New KPI Card Features and Enhancements in Power BI

The new card visual in Power BI is the main KPI-style building block for modern dashboards. It replaces and extends older card experiences and is being actively enhanced.

1. Key differences between the new card visual and classic KPI-style visuals

From the current documentation, the new card visual:

• Displays key metrics in a flexible, visually rich format, including:
  • A primary measure value (the “callout”)
  • Optional callout images
  • Reference labels and supporting details
  • Single-card and multi-card layouts
• Supports multiple measures and reference labels in one visual, which improves report performance by reducing visual load and optimizing queries to the semantic model.
• Supports images that can be data-driven, enabling custom KPI-like visuals that respond to data.
• Has updated default styling and a reorganized Format pane compared to earlier/legacy card visuals.
• Includes layout options such as Fit to space (renamed from Autogrid) to automatically arrange multiple cards within the visual container.

Classic KPI visuals (and legacy cards) focus on a single KPI with more rigid formatting, while the new card visual is designed as a more general, composable KPI/card building block with richer layout and image capabilities.

2. Advanced customization options and formatting

Based on the current feature set:

• The new card visual already supports rich formatting of card elements (callout, labels, layout, images) and has updated default styling.
• Conditional formatting is supported for cards, including callout values, labels, and other card elements. This enables dynamic color and style changes based on data values, which can be used to emulate KPI status behavior.
• Recent updates include category interactivity and formatting improvements:
  • Selecting a category header highlights the selected card and dims others.
  • When multiple data columns are added to the category field, values concatenate in the category header.
  • Top-level images now display correctly when image data is base64 encoded.

The context does not list animated indicators or explicit “conditional icons” as separate features, but conditional formatting and image support allow building visually rich KPI-like cards.

3. Trend analysis and dynamic target comparisons

Within the provided information:

• The new card visual is optimized to show key metrics with supporting details and reference labels. Multiple measures and reference labels can be combined in a single visual, which is useful for showing:
  • Current value vs. target
  • Current value vs. prior period
  • Additional reference metrics alongside the main KPI.
• KPI visuals and gauge charts remain available for explicit goal and progress tracking:
  • KPI visuals communicate progress toward a measurable goal and distance to a metric.
  • Gauge charts show progress toward a goal with a radial gauge.

For richer trend analysis (time-series), line/area charts or other visuals are typically used alongside cards/KPIs. The card visual itself is focused on highlighting key values and related reference information rather than full time-series plots.

4. Best practices for using card/KPI visuals in professional and executive dashboards

From the documentation and feature descriptions, recommended practices include:

• Use cards when a single number is the key message
  • Examples: total sales, market share, number of active users, on-time delivery rate.
  • Place these prominently at the top of executive dashboards.
• Combine multiple measures and references in one card visual
  • Use the new card visual’s ability to host multiple measures and reference labels to reduce the number of visuals and improve performance.
  • Include supporting details (e.g., prior period, variance, percentage change) as secondary elements.
• Use conditional formatting to highlight status
  • Apply conditional formatting to callout values and labels to show status (good/bad/neutral) via color.
  • Use expression-based titles/subtitles where appropriate to make KPI context clear (e.g., “Sales vs Target – Current FY”).
• Use appropriate KPI-type visuals for goals and progress
  • Use KPI visuals when explicit goal tracking and distance-to-target are central.
  • Use gauge charts for a single measure’s health/progress toward a goal.
  • Use the new card visual when a flexible layout, multiple measures, or images are needed.
• Design for clarity and consistency
  • Keep card layouts and styles consistent across a dashboard (fonts, colors, label positions).
  • Use Fit to space for multi-card layouts to efficiently use space while keeping key metrics readable.
  • Avoid overloading a single card with too many elements; prioritize the main KPI and 1–2 key references.
• Leverage interactivity
  • Use the new category interactivity: selecting a category header can highlight a specific card and dim others.
  • Use Edit interactions to control how card selections filter or highlight other visuals on the page.

For ongoing updates and future enhancements, monitor the “What’s new in Power BI” documentation, which regularly calls out new card visual capabilities.

References:

• Create a card visual in Power BI
• Visualizations overview in Power BI
• What's new in Power BI? April 2026 update
• Conditional formatting in Power BI visuals