Visual Formatting and Conditional Formatting

Quick Answer: Use the Format pane to configure visual properties (colors, labels, axes). Conditional formatting adds dynamic styling — color cells by value, add data bars, or icon sets. Themes ensure consistency across the entire report. Custom JSON themes enable brand-compliant reports across your organization.

The Format Pane

Select any visual to access the Format pane with two main tabs:

Visual Tab (Chart-Specific)

General Tab (Shared Properties)

Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting adds dynamic visual cues based on data values.

Where It Applies

• Table and matrix cells — Background color, font color, data bars, icons, web URL
• Chart data colors — Color bars/lines/areas based on values
• Card values — Font color based on the displayed value
• Title text — Dynamic titles based on measures

Types of Conditional Formatting

1. Background Color (Color Scale)

Select column → Format → Conditional Formatting → Background Color
→ Choose: Color scale, Rules, or Field value

Color scale options:

• Gradient: Minimum color → Maximum color (e.g., red → green)
• Diverging: Low → Center → High (e.g., red → yellow → green)
• Based on: A specific field or measure

2. Data Bars

Horizontal bars within table cells showing relative magnitude:

• Length proportional to value
• Configurable colors for positive and negative values
• Shows both the bar and the value

3. Icons (Icon Sets)

Conditional icons (arrows, traffic lights, flags, stars):

• Rules-based: ▲ if > target, ► if = target, ▼ if < target
• Multiple icon sets available
• Can show icon only or icon + value

4. Web URL

Turn cell values into clickable hyperlinks:

• Apply to a text column containing URLs
• Displays the URL as a clickable link in the visual

5. Font Color

Change text color based on value:

• Useful for positive (green) / negative (red) formatting
• Can use color scale or rules

Conditional Formatting Rules

Format Type: Rules
If value >= 80 AND value <= 100 → Green
If value >= 50 AND value < 80 → Yellow
If value >= 0 AND value < 50 → Red

Field Value (fx)

Use a measure to dynamically determine colors:

Traffic Light Color =
SWITCH(TRUE(),
    [Performance] >= 0.8, "#00B050",   // Green
    [Performance] >= 0.5, "#FFC000",   // Yellow
    "#FF0000"                           // Red
)

Then reference this measure in the conditional formatting dialog.

Themes

Built-in Themes

Power BI includes many built-in themes:

View tab → Themes → Select from gallery

Custom Themes (JSON)

Create a JSON file defining colors, fonts, and visual properties:

{
    "name": "Corporate Theme",
    "dataColors": ["#003366", "#006699", "#3399CC", "#66CCFF", "#99DDFF", "#CCF2FF"],
    "background": "#FFFFFF",
    "foreground": "#333333",
    "textClasses": {
        "title": {
            "fontFace": "Segoe UI Semibold",
            "fontSize": 14,
            "color": "#003366"
        }
    }
}

Apply custom theme:

View tab → Themes → Browse for themes → Select JSON file

Theme Benefits

• Brand consistency across all reports
• Time savings — set colors once, applied everywhere
• Shareable — distribute the JSON file to all report authors
• Exportable — View tab → Themes → Save current theme

Best Practices

1. Use consistent colors across related visuals (theme helps)
2. Limit conditional formatting — too many colors create visual noise
3. Use red/green carefully — consider color-blind users (use patterns or icons instead)
4. Add alt text to every visual for accessibility
5. Set meaningful axis titles — don't leave default column names
6. Turn off unnecessary grid lines and borders for cleaner visuals

On the Exam

The PL-300 frequently tests:

• Applying conditional formatting to tables and matrices
• Understanding color scale vs. rules-based formatting
• Applying and customizing themes
• Using field-value-based conditional formatting with measures
• Accessibility formatting requirements