Line Chart – Step Change Not Clearly Visible for Small Value Differences

[bchappidi]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some help with a line chart I’ve created in Power BI. The chart shows -1 STD, -2 STD, +1 STD, +2 STD values over Month-Year. These STD values are calculated based on static inputs provided by the business.

The logic and calculations are working fine. However, I’m trying to visually show step changes in the line graph when these static input values change. This works well when the change is large, but when the change is small, the line just appears smooth and doesn’t clearly reflect the step.

Example:

• Portfolio Name: Test A – working as expected. In October 2021, there was a significant change in values, and the step change is clearly visible in the graph.

• Portfolio Name: Test B – not showing the step clearly. There was a change in July 2019 (as per the static data), but because the difference is small, it looks like a smooth transition.

Here are the actual values:

• -1 STD: June 2019 = -1.25%, July 2019 = -1.22%

• +1 STD: June 2019 = 3.54%, July 2019 = 3.67% etc

Since the value difference is minor, the graph doesn’t make the step obvious.

Here is the sample pbix file for your reference.

sample File Line Chart.pbix

Question:
Is there a way to make small step changes more visually obvious in such cases?
Would adjusting the Y-axis limits help, or is there another best practice (e.g., data shaping or chart type) to simulate step changes?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @bchappidi,

We haven’t heard back from you in a while regarding your issue. let us know if your issue has been resolved or if you still require support.

Thank you.

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @bchappidi,

Checking in to see if your issue has been resolved. let us know if you still need any assistance.

Thank you.

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @bchappidi,

Have you had a chance to review the solution we shared earlier? If the issue persists, feel free to reply so we can help further.

Thank you.

[v-saisrao-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @bchappidi,

Thankyou @danextian @Ritaf1983, for you helpful insights.

The main issue seems to be with the data itself. In your example, there’s a noticeable difference between the two datasets, such as Test A and Test B. For Test A, the value changes over time are larger (for instance, "+2 std dev" increases from 6.63% to 11.99%), making the step changes more apparent. On the other hand, Test B shows only slight changes (like 10.34% to 10.63%), so the step line appears almost flat, even though it is still changing.

Also enable the Data Labels option in the line chart. This will display the exact values at each point, making even small changes easier to see.

Thank you.

[Ritaf1983]

Hi @bchappidi 

It's a bit difficult to fully understand from your post what the data represents and what the exact analytical goal of the chart is, so I’ll focus strictly on the visual/technical aspect.

The issue you're experiencing — where small step changes "disappear" — typically happens due to large proportion gaps between minimum and maximum values on the Y-axis. This flattens smaller variations and makes them visually negligible.

There are two classic visual techniques to make even subtle changes stand out:

1. Use a dot/marker chart instead of a line chart
As shown in your first screenshot, when the values are close together, our brains are better at spotting small shifts in individual data points rather than changes in a smooth line.

2. Break the chart into small multiples with independent Y-axes
As in your second image — by giving each measure its own visual and its own Y-axis, each line is evaluated in relation to itself, making small step changes much more visible and meaningful.

The pbix with the example is attached

If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly

[bchappidi]

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, neither of the options fixed the issue I'm facing.

Let me clarify the analytical requirement a bit more.

The goal is for users to visually identify when a static input (like Tracking Error) changes, by seeing a clear step change in the line graph as the standard deviation (STD) values are calculated based on these static inputs.

Portfolio: TEST B
Static values  are blow — for example:

• from  Jan 2019(starting month), Tracking Error = 1.50%

• from oct 2021 on wards New Tracking Error = 3.00%
  This results in a change in the calculated STD values. In the graph (as shown in the sample file/report I shared), this is clearly displayed as a step change, allowing users to visually identify when a new static input has been applied.

Portfolio: TEST A
Also had a change in static values/inputs , but the difference in the resulting STD values is small. Despite the change, the line appears continuous and smooth, so users can't clearly see that a change occurred.

What I need is for the line graph to show a step change when a new static value is applied in a given month, even if the calculated STD values (-1 STD, +1 STD, -2 STD, +2 STD) are only slightly different from the previous month.

Thank you!

[Ritaf1983]

Hו @bchappidi 
If the goal is just to show that there was some change maybe the line chart is not a most effective way..
Try to check the heat map option ...with shorter perioiod something like the heat map in my blog post:
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Community-Blog/When-to-Use-Heatmaps-and-How-to-Im...

If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly

[bchappidi]

Thanks for the suggestion! I understand your point about using a heat map.

However, in this case, the users specifically prefer a line chart, as it aligns with the format they’re already familiar with in their existing spreadsheet. They’d like to maintain the same visual style for consistency and easier comparison.

Also, some portfolios have data spanning from 2005 to 2025, and with a line chart, it’s much easier for them to spot step changes across such a long time frame.

[Sandip_Palit]

This is a great question and a common visualization challenge. When a line chart connects two points with a small vertical difference over a long horizontal distance (like a month), the resulting slope is very gentle, hiding the intended "step."

The best way to solve this is to change the line's interpolation type from the default diagonal slope to a stepped layout.

The Best Solution: Use the "Stepped" Line Option
Power BI has a built-in feature designed for exactly this scenario. The "Stepped" layout forces the line to only use horizontal and vertical segments, creating a sharp, clear step change regardless of how small the value difference is.

Here’s how to enable it:

Select your Line Chart visual.

Go to the Format your visual pane (the paintbrush icon 🖌️).

Expand the Lines section.

Find the Stepped option and toggle it to On.

This single change will transform your smooth, sloping lines into the clear, distinct steps you're looking for, making even minor changes like the one in July 2019 for "Test B" immediately obvious.

If this explanation and solution resolve your issue, please like and accept the solution.

[danextian]

Why are you telling OP to do something that's already been done? If you read the post again, OP just wants the smaller changes's steps to be more visible. You clearly just copy-pasted an AI generated response without understanding the requirement or testing the response.

[danextian]

Hi @bchappidi 

The visibility of a step is relative to the other lines in the chart. Wouldn't it be misleading if a small change appears just as prominent, or even more so, than a larger change in another line? That said, you can also enable the zoom sliders, so users can zoom in to better observe smaller steps if needed.

[bchappidi]

Thanks @danextian for your response. 

Let me clarify the analytical requirement a bit more.

The goal is for users to visually identify when a static input (like Tracking Error) changes, by seeing a clear step change in the line graph as the standard deviation (STD - -1 STD, +1 STD, -2 STD, +2 STD) values are being calculated based on these static inputs.

Portfolio: TEST B
Static values are below — for example:

• from  Jan 2019(starting month), Tracking Error = 1.50%

• from oct 2021 on wards New Tracking Error = 3.00%
  This results in a change in the calculated STD values. In the graph (as shown in the sample file/report I shared), this is clearly displayed as a step change, allowing users to visually identify when a new static input has been applied.

Portfolio: TEST A

Static values are blow — for example:

• from  July 2017 (starting month), Tracking Error = 0.60%

• from july 2019  on wards New Tracking Error = 0.95%

Also had a change in static values/inputs , but the difference in the resulting STD values is small. Despite the change, the line appears continuous and smooth, so users can't clearly see that a change occurred.

What I need is for the line graph to show a step change when a new static value is applied in a given month, even if the calculated STD values (-1 STD, +1 STD, -2 STD, +2 STD) are only slightly different from the previous month.

I’d really appreciate any suggestions or guidance on how to achieve this in Power BI.

Thank you!

[danextian]

As already mentioned, the prominence of a step is relative to all other lines in the chart. I would just use field parameters to select which measures are visible to minimize the gap between the min and max Y-axis values.