# Gauge Plume: 10 use cases for your Power BI gauges

> One gauge per region, colors from each region's own target ★, % of target, costs where lower is better, bullets, play axis ★, history ★ and several needles ★.

- Language: English
- Web page: https://plumevisuals.com/en/tutorials/gauge-plume-cas-pratiques
- Published: 2026-10-21
- Visual: Gauge Plume, technical reference: https://plumevisuals.com/ai/visuals/gauge.md
- If an option name in this tutorial differs from the technical reference, the reference is right (it is generated from the visual's code).

These recipes reuse the `Sales` table and the `Revenue`, `Target` and `Revenue LY` measures of the [getting started](/en/tutorials/gauge-plume-prise-en-main) page. Each recipe starts from a Gauge Plume visual with `Revenue` in **Value** and `Target` in **Target value**.

## How do I show one gauge per region?

You want to compare regions at a glance, each one against its target.

1. Drop the `Sales[Region]` column into **One gauge per… (category)**. One gauge per region appears in a grid, with the region name above it.
2. Open **Format › Layout › Order** and choose *% of target, descending*: the region furthest ahead comes first.
3. Keep **Same scale for every gauge** on to compare amounts with each other; turn it off so that each gauge has its own maximum.
4. For a single row or column, set **Columns (0 = automatic)** (for example `1` for one column).

Result: a readable grid; clicking a gauge filters the other visuals of the page, Ctrl + click adds one, clicking an empty spot clears.

## How do I color each region from its own target ★?

Red below 90% of the target, amber between 90 and 100%, green beyond, each region with **its own** target.

1. **Format › Color ranges › Show**: on.
2. **Range limits**: *In % of the target ★* (watermark without a key; for free, drop measures into the **Range limits** field, see below).
3. **Limit 1**: `90`, **Limit 2**: `100`.
4. Keep **Format › Gauge › Fill › Color of the range reached** on: the arc and the value take the color of the range.

Result: with no DAX measure at all, a region at 108% of its target is green, a region at 92% is amber.

## How do I show the percentage of target in the center?

1. **Format › Callout value › Value › Content**: *% of the target* (or *Value and % of the target* for both).
2. For rounding, **Format › Callout value › Numbers › Decimals (-1 = auto)**: `0` or `1`.

Result: "85%" in the center; the "▼ 15% below target" gap is still written underneath (turn it off in **Format › Target › Gap to target under the value (▲▼)**).

## How do I track a cost or a lead time, where lower is better?

For a delivery lead time, being above the target is bad.

1. **Format › Color ranges › Colors**: *Green → red (low is good)*. The gap to target follows this direction: above the target in red, below in green (the ▲▼ arrows keep the actual direction).
2. ★ With a measure in **Comparison ★**: **Format › Comparison › A decrease is favorable** on. The ▲▼ arrows keep the direction (up or down), the color says whether it is good: above the target in red, below in green.
3. With **Range limits** *Values*, type for example `2` and `3` (days) in **Limit 1** and **Limit 2**.
4. A lead time doesn't have a "target" but a threshold: in the **Target value** well, double-click the measure and rename it `Threshold` for this visual.

Result: the label and the tooltip say "Threshold"; the gap stays neutral ("▲ 12% above target"). For another text without renaming the field, type it in **Format › Target › Target name**.

## How do I use limits that come from measures?

Your limits change by product or region: write them in DAX.

```dax
Low limit = [Target] * 0.9   -- 90% of the target
High limit = [Target]        -- the target itself
```

1. Drop `Low limit` then `High limit` into **Range limits** (up to 4 measures: 5 ranges).
2. Turn on **Format › Color ranges › Show**. The **Range limits** and **Number of ranges** settings leave the pane: the measures decide.

> **Note:** With 3 or 4 measures in Range limits, you get 4 or 5 ranges: that is a ★ feature (watermark without a key).

## How do I make a linear gauge or a bullet chart?

1. **Format › Gauge › Shape › Gauge type**: *Horizontal linear*, *Vertical linear*, *Bullet chart* or *Thermometer ★*.
2. Bullet chart: without ranges, the visual draws three gray bands (Stephen Few's qualitative reading), a thin bar for the value and a line for the target; with **Color ranges**, the bands take the range colors.
3. With **One gauge per…** and **Format › Layout › Columns** set to `1`, you get a list of bullets, one per region, with its name on the left.

## How do I animate the gauge month by month ★?

1. Drop the `Sales[Month]` column into **Play axis ★** (watermark without a key). A play bar appears under the gauge: ▶ button, slider, start and end, speed.
2. Click ▶: the needle and the arc glide from one month to the next; the scale stays the same for the whole year.
3. **Format › Playback ★**: **Duration of a frame (ms)**, **Loop**, **Frame shown on opening**.
4. ★ **Needle memory (min. and max. reached)**: a thin arc shows the part of the scale already reached, with the highest and lowest values.

> **Tip:** With the keyboard: Tab to the bar, then Space to play or pause, arrows to step back or forward, Home and End.

## How do I add a history sparkline under the gauge ★?

1. Drop `Sales[Month]` into **History (date) ★**.
2. The gauge now shows the **last period** (December), and a sparkline draws the whole year under the gauge, with the target as a dashed line.
3. **Format › History (sparkline)**: **Shape** (*Area*, *Line*, *Columns*), **Height (% of the gauge)**, **Target line**, **Dot on the last period**.

## How do I show several needles (target, last year, forecast) ★?

1. **Format › Needle › Show**: on.
2. ★ **Needle for the target** and ★ **Needle for the comparison**: the target and last year become needles (the comparison dotted).
3. Drop a `Year-end forecast` measure into **Extra needles ★** (up to 3 measures).
4. A needle legend appears under the gauge (**Needle legend (several needles)**).
5. For a car speedometer: **Format › Dial › Skin** *Sport (dashboard) ★* and **Format › Needle › Shape** *Sport (counterweight) ★*.

## How do I drive the gauge color with DAX?

Green when the target is reached, blue otherwise.

```dax
Color versus target = IF ( [Revenue] >= [Target], "#2E7D4F", "#2A6F97" )
```

1. Drop the measure into **Dynamic format**, then, in the field well, **Rename for this visual**: `gauge.fillColor`.
2. Or, without renaming: **Format › Gauge › Fill › Color**, **fx** button, *Field value*, and pick the measure.

Every key you can drive (gauge type, ranges, needle…) is listed in the [dynamic formats](/en/tutorials/formats-dynamiques) tutorial and on the [fields and settings](/en/tutorials/gauge-plume-champs-et-reglages) page.

**Going further:** [getting started](/en/tutorials/gauge-plume-prise-en-main), [fields and settings](/en/tutorials/gauge-plume-champs-et-reglages), [the common basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume), the [visual page](/en/visuals/gauge), [support](/en/support).