A readable gauge in Power BI: target, ranges and gap at a glance

In short

What is a gauge? A gauge shows one value on a scale, like a car speedometer: you see at once how far you are from the maximum and, above all, from the target. It answers a single question: "Where do we stand?".

Mini example. Your 2025 revenue is $1.53M, the target is $1.8M, and last year you were at $1.40M. The gauge fills 77% of its arc, draws a line at the target and writes under the value "▼ 15% below target" (and, with the comparison ★, "▲ +9.4% vs Revenue LY").

• What the visual does. Gauge Plume takes the fields of the Power BI gauge (Value, Minimum value, Maximum value, Target value) and adds what it lacks: eight shapes (semicircle, arcs, ring, custom angles, linear gauges, bullet chart), red, amber and green ranges, a needle, the gap to target written with ▲▼ and one gauge per category. Premium (★): a play axis that steps through the months, the comparison with last year, the thermometer, ranges in % of the target, the gap arc, a history sparkline under the gauge, several needles, car-dashboard dials and gradient ranges.
• When to use it. One key indicator against its target: revenue, satisfaction rate, service level, budget used, warehouse fill.
• When to choose something else. To follow a trend over time, a line chart (Line Plume); to compare many categories, bars (Bar Plume); for several indicators as cards, KPI Plume.
• What you will learn. Create the measures, insert the gauge, add the target and last year, choose the shape, color three ranges and show the needle.
• What you need: Power BI Desktop, the Gauge Plume visual installed (see the common basics), a table with an amount. The PlumeGauge-Sample-EN sample report, in your "Downloads" area, shows the shapes (page 1), one gauge per region and bullets (page 2) and the ★ features, including the play axis (page 3).

The data to provide

The shape. A gauge only needs a measure (a calculation Power BI redoes for the current filters, written in DAX; see the glossary) for the value; target, minimum and maximum are optional. For one gauge per region, add a category column.

Region	Month	Amount	Target amount	Amount 2024
North	1/1/2025	112,400	108,000	101,900
North	2/1/2025	118,900	110,000	109,300
South	1/1/2025	86,200	95,000	80,100
South	2/1/2025	91,700	96,000	84,600
East	1/1/2025	74,300	81,000	70,800
East	2/1/2025	79,900	82,000	74,200

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

Sales =
DATATABLE (
    "Region", STRING, "Month", DATETIME, "Amount", DOUBLE, "Target amount", DOUBLE, "Amount 2024", DOUBLE,
    {
        { "North", "2025-01-01", 112400, 108000, 101900 },
        { "North", "2025-02-01", 118900, 110000, 109300 },
        { "South", "2025-01-01", 86200, 95000, 80100 },
        { "South", "2025-02-01", 91700, 96000, 84600 },
        { "East", "2025-01-01", 74300, 81000, 70800 },
        { "East", "2025-02-01", 79900, 82000, 74200 }
    }
)

The measures. One sum per column is enough:

Revenue = SUM ( Sales[Amount] )                -- the value of the gauge
Target = SUM ( Sales[Target amount] )          -- the target line
Revenue LY = SUM ( Sales[Amount 2024] )        -- the comparison ★ (use cases)

Pitfalls.

• A gauge shows one number per category: if you drop the Amount column instead of the measure, Power BI summarizes it (sum by default); check the summarization with the arrow of the field.
• A rate (satisfaction, margin) must be a percentage measure (0.72 for 72%) with the % format: the gauge then picks the 0 to 100% scale automatically.
• Without "Maximum value", the maximum is rounded above the value and the target ($2M for $1.53M and $1.8M): never "twice the value" like the Power BI gauge, unless you choose it.

Step by step: your first gauge in 10 minutes

1. In the Visualizations pane, click the Gauge Plume icon. An empty frame appears, with a landing page that lists the fields to drop.
2. Drop the Revenue measure into Value. A semicircle fills up to the value, "$0M" and the maximum are written under the ends, and the value shows in the center.
3. Drop Target into Target value. A line marks the target, with its "Target: …" label (the measure name), and the "▼ … below target" (or "▲ … above target") line appears under the value.
4. Open Format › Callout value › Value › Content and choose Value and % of the target: "$7.28M · 99%" in the center.
5. Open Format › Gauge › Shape › Gauge type and try Arc (240°), Ring (full circle), Horizontal linear. Go back to Semicircle (180°) or keep the one you like.
6. Open Format › Color ranges and turn on Show. Three ranges appear in the track: red up to 50% of the scale, amber up to 80%, green beyond; the arc and the value take the color of the range reached.
7. In the same card, type 70 in Limit 1 and 90 in Limit 2: red up to 70% of the scale, amber up to 90%, green beyond.
8. Type Watch;Close;Reached in Range names (separated by ;): the name of the range reached is written under the value.
9. Open Format › Needle and turn on Show: a tapered needle points at the value and the value moves under the hub.
10. Hover over the gauge: the tooltip gives the value, the target, the % of target, the gap, the minimum, the maximum and the range.

Troubleshooting

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
"Add a measure in "Value""	Only the target or the comparison ★ is placed	Drop the main measure into Value
The gauge is almost empty or full	The maximum or minimum does not fit	Format › Scale › Minimum and maximum, or drop a measure into Maximum value
"140%" instead of 72%	The measure returns 72 instead of 0.72	Divide by 100 in the measure, or set the scale from 0 to 100
A ▲ tip at the end of the arc	The value is above the maximum	Expected: the exact value is still written; or Value out of scale › Extend the scale
The target label shows only the number	Not enough room next to the marker	Make the visual larger; the gauge already shrinks its radius to keep the label readable
The ranges do not follow the target	Range limits is In % of the scale (or there is no target: the visual then falls back to % of the scale)	Choose In % of the target ★ and drop a measure into Target value, or drop measures into Range limits (free)
A "Premium preview" watermark	A ★ feature is on	Look for the ★ in the Format pane, or paste your key in Format › Plume Studio License

Key takeaways

• One measure in Value is enough; Target value adds the ▲▼ gap written under the value (and Comparison ★ the change since last year).
• The automatic maximum is rounded above the value and the target.
• Color ranges: in % of the scale, as values or from measures (in % of the target ★); the color of the range reached colors the arc.
• Eight free shapes (plus the thermometer ★) in Format › Gauge › Gauge type.

Going further: the use cases (one gauge per region, bullets, "lower is better", play axis ★, history ★), the fields and settings reference, the common basics, the visual page and support.