Reference Line in Power BI Line Graph Displays Incorrect Format

[SmilikaL]

I have a Line Graph in Power BI that updates based on the selected metric. When I select Metric 16407, the US Pctl value (62.21%) is correctly reflected in the reference line of the graph.

However, when I select a metric that does not have "My R4Q" values but has a US Pctl value, such as Metric 16074 (98.83%), the reference line displays an incorrectly formatted value (e.g., a decimal instead of a percentage). When I add the measure used for the reference line to a table, it displays in the correct format. Similarly, if I use the measure on the Y-axis instead of as a reference line, it also appears in the correct format.

What could be causing this formatting issue? How can I ensure the reference line always displays the correct percentage format regardless of whether "My R4Q" has a value? Any insights or solutions would be greatly appreciated!                                                        

[v-shamiliv]

Hi @SmilikaL 
I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you'd like to discuss this further. If this answers your question, please Accept it as a solution and give it a 'Kudos' so others can find it easily.
Thank you.

[v-shamiliv]

Hi @SmilikaL 
I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided by @rohit1991 and @Deku . Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If their response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.
Thank you.

[v-shamiliv]

Hi @SmilikaL 
Thank you for reaching out microsoft fabric community forum.

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

Thank you.

[rohit1991]

HI @SmilikaL ,

The issue you're experiencing with the reference line in your Power BI line graph showing incorrectly formatted values—particularly showing as a decimal instead of a percentage—is likely related to how Power BI handles data formatting for reference lines versus visual fields. When a measure is used as a reference line, Power BI does not always inherit the data type or format string (e.g., percentage) from the measure, especially if the context changes dynamically or the field contains a BLANK() in some cases like when “My R4Q” is not available. That's why the same measure appears correctly formatted when used in a table or directly on the Y-axis but loses formatting in the reference line.

To fix this, you can try explicitly formatting the value within the measure using the FORMAT() function, although this returns a text value (not ideal for visuals). A better approach is to ensure that the data type and format of the measure are clearly defined in the Model view — go to the measure, and under “Formatting,” manually set the data type to Decimal Number and format as Percentage with desired decimals. Also, make sure the reference line is pulling the value from that measure directly and not from a wrapped or calculated expression that may lose metadata.

This behavior is inconsistent across visuals, so applying formatting directly in the model ensures more reliable behavior.

Passionate about leveraging data analytics to drive strategic decision-making and foster business growth.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: Rohit Kumar

[Deku]

Can you share the measure used to generate the reference line