Problem Statement
Retail businesses gather large volumes of data across products, customers, geographies, and logistics, but struggle to gain meaningful insights. This blog helps analyze the Sample Superstore dataset using Power BI to explore profitability, customer segments, product categories, and regional sales trends — supporting better strategic decisions.
📂 Dataset Description ( Download SampleSuperStore Dataset)
The Sample Superstore dataset contains 9,994 records with 13 columns, detailing:
-
Geographical Info: City, State, Region
-
Customer Info: Segment, Ship Mode
-
Product Info: Category, Sub-Category
-
Sales Metrics: Sales, Quantity, Discount, Profit
It helps understand sales trends, profit margins, segment preferences, and performance by region or category.
🔄 Data Transformation in Power BI (Power Query Editor)
After uploading the data via Home > Get Data > Text/CSV, click on Transform Data to enter Power Query Editor.
🔍 Step 1: Check and Correct Data Types
-
Right-click each column ➝ Select Change Type.
-
Ensure numerical columns (e.g., Sales, Profit) are decimal, and
Postal Code
is text. -
Only change if incorrect.
🔍 Step 2: Rename Columns (If Required)
-
Right-click column header ➝ Choose Rename.
-
Example: Rename “Sub-Category” to “SubCategory” for clarity.
🔍 Step 3: Drop Unwanted Columns
-
If
Country
is always “United States”, remove it. -
Right-click ➝ Remove.
🔍 Step 4: Handle Missing Values
-
Check for nulls using Filter dropdown on each column.
-
If any:
-
Replace using Transform > Replace Values or
-
Remove rows using Home > Remove Rows > Remove Blank Rows
-
🔍 Step 5: Remove Duplicates
-
Select all columns ➝ Right-click ➝ Remove Duplicates
🔍 Step 6: Find and Replace Values
-
Go to Transform > Replace Values
-
Use it for correcting spelling issues or replacing unwanted text.
Step 7: Add Calculated Column – Profit Margin
Steps:
-
Go to Add Column > Custom Column
-
Name:
Profit Margin
-
Use logic: Profit divided by Sales
-
Change type to decimal.
Step 8: Add Column – Profit Category
Steps:
-
Go to Add Column > Conditional Column
-
Name:
Profit Category
-
Rules:
-
0 → “Profit”
-
<0 → “Loss”
-
=0 → “Break Even”
Final Step: Apply Changes
Click Close & Apply to load your cleaned dataset into Power BI.
Research Questions and Visuals
RQ1: Which States Generate the Most Profit?
Visual: Bar Chart
Summarize: Sum of Profit
Steps:
-
Choose Bar Chart.
-
Drag
State
to Axis. -
Drag
Profit
to Values. -
Use dropdown in Values to Summarize as Sum.
-
Sort descending by Profit.
-
Format:
-
Enable Data Labels
-
Use gradient color by Profit
-
Set X-axis title to "States" and Y-axis to "Total Profit"
-
📊 RQ2: What is the Sales Performance by Sub-Category?
Visual: Clustered Column Chart
Summarize: Sum of Sales
Steps:
-
Insert Clustered Column chart.
-
Axis:
Sub-Category
-
Values:
Sales
➝ Summarize as Sum -
Format:
-
Data Labels ON
-
Sort from high to low sales
-
Use distinct category colors
-
📊 RQ3: Region & Segment-wise Profit Analysis
Visual: Clustered Bar Chart
Summarize: Sum of Profit
Steps:
-
Insert Clustered Bar Chart.
-
Axis:
Region
-
Legend:
Segment
-
Values:
Profit
➝ Summarize as Sum -
Format:
-
Set proper axis labels
-
Enable legend at top
-
Use diverging colors for regions
-
🥧 RQ4: What is the Distribution of Orders by Ship Mode?
Visual: Pie Chart
Summarize: Count of Orders or Sum of Sales
Steps:
-
Use Pie Chart.
-
Legend:
Ship Mode
-
Values: Use
Sales
or count ofCustomer ID
-
Format:
-
Show percentage data labels
-
Title: "Orders by Shipping Mode"
-
🍩 RQ5: Which Product Categories Are More Profitable?
Visual: Donut Chart
Summarize: Sum of Profit
Steps:
-
Choose Donut Chart.
-
Legend:
Category
-
Values:
Profit
-
Format:
-
Display total in center
-
Label slices with % and category name
-
📈 RQ6: What Are the Sales Trends by Product Category?
Visual: Line Chart
Summarize: Sum of Sales
Steps:
-
Insert Line Chart.
-
Axis:
Category
-
Values:
Sales
➝ Summarize as Sum -
Legend (optional):
Sub-Category
-
Format:
-
Use markers on line
-
Smooth line ON
-
Title: "Sales Trend by Category"
-
🔘 RQ7: How Does Discount Impact Profit?
Visual: Scatter Chart
Summarize: None – raw values
Steps:
-
Select Scatter Chart.
-
X-axis:
Discount
-
Y-axis:
Profit
-
Details:
Sub-Category
orProduct Name
-
Format:
-
Color by
Profit Category
-
Adjust transparency for overlap
-
🧱 RQ8: How Does Sales Vary by Region and Segment?
Visual: Stacked Column Chart
Summarize: Sum of Sales
Steps:
-
Insert Stacked Column Chart.
-
Axis:
Region
-
Legend:
Segment
-
Values:
Sales
➝ Summarize as Sum -
Format:
-
Turn on total data labels
-
Legend position: bottom
-
🧱 RQ9: Quantity Sold by Category & Sub-Category
Visual: Stacked Bar Chart
Summarize: Sum of Quantity
Steps:
-
Insert Stacked Bar Chart.
-
Axis:
Sub-Category
-
Legend:
Category
-
Values:
Quantity
➝ Summarize as Sum -
Format:
-
Enable data labels
-
Contrast color between categories
-
📊 RQ10: What Is the Distribution of Profit Margins?
Visual: Histogram (or bar with ranges)
Summarize: Count of Records
Steps:
-
Create groups for
Profit Margin
. -
Use bar chart to show count of records in each range.
-
Format:
-
Label axes clearly
-
Color by range bucket
-
🧠 Final Summary
With Power BI:
-
We cleaned and transformed the data,
-
Added calculated fields like
Profit Margin
andProfit Category
, -
Designed visual dashboards using bar, pie, donut, scatter, and line charts,
-
Used summarization options like sum, count, and average for each visual,
-
Gained real business insights through powerful visuals and slicers.
0 टिप्पण्या
कृपया तुमच्या प्रियजनांना लेख शेअर करा आणि तुमचा अभिप्राय जरूर नोंदवा. 🙏 🙏