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Data Roles

Data roles define what data fields your visual accepts. Each visual has its own set of data roles.

Column Chart Data Roles

Data RoleTypeDescription
AxisGroupingThe category axis (X axis for columns, Y axis for bars)
ValuesMeasureThe numeric values to display as bars
LegendGroupingSplits bars into series with distinct colors
Series ColorMeasure/GroupingHex color code (e.g. #FF0000) per legend value
LogoMeasure/GroupingBase64-encoded image per legend value
Error Bar UpperMeasureUpper bound for error bars (By Field mode)
Error Bar LowerMeasureLower bound for error bars (By Field mode)

Line Chart Data Roles

Data RoleTypeDescription
AxisGroupingThe category axis (X axis)
ValuesMeasureThe numeric values (Y axis)
LegendGroupingSplits into multiple line series
Series ColorMeasure/GroupingHex color code per legend value
LogoMeasure/GroupingBase64-encoded image per legend value
Error Bar Upper/LowerMeasureBounds for error bars

Scatter Plot Data Roles

Data RoleTypeDescription
Values (Labels)GroupingLabels for each data point
X AxisMeasureHorizontal position
Y AxisMeasureVertical position
LegendGroupingColor grouping
SizeMeasureBubble size encoding
TooltipsMeasureAdditional tooltip values
ColorMeasureData-driven point colors
LogoMeasure/GroupingBase64-encoded image per legend value

Series Color

The Series Color data role allows you to control bar/line colors directly from your data model. Simply create a column or measure that returns a hex color code:

SeriesColor = SWITCH(
SELECTEDVALUE(Products[Category]),
"Electronics", "#4682B4",
"Clothing", "#FF6347",
"Food", "#32CD32",
"#888888"
)

Color Resolution Priority

Colors are resolved in this order:

  1. Per-series conditional formatting (fx) from Power BI
  2. seriesColor data role value
  3. Host color palette
  4. Default 10-color array

The Logo data role accepts base64-encoded images. If the value doesn't start with data:, the visual automatically prepends data:image/png;base64,.

Logos can appear in:

  • The legend (all three visuals)
  • End-of-line labels (line chart)
  • Inside bars (column chart)