Demystifying Data Types in Power BI: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Utilizing Data Types in Your Reports

Power BI supports various data types to handle different types of data and facilitate effective analysis and visualization.

Here are the common data types in Power BI:

• Text: Text data type represents alphanumeric characters, such as names, descriptions, or any textual information. It can include letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces.

• Whole Number (Integer): The whole number data type represents positive and negative integers without decimal places. It is used for counting, identification numbers, or any numerical values that don’t require fractions or decimals.

• Decimal Number: The decimal number data type is used for numeric values with decimal places. It includes both positive and negative values and can handle fractional calculations.

• Date/Time: The date/time data type is used for handling dates and times. Power BI provides various date/time formats and supports operations like filtering, grouping, and calculations based on dates and times.

• Boolean: The boolean data type represents logical values of true or false. It is useful for creating conditions or making binary comparisons.

• Currency: The currency data type is designed specifically for monetary values. It supports currency symbols, formatting, and calculations involving currency amounts.

• Percentage: The percentage data type represents values as a percentage. It is often used to display ratios, proportions, or relative values.
• Duration: The duration data type is used to represent the duration or time span between two specific points in time. It handles values in terms of hours, minutes, and seconds.
• Geographical Location: Power BI has built-in support for geospatial data types. It allows you to represent geographical locations like latitude, longitude, and addresses, enabling mapping and spatial analysis.
• Binary: The binary data type represents binary data, such as images, files, or any other non-textual data stored as binary code.