This lesson's interactive features are locked, please to keep using them

Data Types

Before we build more charts in Power BI, we need to understand data types. Data types tell Power BI what kind of information each column contains – numbers, text, dates... you get the idea.

See, the type of data determines the kind of visualizations you're allowed to create. If Power BI doesn't know whether a value is text or a number, it can't decide how to group, sum, or compare it. Let's go over the most common data types.

Click to play video

1. Text (or Strings)

Used for words, names, and labels – things that can't be added together. Things like:

Country
Email
Product Name

You'll usually use text fields as categories or labels on your visuals, like the Y-axis of a bar chart or slices of a pie chart.

Text data is great for labeling visuals – but don't expect to run any math on it!

2. Whole Numbers

Used for numbers without decimals. For example:

Population
Quantity Sold
Number of Orders

These are often summed or counted in charts to show totals or comparisons.

3. Decimal Numbers

Used for numeric values with decimals. For example:

Sale Quantity
Product List Price
Sale Discount

You'll often visualize decimals with bar charts, line graphs, or area charts to show amounts or trends.

4. Date/Time

Used for anything that tracks time or dates. For example:

Order Date
Year
Timestamp

Perfect for line charts or time series analysis – where you want to see how things change over time.

5. Boolean (True/False)

Used for yes/no or on/off data. For example:

Is Active
Is Member
Passed

These fields can be used for filters or quick breakdowns, but they aren't typically plotted on charts directly.