Matrix with measures as rows AND including sparkline

[timbad]

Hi Folks,

We require several reports to have a similar format to a "summary" page, presenting various measures against multiple time intelligence columns.

I can easily construct a matrix with the measures in the correct place, and a calculation group to display the values for this month, last month, etc.

However, if I then try to add a sparkline to the matrix as well, it ends up as another row, instead of another column after the calculation group items.

The whole thing ends up looking like this:

(There will be a lot more measures in the final product; this is just a proof of concept, at the moment)

Would you please let me know how I can get this working?

[lbendlin]

You can fake it by using a reference table that has the measure names as their rows.  Then use that reference table column on the rows of the matrix, and then create a master measure that switches the calculations accordingly.

A sparkline requires a table, it is not useful if you have a scalar value.

[v-hjannapu]

Hi @timbad,
Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Fabric Community Forum. Also, thanks to @lbendlin,  for those inputs on this thread. 

I understand you are building a summary report in Power BI where you want to show measures across time periods like This Month and Last Month using a calculation group in the matrix. But when you try to add a sparkline, it’s coming as a new row, not as a column next to your time values.

This happens because sparklines in Power BI are linked to matrix rows, not columns. So currently, Power BI doesn’t support adding sparklines directly after calculation group columns in the same matrix.

What you can do: 

• Keep the matrix for your time-based measures.

• Add a separate sparkline or line chart beside the matrix to show the trends.

If you want, you can also try small multiples charts for trend lines, but the layout will look a bit different.
Kindly refer to the below documentation links for better understanding:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/power-bi-sparklines-tables

Hope the above provided information help you resolve the issue, if you have any further concerns or queries, please feel free to reach out to us.
Regards,
Harshitha.

[timbad]

Thank you both for your responses.

It's a shame that this isn't supported natively, but good to know that there are potential workarounds for it.

I will share these ideas with my team, but I suspect that neither workaround will be suitable for our use case.

We will need to add a lot of different measures to the rows, over time, as national guidance changes, so I think we are likely to run into issues with either.

However, thank you for your input on this, much appreciated.

[v-hjannapu]

Hello @timbad,

Thank you for getting back to us, and I completely understand your concerns around scalability especially with an evolving set of measures driven by national guidance.

Power BI is continuously evolving, with frequent updates based on user feedback and real-world use cases like yours. I highly encourage you to submit this as an idea in the  Ideas forum: https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Fabric-Ideas/idb-p/fbc_ideas

Microsoft actively considers top-voted suggestions for future enhancements and feedback like yours plays a key role in shaping the roadmap.

[timbad · Accepted solution]

Thank you, I added an idea here, as you suggested.

[v-hjannapu]

Hi @timbad,

Thank you for sharing your idea in the Ideas forum.

We appreciate your contribution. Please note that Microsoft regularly reviews ideas shared by the community, and your suggestion may be considered for future updates.

Thank you once again, and we encourage you to continue engaging with the Microsoft Fabric Community.

Best regards,
Harshitha.

[v-hjannapu]

Hello @timbad,

Thank you for getting back to us, and I completely understand your concerns around scalability especially with an evolving set of measures driven by national guidance.

Power BI is continuously evolving, with frequent updates based on user feedback and real-world use cases like yours. I highly encourage you to submit this as an idea in the  Ideas forum: https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Fabric-Ideas/idb-p/fbc_ideas

Microsoft actively considers top-voted suggestions for future enhancements and feedback like yours plays a key role in shaping the roadmap.