Stacking Data Columns

Yes, this is a common scenario. Since your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Reason for Leaving columns all contain the same list of values, the best approach is to unpivot these columns in Power Query. This converts them into a single "Reason" column, making it easy to count how many times each reason was selected regardless of whether it was the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice.

Recommended approach: Unpivot the columns

1. In Power BI Desktop, go to Transform Data to open Power Query.

2. Select the three columns:

   • 1st Reason

   • 2nd Reason

   • 3rd Reason

3. Right-click the selected columns and choose Unpivot Columns.

4. Power Query will create:

   • Attribute (e.g., 1st Reason, 2nd Reason, 3rd Reason)

   • Value (the actual reason selected)

5. Rename Value to Reason (and Attribute if desired).

6. Remove any blank/null rows.

7. Close & Apply.

Your data will change from:

Employee 1st Reason 2nd Reason 3rd Reason

to:

Employee Reason Rank Reason

Now you can simply create a bar chart with:

• Axis: Reason

• Values: Count of Reason

In this example, Family Concerns would correctly show a count of 3 because it was selected three times across all responses.

This approach is scalable, easy to maintain, and is the standard Power BI method for survey data where multiple columns represent the same type of response.

For more information:

• Unpivot columns in Power Query: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-query/unpivot-column

• Power Query documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-query/

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Best regards, Prince Singh | Data Science & Microsoft Fabric Enthusiast