SolveWithPowerBI

Power BI Beginner Challenge 2: Create Your First KPI Card

Learn how to create your first KPI card in Power BI to display a single, clear business metric.

In this challenge, you’ll turn cleaned data into a decision-ready number—a core building block of every dashboard.

Business Scenario

Your manager asks a simple question:

“What are our total sales?”

They don’t want a table.
They don’t want a chart.
They want one clear number they can trust.

Your task is to create a KPI card that answers this question instantly.

Dataset

Use the cleaned dataset from:

👉 Challenge #1: Load and Clean Data in Power BI

You should already have:

  • Correct data types
  • No empty rows
  • A numeric Sales column

If your data isn’t clean yet, complete Challenge #1 first.

Your Task

Using Power BI Desktop, create a KPI card that:

  1. Displays Total Sales
  2. Updates dynamically when filters are applied
  3. Is clearly labeled and easy to read

✅ Step-by-Step Instructions

1️⃣ Create a Sales Measure

In Data view or Report view:

  1. Right-click your table
  2. Select New measure
  3. Enter:

Total Sales = SUM ( Sales[Sales] )

2️⃣ Add a Card Visual

  1. Go to Report view
  2. Select the Card visual
  3. Drag the Total Sales measure into the card

You should now see a single large number.

3️⃣ Format the KPI Card

In the Format pane:

  • Set a clear Title (e.g. “Total Sales”)
  • Increase Callout value font size
  • Use consistent number formatting (currency, decimals)
  • Keep it clean and readable

Avoid visual clutter — KPIs should be instantly understood.

4️⃣ Test Interactivity

(Optional but recommended)

  • Add a slicer (e.g. Region)
  • Change slicer values
  • Confirm the KPI updates correctly

If it doesn’t update, something is wrong with your model or measure.

Expected Result

You should now have:

  • One KPI card
  • Powered by a DAX measure
  • Showing total sales clearly
  • Reacting correctly to filters

This is your first real Power BI metric.

Why This Matters

KPI cards are everywhere:

  • Executive dashboards
  • Management reports
  • Operational monitoring

If your KPI is wrong or unclear, trust in the dashboard is gone.

Learning to build clean, accurate KPIs early is essential.

Bonus (Optional)

Try these enhancements:

  • Change number formatting (currency, rounding)
  • Duplicate the card and show Total Quantity
  • Align cards cleanly for a dashboard layout

➡️ Next Challenge

👉 Challenge #3: Build a Basic Bar Chart with Filters

You’ll move from single numbers to visual comparisons.