Formatting Matrix Data in Power BI: A Tech Support Guide

Formatting Matrix Data in Power BI

This tech support guide provides a step-by-step process for formatting a matrix visualization in Power BI with specific color formatting for the first and last 12 months of data, while leaving the middle 12 months with the default color.

Prerequisites

To follow this guide, you'll need:

• Power BI Desktop installed on your computer
• A dataset with at least 36 months of data

Steps

Step 1: Load the Data

Import or connect to your dataset in Power BI Desktop. Ensure that your data is in a format that can be used to create a matrix visualization.

Step 2: Create a Matrix Visualization

Go to the "Fields" pane and drag the columns you want to use in the matrix to the "Values" and "Rows" areas. The "Values" area represents the data you want to aggregate, while the "Rows" area represents the categories you want to group the data by.

Step 3: Format the Colors

Select the matrix visualization to open the "Format" pane. In the "Format" pane, expand the "Data colors" property under "Values".

To format the colors for the first and last 12 months, follow these steps:

1. Click on the "Add color rule" button to add a new color rule.
2. In the "Format painter" dropdown, select the color you want to use for the first 12 months.
3. In the "Conditions" tab, set the "Value" property to the index number of the first month's data. For example, if the first month's data is in the second position, set the "Value" property to "2".
4. Repeat steps 2-4 for the last 12 months, using the color you want to use and the index number of the last month's data.

To format the colors for the remaining 12 months, leave the default color or choose another color using the "Add color rule" button and setting the "Value" property to any value not covered by the first and last 12 months' color rules.

Summary

In this tech support guide, we covered how to format a matrix visualization in Power BI to color the first and last 12 months of data differently while leaving the middle 12 months with the default color. This can be achieved by creating color rules in the "Format" pane and setting the "Value" property to the index number of the first and last months' data.