Data bars for one-click visual comparison with values hidden in a table column

PL-300 By islever Editorial Last updated

Create reports

Short answer

C Data bars give proportional visual comparison for all values in one rule and can render without the numeric text.

Question

You have a Power BI report that contains a table visual. The visual contains a column. The column contains whole numbers ranging from of 1 to 20. You need to use conditional formatting to meet the following requirements: • Visually compare the values without having to read the text containing the number. • Show a different format for each distinct value. • Hide the numeric value of ColumnA. • Minimize development effort. Which formatting should you use?
  1. font color
  2. icons
  3. data bars Correct Answer
  4. background color

Key Takeaways

Data bars render proportional bars per value with a single setting and can be shown without the number, satisfying visual comparison, per-value differentiation, hidden text, and minimal effort simultaneously.

A table column holds whole numbers from 1 to 20, and conditional formatting must let users compare values visually, differentiate every distinct value, hide the numeric text, and take minimal development effort.

Common mistake: Choosing icons for per-value differentiation — twenty distinct values would need twenty icon rules, exploding development effort, and icon sets still leave the numeric text unless separately hidden.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Data bars draw a bar whose length is proportional to the value behind each cell, giving instant visual comparison across the 1-20 range. The formatting is generated from the value distribution automatically — one rule covers all twenty distinct values, each getting a differently sized bar, which satisfies per-value differentiation without authoring per-value logic. Turning off the display of the value leaves only the bar, hiding the number, and the entire setup is one formatting choice, minimizing development effort.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Font color (A) or background color (D) with a gradient can differentiate values and be paired with hidden text, but comparing exact magnitudes by shade is far harder than comparing bar lengths, and neither reads as a visual comparison as directly as bars do. Icons (B) map value ranges to icons, but the requirement wants a different format for every one of twenty distinct values, which means up to twenty icon rules — maximum rather than minimal effort, and icons alone do not hide the number either.

Community Comment Notes

A commenter highlights the exact keywords: the requirement is to visually compare the values, which is what data bars are built for. Another comment notes they wavered between icons and data bars but settled on data bars because of the minimize-development-effort constraint.

Official Reference

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/desktop-conditional-table-formatting

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Community Votes

C
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 9 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 9

  1. 539d541 👍 4 Answered C
    Disagree with using background color formatting. Data bars - option C would show a visual difference between each distinct integer for the range between 1 to 20. Can you imagine having 20 different background colors instead?
  2. Ash_34 👍 4 Answered C
    It should be data bar. Key word is visually compare the values
  3. jaume 👍 3 Answered C
    Agree with explanations from 539d541. Font color or background color options would result in a mess, difficult to identify all colors and since the goal is to compare values, how can you get which value is bigger from the color (only using kind of gradient, for 20 colors, not too much contrast) Icons allows to hide the numeric value but, again, 20 different icons and/or their colors would result in a very difficult exercise to compare 20 values (worst case, all differents). With data bars, even using one single color, would make easier to compare two different values in the table by comparing widths
  4. SamiaAwais 👍 2 Answered B
    It should be Icons as you can hide the numeric value by adjusting the "Icon only" option, which removes the numbers and displays only the icons.
  5. LuluSkyy 👍 2
    Was leaning between B and c. But i will go with C (Data Bars), this minimizes development efforts.
Show 4 more comments
  1. Jayaruwan 👍 1 Answered C
    C. Data bars With background colors values cannot be given
  2. b92fc92 👍 2 Answered C
    C in my opinion
  3. P_ri 👍 1
    c. data bars
  4. nelrosell 👍 1
    B. Icons

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