DAX SVG measure · Comparison

IBCS variance bars and pins in Power BI with DAX

IBCS notation shows absolute variances as bars and relative variances as pins (a thin line with a head), both from a vertical axis that stands for the plan. Green means favourable, red unfavourable, and the measure scales every row to the largest variance in view so bars are comparable.
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By · Founder & Reliability Engineer · Updated

Variance bar (IBCS style) rendered from the DAX below with sample data
Rendered from the measure below with sample data at 2× (160×18 px in Power BI). 390 characters.

Use it when

  • Finance tables comparing actual (AC) with plan (PL) or prior year (PY).
  • You follow or are moving towards IBCS-style reporting.
  • Some lines are costs, where under plan is favourable.

Skip it when

The table has very different magnitudes per row (revenue next to a small cost line): the absolute bars of small lines vanish. Use the relative pin.

Three looks

The variance bar (ibcs style) in three palettes; click one to edit it.

Data it needs

The builder asks for exactly these fields; type your own measure and column names there.

Row column
The column on the table's rows (account, region).
Actual (AC)
Actual measure.
Plan or prior year
Reference measure. ΔPL% divides by |PL|, so a zero plan returns BLANK().

The full DAX

Swap 'Region'[Region] and [Sales] and [Sales Plan] for your own names.

Variance Bar (measure)
Variance Bar =
-- VizForge SVG measure: absolute variance bar (ΔPL), scaled across every row in the visual.
-- Set Measure tools > Data category = Image URL. The row column must be the column on the table's rows.
-- IBCS notation: green = favourable, red = unfavourable; the axis is the plan.
-- Made with the free VizForge SVG measure builder: vizforge.ai/tools/svg-measure-builder
-- Need per-point tooltips, click-to-select inside the chart or Format-pane settings? Generate it as a real custom visual: vizforge.ai/visuals
VAR _Var = [Sales] - [Sales Plan]
VAR _Rows = ADDCOLUMNS ( ALLSELECTED ( 'Region'[Region] ), "@a", [Sales], "@p", [Sales Plan] )
VAR _Max = MAXX ( _Rows, ABS ( [@a] - [@p] ) )
VAR _Colour = IF ( _Var >= 0, "%231AAB40", "%23D64554" )
RETURN
    IF (
        ISBLANK ( _Var ),
        BLANK (),
        "data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' width='160' height='18' viewBox='0 0 160 18'><rect x='"
            & FORMAT ( MIN ( 57, 57 + DIVIDE ( _Var, _Max, 0 ) * 54 ), "0.0", "en-US" )
            & "' y='3.5' width='"
            & FORMAT ( ABS ( 57 + DIVIDE ( _Var, _Max, 0 ) * 54 - 57 ), "0.0", "en-US" )
            & "' height='11' fill='"
            & _Colour
            & "'/><rect x='56.5' y='0' width='1' height='18' fill='%23252423'/><text x='160' y='9' dy='0.35em' text-anchor='end' font-family='Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif' font-size='11' fill='%23252423'>"
            & FORMAT ( _Var, "+#,0.0,""K"";-#,0.0,""K"";0", "en-US" )
            & "</text></svg>"
    )
DAX user-defined function variant (VizForge.SvgVarianceBar)

One-line call: Variance Bar = VizForge.SvgVarianceBar ( 'Region'[Region], [Sales], [Sales Plan] )

DAX query view script
-- 1) Paste into DAX query view and choose 'Update model with changes'.
--    Needs DAX user-defined functions (generally available since the June 2026 Power BI release).
DEFINE
    /// Variance bar (IBCS style) as an SVG image URL (VizForge). Optional parameters default to the colours you picked.
    FUNCTION VizForge.SvgVarianceBar = (
            pCategory : ANYREF EXPR,
            pActual : ANYREF EXPR,
            pPlan : ANYREF EXPR,
            pGoodColor : STRING = "#1AAB40",
            pBadColor : STRING = "#D64554",
            pAxisColor : STRING = "#252423",
            pLabelColor : STRING = "#252423"
        ) =>
        VAR _Var = pActual - pPlan
        VAR _Rows = ADDCOLUMNS ( ALLSELECTED ( pCategory ), "@a", CALCULATE ( pActual ), "@p", CALCULATE ( pPlan ) )
        VAR _Max = MAXX ( _Rows, ABS ( [@a] - [@p] ) )
        VAR _Colour = IF (
            _Var >= 0,
            SUBSTITUTE ( pGoodColor, "#", "%23" ),
            SUBSTITUTE ( pBadColor, "#", "%23" )
        )
        RETURN
            IF (
                ISBLANK ( _Var ),
                BLANK (),
                "data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' width='160' height='18' viewBox='0 0 160 18'><rect x='"
                    & FORMAT ( MIN ( 57, 57 + DIVIDE ( _Var, _Max, 0 ) * 54 ), "0.0", "en-US" )
                    & "' y='3.5' width='"
                    & FORMAT ( ABS ( 57 + DIVIDE ( _Var, _Max, 0 ) * 54 - 57 ), "0.0", "en-US" )
                    & "' height='11' fill='"
                    & _Colour
                    & "'/><rect x='56.5' y='0' width='1' height='18' fill='"
                    & SUBSTITUTE ( pAxisColor, "#", "%23" )
                    & "'/><text x='160' y='9' dy='0.35em' text-anchor='end' font-family='Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif' font-size='11' fill='"
                    & SUBSTITUTE ( pLabelColor, "#", "%23" )
                    & "'>"
                    & FORMAT ( _Var, "+#,0.0,""K"";-#,0.0,""K"";0", "en-US" )
                    & "</text></svg>"
            )

EVALUATE { VizForge.SvgVarianceBar ( 'Region'[Region], [Sales], [Sales Plan] ) }

-- 2) Then create the measure and set Measure tools > Data category = Image URL:
-- Variance Bar = VizForge.SvgVarianceBar ( 'Region'[Region], [Sales], [Sales Plan] )
--    Colours and thresholds are optional parameters: pass a value after the fields to override one.
--    Pass colours as plain "#RRGGBB"; the function encodes the # for the data URI.

Placing it in a report

Needs 'Region'[Region] on the rows plus [Sales] and [Sales Plan]; 18 × 160. Follow IBCS: put the absolute variance column next to it so readers get the number and the bar. Remember the Image URL data category. All setup steps.

Gotchas

When an SVG measure isn't enough

A variance chart visual can bridge from plan to actual, show both values on hover and filter the page by account. See the Waterfall custom visual for what an interactive version can do.

KPI card designs using it

Finished designs built on this pattern, from the KPI card gallery.