Level 2 · Table or matrix?

Power BI has two grid visuals that look alike in a screenshot and behave very differently. A table lists rows. A matrix groups them, the way a pivot table does in Excel.

What you are working in

This is a quiz with a chart drawn on this site from the store’s data; Power BI Desktop runs only on Windows. In Power BI Desktop both visuals are in the Visualizations pane: the Table icon and the Matrix icon next to it. Their wells differ: a table has Columns; a matrix has Rows, Columns and Values.

The table visual

A table shows one row for each combination of the fields you add, with every field as a column. Use it when:

• the reader needs exact values for individual rows (an order list, a customer list);
• the data is flat, with no levels to group;
• someone will export or reconcile it.

A table has one total row at most. It has no subtotals and can’t put a field across the top.

The matrix visual

A matrix adds structure:

• Rows as a hierarchy. Drop category then subcategory into Rows. The matrix groups subcategories under their category and shows a subtotal for each category.
• Columns as a pivot. Drop Year into Columns and each year becomes a column of values, with a total column at the end.
• Expand and collapse. With the row headers’ +/− icons turned on (Format visual → Row headers → +/- icons), readers fold each category to its subtotal. The drill buttons on the visual’s header do the same for the whole matrix.
• Subtotals you control. Format visual → Row subtotals and Column subtotals switch them on or off, and choose where they appear.

Formatting either one so it reads

• Sort by the column that matters (often the value, descending).
• Number formats on the measure (Measure tools → Format): thousands separators, currency, one decimal on percentages.
• Clear titles that say what and when: “Sales by category, 2023–2025”.
• Conditional formatting to make the important cells stand out: right-click a value in the Values well → Conditional formatting → background colour, font colour or data bars.

Choosing between them

Ask whether the reader needs levels. If the answer is “a category, then what’s inside it, with a total for each”, it’s a matrix. If it’s “the list of orders over $5,000”, it’s a table. And if the reader needs to see a pattern rather than read numbers, neither: use a chart, and put the grid underneath for the people who check.

Common mistakes

• Subtotals by hand. They go stale the first time someone filters.
• A matrix with one field in Rows and nothing in Columns. That’s a table; use the simpler one.
• Too many levels open. Start collapsed at category and let readers expand.