Aster Plot Chart

The Aster Plot is a unique and visually engaging custom visual for Power BI that combines aspects of both pie charts and radial bar charts. It enables users to visualize categorical data with two numerical metrics simultaneously—one represented by angle and the other by radius—providing a multi-dimensional way to explore proportions and comparisons.

Key Features

• Displays data using both angular width and radial length.
• Allows users to show more information than a typical pie or donut chart.
• Supports dynamic formatting, tooltips, and interactive legends.
• Fully customizable with color, labels, tooltips, and sorting options.
• Responsive to Power BI slicers, filters, and drillthrough actions.

Data Requirements

To use the Aster Plot visual effectively, your dataset must include:

• 1 Dimension (Category): This defines each slice or segment of the Aster Plot.
• 1 Measure (Value): This determines both the angle and/or radius based on settings.

Use Cases

This visual is suitable for a wide range of analytical and presentation scenarios, including:

• Marketing performance by channel (e.g., impressions vs. spend)
• Sales contribution by region with growth magnitude
• Customer segmentation by volume and profitability
• Comparative visualization of KPIs with proportional weights

How It Works

Each category is rendered as a wedge or slice with:

• Angle: Typically proportional to the measure value, showing relative weight or share.
• Radius: Represents the second aspect of the measure, such as magnitude, growth, or intensity.

This dual encoding provides more information density in a compact circular format.

Customization Options

The Aster Plot visual includes the following formatting capabilities:

• Color configuration by category or measure
• Label display: category names and values
• Tooltip formatting and additional fields
• Legend visibility and positioning
• Sorting options based on angle, radius, or total value
• Radius scaling control for fine-tuned data emphasis

Best Practices

• Use when you want to represent two measures on the same chart.
• Ensure category count is manageable (ideally fewer than 20 for readability).
• Avoid clutter by limiting the number of decimal places in labels.
• Use consistent measure units for easier comparison.

Limitations

• Does not support more than one category or more than one measure at a time.
• May become hard to interpret with a large number of categories.
• Not ideal for precision reading—better suited for pattern and proportion visualization.

Installation and Setup

To install the Aster Plot visual:

1. Download the visual from Microsoft AppSource or import from file.
2. In Power BI Desktop, go to the “Visualizations” pane and click “... (Import a visual from a file)”
3. Load the .pbiviz file for the Aster Plot.
4. Drag your desired fields into the Category and Measure wells.
5. Customize the formatting options as needed.