Introduction
Happy Wednesday Power BI Folks! This week on Workout
Wednesday, I’m excited to be back with a fresh challenge and it’s all about progress bars! No custom visuals. No add-ons. Just creativity and some Power BI magic.
Why Progress Bars?
Progress bars are a great visual tool used to represent progress toward a goal/target in a way that’s quick to understand at a glance. Some key benefits:
- Easy to read: Even non-technical users get the idea instantly.
- Compact: They take up less space than multiple KPIs or cards.
Requirements
1. Starter File
2. Latest Power BI Desktop Version
Using the starter file, create the following:
- Step 1: Create a measure to represent 100%
- Hint: Create a DAX Measure “Total=1” and convert it to %
- Step 2: Insert a Clustered Bar Chart and choose the axis values.
- Here, Y axis is Department and X axis values are Target Achieved and Total
- Step 3: Format the Bars to make sure the two bars overlap.
- Hint: Enable “Overlap” and “Flip Overlap” options and then adjust “Space between series”
- Step 4: Enable Data Labels for the required bar
- Step 5: Do other necessary formatting changes
Bonus:
To get rounded edges in the bars, use Error Bars and play with the marker shape and size to achieve the rounded edges for both the bars.
Limitations:
Sizing can’t be controlled beyond 10 pt
Dataset
Use the starter file or use any dataset of choice!
Share
After you finish your workout, share on social media using the hashtags #WOW2025 and #PowerBI. Tag me (Santhanalakshmi) on LinkedIn, along with Meagan, Kerry, and Shannon.
On Bluesky, tag @mmarie.bsky.social, @shan-gsd.bsky.social, and @merrykerry.bsky.social.
Solution
Download the solution file to see exactly how the report is built!