Tables and Matrices in Power BI
There are different ways of displaying data in Power-BI, and for tabular formats, tables, and matrices always come in very handy. They work just like tables in Excel; however, they have their differences.
Tables are two-dimensional and display data in rows and columns in a simple format with lesser values per dimension.
From the above image, the visual is flat and displays data without extra user interactivity, just plain rows and columns.
Matrix
To display data with many dimension values and formatting experience, use Matrix. Matrix gives users the option to specify multiple variables in rows and columns. It also allows you to take advantage of Power-BI’s drill-down functionality. A matrix is similar to an excel pivot table which allows a stepped functionality.
Each new dimension could be added as a row in a Matrix, thus, automatically enabling the drill-down mode.
The above visual allows us to see the different products on sale in the United States, if expanded further, it still has another step below it. The highlighted area allows us to expand hierarchies.
Formatting a table/matrix Visual
Power-BI allows users to format tables/matrices to user taste similar to Excel. Below are steps to format the table visual earlier displayed:
- Go to format visuals.
- Select Visual to select only table formatting. “General” has to do with what the outer visual looks like e.g., Padding, title, etc. You could always play around with this.
3. Select what you want to format. To change the color of the table as seen above, I selected “Style Preset”; which allows you to choose how you want the table displayed. Here, I chose “flashy rows”, which gave the blue color by default.
Try playing around with your table/matrix and check out how Power-BI functionalities could help you as a professional.
Keep Learning …
Ciao!!
