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Lines, markers & labels

Three Format cards control the race itself: the Lines that connect the ranks, the Data Points that mark them, and the Data Labels that name each series at the ends of its line.

Lines​

Format → Lines

SettingOptionsDefault
ShowOn · OffOn
Line Width1 – 204
Curve TypeLinear · SmoothSmooth
Opacity0 – 100100

Curve type​

OptionWhat it drawsChoose it when
Smooth (default)A flowing curve through the ranks, shaped so it never dips below or rises above the two ranks it connectsYou want the classic bump-chart look, and the story is the movement
LinearStraight segments from marker to markerYou want to read when a change happened precisely, or you have many periods close together

Line width​

The default of 4 suits a chart with a handful of series. Push it to 6–8 for a presentation or a large tile; drop it to 2–3 when you have a dozen lines and they need to sit beside each other without merging.

Whatever you set, keep the line narrower than the markers — a line thicker than the marker it passes through looks like a mistake.

Opacity​

Lowering opacity is the fix for a crowded chart: overlapping lines blend instead of hiding each other, and crossings become visible. Try 60–80 with 10 or more series.

Opacity is also the baseline for the visual's dimming. When something is selected, or another visual cross-filters this one, the lines that aren't part of the selection are drawn at 30% of whatever you set here.

Turning lines off​

Show off leaves the markers alone on the canvas — a dot plot of ranks. It's occasionally the right answer for a chart where the value at each period matters more than the path between them, but it costs you the overtakes.

Data Points​

Format → Data Points

SettingOptionsDefault
ShowOn · OffOn
Size1 – 2012
Node ShapeCircle · Square · HexagonCircle
Show RankOn · OffOn
Rank ColorAny colourWhite (#FFFFFF)

Size​

Size is the marker's radius, in pixels — a size of 12 draws a circle roughly 24 px across, and a square 24 px on a side. It has two knock-on effects worth knowing:

  • It sets the rank number's size. The number inside a marker scales with the marker, so if the rank numbers are too small to read, make the markers bigger. There is no separate font-size setting.
  • It uses vertical space. Big markers on a chart with many rank rows will touch or overlap. Either raise the visual's height, or reduce the size, or use Top N.

Node shape​

Circle, square or hexagon — applied to every series. Shape is a stylistic choice here, not an encoding: it can't be varied per series.

Each marker carries a thin white outline, so markers that sit on top of one another stay distinguishable.

Rank numbers​

Show Rank prints the period's rank inside every marker — the feature that makes a bump chart readable without a vertical axis. It requires Show to be on: no markers, no numbers.

Rank Color must contrast with your series colours, not with the chart background. White is right for a saturated palette; switch to a dark colour if your series use pastels, and check the pale end of your theme before you publish.

tip

Numbers not fitting? Raise Size rather than reaching for a font setting — the text scales with the marker. In a very dense chart, turning Show Rank off and relying on the vertical order alone is often cleaner.

Data Labels​

Format → Data Labels — the series names written beside the ends of each line.

SettingOptionsDefault
ShowOn · OffOn
Show Left LabelsOn · OffOn
Show Right LabelsOn · OffOn
Text Size6 – 4010
ColorAny colourBlack (#000000)

Which labels actually appear​

A label is drawn only where the line genuinely starts or ends the timeline:

SituationLeft labelRight label
The series has a value in every period✅✅
The series' first value is after the first period❌✅
The series' last value is before the last period✅❌
The series is outside the Top N at that end❌ at that end❌ at that end

That's intentional — a name floating in the middle of the plot area beside a line that begins there reads as a data point rather than a label.

Overlapping labels​

When two series finish at adjacent ranks, their labels are nudged downward until they clear each other. In a dense chart a label can therefore sit slightly below the line it belongs to. If that becomes confusing, reduce Text Size, turn off one side, or apply Top N.

Labels cost you plot width​

Space is reserved on each enabled side for the longest series name, at the text size you set. A chart of long names with both sides on can lose a third of its width to labels.

Three ways to get it back:

  • Turn off one side. Right labels alone read well — the eye ends there, and the legend covers identification at the start.
  • Shorten the names in the model (North America → NA), which also helps the legend.
  • Turn labels off entirely and rely on the legend, on a chart where colours are already familiar.

Putting it together​

GoalSettings
Classic bump chartSmooth curves, width 4, circles at size 12, rank numbers on, labels both sides
Dense chart (12+ series)Linear, width 2, opacity 70, size 8, rank numbers off, right labels only, Top N on
Presentation / big tileSmooth, width 8, size 16, rank numbers on, text size 14, labels both sides
Small tile or dashboardWidth 3, size 6, rank numbers off, labels off, legend on
Points onlyLines off, size 14, rank numbers on
High contrast

In Windows high-contrast mode Power BI takes over every colour: all lines are drawn in the system foreground colour, rank numbers in the background colour, and markers get a contrasting outline. Series can no longer be told apart by colour — labels and the legend do that job. Your colour choices are kept and return when high contrast is switched off.

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