Disclaimer: This is work in progress intended to consolidate information from various sources for learning purposes. For the latest information please consult the documentation (see the links below)!
Last updated: 2-Jul-2025
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| Example Sparklines within Groups |
Sparkline
- {definition} "small, intense, simple, word-sized graphic with typographic resolution" [1]
- [Power BI] simple charts that can be added to columns in tables or matrices [4]
- {timeline}
- [1993] initially considered as 'intense continuous time-series' by Tufte [2]
- [2006] the term is introduced by Tufte [1]
- [2009] introduced in Microsoft Excel 2010
- [2021] PP in Power BI since Dec
- [2025] GA in Power BI since Jun
- ⇐ see also [3] for a broader timeline
- {characteristic} small
- considered as tiny charts
- make it easy to see and compare trends quickly [4]
- {characteristic} word-sized graphic (aka word-like)
- comparable to words and letters
- their distributions on a page are like sentences and paragraphs [1]
- {characteristic} inline
- can be everywhere a word or number can be
- e.g. embedded in a sentence, table, headline, map, spreadsheet, graphic [1]
- {characteristic} minimalistic
- no grid lines
- other visual elements are used occasionally, though kept to a minimum
- {characteristic} approximate
- it isn't meant to give precise values
- though is precise enough for its scope
- {characteristic} compact
- vastly increase the amount of data within readers' eye-span
- aggregates pattern along with plenty of local detail [1]
- allows for speed and convenience [1]
- {characteristic} provides context
- enables us to put numbers in context
- {characteristic} typographic resolution
- "work at intense resolutions, at the level of good typography and cartography" [1]
- forms
- line graph
- bar chart
- win/loss
- scope
- show trends in a series of values
- highlight maximum and minimum values
- show recent change in relation to past changes
- make comparisons across the lines and/or within groups
- supports
- time series
- e.g. seasonal increases or decreases, economic cycles
- binary data
- e.g. presence/absence, occurrence/non-occurrence, win/loss [1]
- multivariate data
- can simultaneously accommodate several variables
- [Power BI] calculation groups
- works in combination with sparklines [4]
- {default} applied to the individual values on the sparkline [4]
- {setting}
- {value} Entire sparkline
- the calculation group will be evaluated over all the points on the sparkline [4]
- existing sparklines will remain unchanged
- ⇐ calculation group selections continues to apply to the entire sparkline unless their configuration is changed [4]
- {limitation} applying a calculation group item, which performs an arithmetic operation, to a sparkline set to ‘Apply to entire sparkline’ is not supported [4]
- [Power BI]
- {limitation} supports up to five sparklines per visual [5]
- {limitation} displays up to 52 points per sparkline [5]
- {limitation} the maximum number of columns in a matrix is limited to 25 when sparklines are on [5]
- {limitation} not supported on on-premises SSAS [5]
- {limitation} Visuals with sparklines don't support pinning to a dashboard [5]
- {limitation} applying a calculation group that performs an arithmetic operation to the whole sparkline is not supported [5]
- {recommendation} change the sparkline's configuration to individual values or remove the arithmetic operation in the calculation group [5]
- {recommendation} position a sparkline near its data for greatest impact
References:
[1] Edward R Tufte (2006) "Beautiful
Evidence"
[2] Edward R Tufte (1983) "The Visual Display of Quantitative
Information"
[3] Wikipedia (2023) Sparklines [link]
[4] Microsoft Power BI Updates Blog (2025) Power BI June 2025
Feature Summary [link]
[5] Microsoft Learn (2025) Create sparklines in a table or matrix
in a Power BI report [link]
Resources:
[R1] SQLBI (2023) Performance of sparklines in Power BI - Unplugged #41 [link]
Acronyms:
GA - Generally Available
PP - Public Preview
SSAS - Azure Analysis Services
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