# A drop, barrel or logo gauge that fills up in Power BI

> Getting started with Shape Gauge Plume: a value and its target, a shape that fills up with color, one shape per region, a horizontal fill.

- Language: English
- Web page: https://plumevisuals.com/en/tutorials/shape-gauge-plume-prise-en-main
- Published: 2026-10-21
- Visual: Shape Gauge Plume, technical reference: https://plumevisuals.com/ai/visuals/shape-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).

## In short

**What is a shape gauge?** A shape (a drop, a barrel, a bottle, your logo) fills up with color to the level of a percentage. Mini example: your tanks hold 30,000 liters out of a 60,000-liter capacity; the barrel is half full, and the label reads "50%".

- **What the visual does.** Shape Gauge Plume computes the percentage (value divided by the target, or position between a minimum and a maximum), fills the shape with a wavy surface, writes the percentage in two tones (light over the filled part), draws the target and draws one shape per category; as a ★ feature, with a date field, it fills the shape year after year.
- **When to use it.** Target achievement, stock or tank level, budget spent, fundraising, satisfaction rate, warehouse occupancy: a percentage read at a glance.
- **When to use something else.** Comparing dozens of values precisely: Bar Plume. Following a detailed trend: Line Plume. A KPI with its trend: KPI Plume.
- **What you will be able to do.** Create two measures, insert the visual, choose the shape and the color, add a target, draw one shape per region, change the fill direction.
- **What you need:** Power BI Desktop, the Shape Gauge Plume visual installed (see [the common basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume)), a table with a value and its target. The **PlumeShapeGauge-Sample-EN** sample report, in your ["Downloads"](/en/account/downloads) area, shows a drop, a burgundy barrel, a wine glass and a thermometer (page 1), one shape per region and a ranking (page 2) and the ★ features, including the player (page 3).

## The data to provide

**The shape.** One row per region and per year: the region, the year, the actual amount and the target.

| Region | Year | Amount | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| West | 2024 | 410,000 | 600,000 |
| West | 2025 | 520,000 | 600,000 |
| South | 2024 | 480,000 | 650,000 |
| South | 2025 | 610,000 | 650,000 |
| Central | 2024 | 300,000 | 700,000 |
| Central | 2025 | 390,000 | 700,000 |

To try without a file: **Modeling › New table**, then paste:

```dax
Sales =
DATATABLE (
    "Region", STRING, "Year", INTEGER, "Amount", DOUBLE, "Target amount", DOUBLE,
    {
        { "West", 2024, 410000, 600000 },
        { "West", 2025, 520000, 600000 },
        { "South", 2024, 480000, 650000 },
        { "South", 2025, 610000, 650000 },
        { "Central", 2024, 300000, 700000 },
        { "Central", 2025, 390000, 700000 }
    }
)
```

**The measures.** The **Value** and **Target (100 %)** wells expect **measures** (a calculation Power BI redoes for each filter, written in DAX; see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)):

```dax
Revenue = SUM ( Sales[Amount] )           -- the actual amount in the current filter
Target = SUM ( Sales[Target amount] )     -- the matching target: the shape is full when Revenue = Target
```

**Pitfalls.**
- A measure that is already a percentage (% format, values from 0 to 1) is enough: without a target, 0.62 fills the shape to 62%.
- Without a target or a maximum, and with values above 1, the largest value is 100%: add the target, or set **Format › Scale and target › Maximum (full shape)**.
- The `Year` column is used as a filter here; it also feeds the ★ play axis (see the [use cases](/en/tutorials/shape-gauge-plume-cas-pratiques)).

## Step by step: your first shape gauge in 10 minutes

1. In the **Visualizations** pane, click the **Shape Gauge Plume** icon (a drop). A frame appears with a small half-full drop and the hint "Add a value to fill the shape".
2. Drag the `Revenue` measure into **Value**. The drop fills up (the largest value is 100% as long as there is no target).
3. Drag the `Target` measure into **Target (100 %)**. The level rises to the achievement rate with a short animation, and the label shows the percentage in white over the filled part.
4. Open **Format › Data colors** and choose a **Color**: the filled part takes it, the empty part takes a light tint of it.
5. Open **Format › Data labels › Content** and choose *Percentage and value*: the amount is added in small type under the percentage.
6. Drag `Region` into **Category (one shape each)**: one drop per region, with its name below, arranged in a grid automatically.
7. Open **Format › Data colors › Coloring** = *One color per category*: each region gets its own color, which you can change one by one.
8. Click a drop: the other visuals of the page filter on this region and the other drops fade. Click an empty area of the visual to clear.
9. Open **Format › Fill › Fill direction** = *Horizontal, left → right*: the drops fill from left to right, like a progress bar.
10. Right-click a drop: the Power BI menu (Include, Exclude, Drill) opens, as everywhere in the visual.

**Expected result:** one drop per region, filled from left to right to the achievement rate of its target, one color per region. No watermark: everything above is free.

## Troubleshooting

| What you see | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| "Add a value to fill the shape" | No measure in Value (nor in Stacked layers) | Drag a measure into **Value** |
| The shape is always full | A single value, with no target or maximum (it is 100%) | Add the **Target (100 %)**, or a maximum in **Format › Scale and target** |
| "—" instead of a percentage | The measure is blank for this category | Check the measure or the filters |
| The shape is empty with a negative label | The value is below the minimum (0 by default) | Expected: set the minimum if needed |
| A dome appears above the shape | The value is above 100% | **Format › Fill › Above 100%** = *Capped at 100%* to remove it |
| The ★ player's year shows as "2,024" | The Year column has a format with a thousands separator | Column format: whole number without separator |
| "Premium preview" watermark | A ★ feature is used without a key (premium shape, circular fill, thresholds, play axis…) | Key in **Format › Plume Studio License**, or a free shape |
| Only 60 shapes are shown | Too many categories | **Format › Layout › Shapes at most**, or filter the page |

## Key takeaways

- Percentage = value / target; or between a minimum and a maximum.
- 22 free shapes, including the drop, circle, heart, person, house and the barrel, bottle, glasses, thermometer and batteries; the 131 others, including the other containers (tank, beaker, hourglass…), are ★.
- One shape per category with the **Category** field (free); the shape that fills up year after year with the **Play axis ★** field.
- Single color or one per category: free; threshold colors, exact area and tick marks: ★.

## Learn more

- [Shape Gauge Plume use cases](/en/tutorials/shape-gauge-plume-cas-pratiques): barrel, thermometer, logo, player, thresholds, layers, pictograms.
- [Shape Gauge Plume fields and settings](/en/tutorials/shape-gauge-plume-champs-et-reglages): every field well and every setting.
- [Getting started with Plume visuals](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume): installation, license, styles and common settings.
- The visual's page: [Shape Gauge Plume](/en/visuals/shape-gauge). A question: [support](/en/support).