What’s New with Analytics+: Chart wizard, Flexible KPI containers, Tornado, Parallel coordinates, Ribbon charts & more  

Access a range of new visualization, collaboration, and analytics features when you upgrade to our latest version. The new Chart Wizard streamlines the process of chart selection, configuration, and setting up analytics, sorting, and ranking into just three simple steps. The latest version ships with exciting new charts like the Tornado, Parallel Coordinates, and Ribbon charts to help you step up your multi-variate analysis and trend visualizations. Leverage the Flex feature to effortlessly create captivating KPI dashboards with images, insight charts, text, and metrics.  

Discover the new features and innovations in version 4.2 that make Analytics+ the most powerful data visualization platform in Power BI.  

1. New versatile chart types 

Analytics+ is loaded with a wide range of sophisticated and highly customizable visualization options. In the 4.2 release, we are broadening our diverse repository with fresh charting options: 

• Ribbon chart: An engaging and visually appealing visualization tool, the Ribbon chart facilitates comparative analysis. It allows you to compare multiple series/segments and analyze proportional differences within a single chart, making it ideal for dashboards. 

• Tornado chart: Best suited for side-by-side analysis, Tornado charts help stakeholders instantly identify the categories that contribute to the overall outcome. Their unique shape makes them a definite eye-catcher. 

• Parallel coordinates: A powerful solution for plotting multi-variate data, parallel coordinate charts are applied in data exploration, pattern recognition, and outlier detection. 

2. Chart wizard: Simplified chart selection and configuration 

Looking for the right chart? The Chart Wizard is your all-in-one solution! It helps you find the right chart, configure display properties, and set ranking, sorting in one seamless onboarding screen. 

Navigate to the Chart Type dropdown and select the last tab to open the Chart wizard. 

Selection based on chart family 

If you're familiar with different chart types and their use cases, use the Select Chart option to search by family. You can add your go-to chart types to the Favorites section for quick access.  

Once you've selected a chart, you can toggle chart elements (KPIs, axes, data labels, deviation, etc) on or off. You can also adjust the theme, font, color, and fill style—all without navigating through separate settings.

Selection based on function 

For more advanced recommendations, choose Function. This option helps you narrow down chart types based on the axis data (time series or categorical), use case (comparison, deviation, multivariate), visualization type (bars, points, lines) and number of measures.  

Set up analytics, sorting, and ranking all at once from the advanced tab, without needing to configure each individually. 

3. KPI enhancements 

3.1. New KPI templates 

A range of single-click presets have been added to capture simple and variance KPIs.

3.2. Flex positioning for KPI elements 

Creating composite multi-element KPI cards has never been easier. You can choose between the Flex and Group options to organize your images, inline charts, text data, and metrics. When you work with Flex positioning, you only need to choose the direction (horizontal or vertical), and Analytics+ will automatically handle the alignment and positioning with consistent gap and fill options. 

3.3. Neutral variances and accent bars 

Accent bars help users assess metrics in an instant without having to analyze the numbers. You can enable accent bars from the KPI Appearance menu.  

You can also choose to display neutral variances with a different icon and color. To customize variances, open the Variance icon menu. 

4. Analytics for stacked charts 

Draw more insights from stacked charts in the latest version. You can plot reference lines, reference bars, total and average bars, and trend lines based on the chart type. 

5. Scenario-based chart selection 

Exploring our vast repository of charts to find the one best suited for your business case can seem overwhelming. We've simplified navigability with scenario-based chart selection. Analytics+ can suggest the charts best aligned for specific scenarios like ranking, distribution, or comparison. 

Please refer to the release notes for a comprehensive list of requirements, features, and bug fixes.  

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