Europe, US).

Asia Sales CY =
CALCULATE ( [Total Sales CY], Regions[Region] = "Asia" )

Europe Sales CY =
CALCULATE ( [Total Sales CY], Regions[Region] = "Europe" )

US Sales CY =
CALCULATE ( [Total Sales CY], Regions[Region] = "United States" )

• Add “diff” measures to highlight differences.

Asia Sales CY Diff =
[Total Sales CY] - [Asia Sales CY]

Europe Sales CY Diff =
[Total Sales CY] - [Europe Sales CY]

US Sales CY Diff =
[Total Sales CY] - [US Sales CY]

• Format as concentric donuts for regional comparison.
• Add custom legend showing both sales values and % contributions.

Asia CY % Sales =
DIVIDE ( [Asia Sales CY], [Total Sales CY] )

Europe CY % Sales =
DIVIDE ( [Europe Sales CY], [Total Sales CY] )

US CY % Sales =
DIVIDE ( [US Sales CY], [Total Sales CY] )

6. Key Best Practices

Pie & Donut Charts :

• Use for small datasets with few categories.
• Avoid overcrowding labels.
• Keep visuals simple and color-consistent.

Treemap Charts :

• Best for hierarchical data.
• Effective when category sizes are clearly different.
• Use tooltips to supplement small rectangles.

Overall :

• Always prioritize clarity and simplicity.
• Match chart type to your data story.

 Conclusion:

Pie, Donut, and Treemap charts are powerful when used in the right context. Keep them clean, simple, and consistent for maximum impact in your Power BI reports.