There are several types of visuals to choose from in Power BI. There are even more custom visuals you can get from the market place. Each visual has specific purpose when placed on a report/dashboard. Knowing which one to use for the right kind of data makes your report more readable and useful.

Area chart – The keyword here is trends, magnitudes of change over a period of time. However, occlusion on the layered areas could make them harder to be used as a comparison between values.

Bar/column chart – comparison of categorical data, usually counted values (discrete) rather than continuous ones (see Histogram for continuous data visualization). A bar/column chart could have a couple of axis and an optional overlaying line chart (combo chart) to compare trend/progress against another set of data, other than the bar chart constructed with (e.g. Sales of products categorized with product type, compared with target.) This chart can be clustered/stacked for a more complex comparison.

Cards/single or multi-row – Single figures with title, sub-titles, and possibly an area chart as a background (when used as a KPI) to give highlights on trends or forecasts.

Decomposition tree – This one is my favorite. If you have multiple layers or categorizations/hierarchies, you can drill through each. Progressing towards more specific data starting from higher level aggregations.

Pie/doughnut charts – Each segment in the pie chart reveals its relationship to the whole. Usually answers the question “What portion of …?.” And they look good too, especially the doughnut ones.

Funnel charts – Usually used in sales, from lead to closing. This chart has two parts, the head (wider part) and the neck (narrower part). Just like a pie chart, each stage shows progress towards the amounting to 100% but not necessarily the portion of that 100%. Think of each stage as progress showing how much is lost (when read from top to down) or gained (when read from down to top). Stages are important and values are sequential at that. 

Gauge chart – A half-circle gauge that looks like a speedometer. The indicators will show progress towards a goal. 

Maps – Communicating data on a map. Power BI, by default, gives you three kinds of maps, default map, shape map, filled (choropleth) map, azure map, and ArcGIS map. If you are fancy like me and want to use a custom icon on one of your maps this blog has a great tutorial on how to do so.

Key influencers chart – This is an awesome analysis tool. Powered by AI these tools can be used to figure out the causes and effects of data. This quick short video will introduce you to it more briefly. 

Smart narrative summaries – Imagine adding a visual to your report, with all the data, and then converting that chart to a meaningful written paragraph for your blog/written report consumption or screen readers. This visual will do that for you.