Power BI Donut Charts Add a Built-In Center Value

Key insights

• Pragmatic Works gives four rules for deciding whether a pie or donut chart fits the data.
• The values should add up to 100%, with six categories or fewer and clearly different values.
• Use a bar or column chart when it makes the comparison easier to read.
• Power BI's August 2026 update made a donut center value generally available.
• The center can include a value, label, icon and background within the donut visual.

Pragmatic Works recently published a video in which Allison Gonzalez explains when pie and donut charts make sense in Power BI, and demonstrates a built-in center value for donut charts. The feature became generally available in the August 2026 Power BI update, according to the video description. The practical takeaway is to use circular charts only for a clear part-to-whole comparison, and to choose a bar or column chart when that makes differences easier to judge.

What's new

The video combines chart-selection advice with a look at a change to Power BI’s donut chart. Previously, a report author might put a separate card visual over a donut to display a headline figure in its center. The new center-value capability lets the author add that content within the donut visual instead.

The description says the center can contain a value and label, as well as an icon and background. This gives authors options for presenting a summary metric alongside the chart’s segments, without building the center treatment from a separate overlaid card. The material does not specify the exact configuration controls or any constraints on the types of values and images.

That addition does not change what a donut chart represents: categories as shares of a whole. The center value is a separate summary element, not a replacement for the segments. The video’s broader message is that a new formatting option does not make a donut the right choice for every dataset.

Why it matters

For Power BI report authors, the four rules offer a quick check before adding a pie or donut visual. The data should add up to a whole, the chart should have no more than six categories, and the values should be clearly different from one another. The final rule is to use another visual when a bar or column chart shows the comparison better.

These checks help prevent a familiar reporting problem: a chart may look compact, but still make its message difficult to read. Circular segments are a poor fit when readers need to compare close values or rank many categories. Pragmatic Works emphasizes that bar charts are usually easier to read, and suggests asking whether a bar chart would show the comparison better before settling on a donut or pie.

The center-value option may be useful when an author wants a headline number and a view of how categories contribute to the total in the same visual. For example, a summary figure could sit within the donut while the segments provide the composition around it. That is a design possibility implied by the feature description, not a specific scenario or example confirmed in the video notes.

The material is aimed at people making Power BI reports, rather than describing a change to tenant administration or licensing. It identifies the feature as generally available in the August 2026 update, but gives no licensing details or tenant rollout information. Readers should not infer from this video alone that the feature is available under every configuration.

How it works

The video description says it covers setting up and formatting the new center value, but it does not provide a transcript of the individual clicks or settings. At a high level, the feature places the center content inside the donut visual itself, rather than requiring a separate card to be layered on top. The available elements listed in the description are a value, label, icon and background.

1. Start by checking that the categories represent parts of one total, and that the values add up to 100%.
2. Keep the chart to six categories or fewer, and check that the values are sufficiently different to distinguish.
3. Compare the result with a bar or column chart. Choose the circular chart only if it communicates the comparison well.
4. If using a donut, add and format its center value and, if needed, a label, icon or background within the visual.

The first three steps follow the four selection rules in the video description; the last summarizes the listed center-formatting capabilities. The description does not explain whether every element is required or provide detailed instructions for configuring each one. Authors looking for exact interface steps will need to consult the video itself.

Limitations and open questions

The video’s rules are specific and intentionally brief, but they are not a full charting guide. The description does not discuss cases where a dataset has negative values, multiple series or changes over time. It also does not explain how to handle data that does not represent a meaningful whole.

The six-category threshold is the video’s guidance; it should not be confused with a universal technical limit on what Power BI can display. The source does not provide a benchmark or a detailed comparison of how viewers interpret different chart types. It does, however, make the practical recommendation to prefer a bar or column chart when that visual makes comparisons clearer.

The center feature’s name, precise formatting settings and accessibility behavior are not given in the supplied material. Nor does it state which licensing plans include the feature or describe tenant-by-tenant rollout. The notes establish that it became generally available with the August 2026 update, but readers should check their own Power BI environment for the controls they need.

For more on the product, see our Power BI coverage. For the complete explanation and demonstration, consult the Pragmatic Works video.

Sources

• Pragmatic Works video: When Should You Use a Pie or Donut Chart?

Frequently asked questions

What are the four rules for using a pie or donut chart?

The values should add up to 100%, there should be six categories or fewer, the values should be clearly different, and a bar or column chart should not show the comparison better.

What can appear in the center of a Power BI donut chart?

The video description says the center can contain a value, label, icon and background. It does not give detailed setup instructions in the supplied material.

When did the donut center value become generally available?

The video description says it became generally available in the August 2026 Power BI update. It does not provide licensing or tenant rollout details.