Hi, I'm Tom Blessing. I'm an expert at helping small to mid-sized companies adopt Power BI. I'm also a recovering investment banker, with deep experience applying technology to otherwise manual data problems. I have dual degrees in Finance and Technology Management from Indiana University.

Resources to help build your fundamentals: Learning Power BI? Data fundamentals are critical for this process to be easier. I've assembled a few DataCamp courses to help. I earn a small commission if you click and purchase.

Introduction to Power BI course: Master Power BI basics and learn to build impactful reports.

Exploratory Data Analysis in Power BI course: Learn about Power BI's Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) and enhance your reports.

Introduction to SQL course: Learn how to create and query relational databases using SQL in just two hours.

Introduction to DAX course: Learn the fundamentals of Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) such as calculated columns, tables, and measures.

Database Design course: Learn to design databases in SQL to process, store, and organize data in a more efficient way.

Scatter plots are a powerful visualization tool in Power BI for understanding the relationship between two numerical variables.

When working with time-series data, sorting a scatter plot by date can provide valuable insights into patterns, trends, and correlations over time.

In this blog post, I'll explore how to sort a scatter plot by date in Power BI.

Understanding Scatter Plots in Power BI

Before we jump into sorting, let's briefly understand what scatter plots are and where they are typically used in Power BI:

1. Purpose: Scatter plots are used to visualize the relationship between two numerical variables. They display data points as individual dots on a two-dimensional plane, with one variable on the x-axis and another on the y-axis.

2. Elements: Each data point in a scatter plot is represented by a dot, and its position on the chart corresponds to the values of the two variables it represents. Scatter plots can help identify patterns, clusters, outliers, and correlations in data.

3. Visualization: Scatter plots are effective for visualizing how changes in one variable may impact another, making them valuable for analyzing trends and relationships.

Sorting a Scatter Plot by Date in Power BI

Sorting a scatter plot by date takes just a little manipulation in Power BI. Here's how you can effectively sort a scatter plot by date:

1. Prepare Your Data:

   • Ensure your dataset contains a date field that represents the time dimension of your data. This date field should be in a recognized date format.

   • Identify the numerical variable you want to visualize in your scatter plot.

2. Create a Scatter Plot:

   • Open Power BI Desktop and create a new report.

   • In the "Visualizations" pane, select the Scatter Plot icon to add a new scatter plot visual to your report canvas.

   • Drag and drop the date field to the "X-Axis" well and the numerical variable to the "Y-Axis" well. 

3. Summarize: This is the trick to getting the Scatter Plot by date working properly.

   • With your scatter plot selected, go to the "Y-Axis" well, click the dropdown next to "Value" and select 'Sum'. 

   • Now your scatter plot will work at whatever date layer you select in the chart! Just right click on the X-Axis and continue clicking 'Expand to next level' to drill down to the layer you want to show.

Conclusion

Sorting a scatter plot by date in Power BI is a valuable technique for analyzing time-series data and gaining insights into how two numerical variables interact over time.

Whether you're examining sales trends, performance metrics, or any other time-dependent data, a well-sorted scatter plot can help you identify correlations and patterns that may otherwise go unnoticed.

By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can effectively sort your scatter plots and unlock meaningful insights from your data.