A real-world sales dataset to practice Power BI visualizations. Connect directly from the web and follow the exercises below to build a professional dashboard.
Import the dataset directly from the web — no local file download needed.
In Power BI Desktop, go to Home → Get Data → Web
Copy the URL below and paste it into the web connection dialog.
Make sure Order Date and Ship Date are detected as Date type.
Click Close & Apply and start building your visualizations.
https://data-visualization-lab.pages.dev/data/superstore.csv
21 columns covering dates, geography, categories, and numeric metrics.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Order Date | date | Date the order was placed |
| Ship Date | date | Date the order was shipped |
| Ship Mode | text | Shipping method — Standard, Second Class, First Class, Same Day |
| Segment | text | Consumer, Corporate, Home Office |
| Country | geo | Customer's country |
| City | geo | Customer's city |
| State | geo | Customer's state |
| Region | geo | East, West, Central, South |
| Category | text | Furniture, Office Supplies, Technology |
| Sub-Category | text | 17 product sub-categories |
| Product Name | text | Full product name |
| Sales | number | Sales amount in USD |
| Quantity | number | Units sold |
| Discount | number | Discount applied (0–0.8) |
| Profit | number | Profit or loss in USD |
6 progressive exercises to master the most useful Power BI visuals.
Create 4 Card visuals with key metrics: Total Sales, Total Profit, Number of Orders, and Average Margin (%). Format numbers properly (currency, percentage). Add conditional color formatting to the margin card.
Build a horizontal bar chart with Sub-Categories sorted by sales. Add a Treemap with Category → Sub-Category hierarchy. Use consistent colors. Which sub-category sells the most? Which one generates the most profit?
Create a line chart showing monthly sales evolution. Add a trend line. Then build a stacked area chart split by Category. Add a Year slicer to filter. Can you spot any seasonality patterns?
Use a Power BI map (Filled Map or Map visual) to display sales by State. Bubble size represents sales, color represents profit. Add drill-down to City level. Which states are losing money?
Create a scatter plot with Discount on the X axis and Profit on the Y axis, segmented by Category. Do higher discounts drive more profit? Use a Waterfall chart to show which sub-categories add or subtract from total profit.
Combine your best visuals into a single-page dashboard. Add slicers for Region, Category, and Year. Configure cross-filtering between visuals. Apply a custom theme. Goal: a professional report you'd present to a director.