Forum Discussion
Multiple table visuals retaining independent selections on the same rep
Hello Power BI Support Team,
I am seeking clarification regarding the selection and interaction behavior of multiple table visuals on a single Power BI report page.
Scenario:
The report page contains two table visuals that display different data and are related through a many-to-many relationship via a pivot table. The relationship between the pivot table and Table A is set with bidirectional cross-filtering. Without this bidirectional filtering, selections in Table A and Table B do not filter records correctly. Users need to be able to select rows in both tables independently with a single click in each table, without requiring the Ctrl key.
Expected behavior:
When a user clicks a row in Table A, that selection should remain active. If a row is subsequently clicked in Table B, the selection in Table A should not be cleared. Both selections should persist simultaneously, and their combined filter context should apply to other visuals on the page.
Current behavior:
Currently, selecting a row in one table clears any previous selection in the other table, so only one table visual can retain an active selection at a time. This prevents the intended multi-selection behavior and the proper combined filtering of other visuals.
Question:
Is it supported in Power BI to retain independent row selections across multiple table visuals under these conditions, or is this a platform limitation?
Thank you for your guidance.
Best regards,
Haseeb Ahmad
Hii haseebahmad_223
Table and matrix visuals cannot retain independent row selections on the same page. Selecting a row in one table will always clear the selection in another table unless users use Ctrl-click. Power BI does not support persistent multi-visual row selection with a single click.To achieve similar behavior, you must use slicers, disconnected tables with measures, or buttons/bookmarks.
What you’re describing is not supported in Power BI, regardless of relationships or cross-filter direction. Alternatives could be:
Option 1) use slicers instead of tables for selection
If users need persistent independent selections, slicers are the correct tool.
Table A → convert to slicer (or use a slicer based on the same field)
Table B → slicer
Both slicers:
Keep their selections
Combine filter context naturally
Work without Ctrl
You can still keep table visuals for display-only purposes.
Option 2) use a disconnected selector pattern
If tables must remain tables:
Create disconnected selection tables
Capture selected value via SELECTEDVALUE
Apply filtering logic in measures using TREATAS / SWITCH
4 Replies
- rohit1991
Super User
Hii haseebahmad_223
Table and matrix visuals cannot retain independent row selections on the same page. Selecting a row in one table will always clear the selection in another table unless users use Ctrl-click. Power BI does not support persistent multi-visual row selection with a single click.To achieve similar behavior, you must use slicers, disconnected tables with measures, or buttons/bookmarks.
- cengizhanarslan
Super User
What you’re describing is not supported in Power BI, regardless of relationships or cross-filter direction. Alternatives could be:
Option 1) use slicers instead of tables for selection
If users need persistent independent selections, slicers are the correct tool.
Table A → convert to slicer (or use a slicer based on the same field)
Table B → slicer
Both slicers:
Keep their selections
Combine filter context naturally
Work without Ctrl
You can still keep table visuals for display-only purposes.
Option 2) use a disconnected selector pattern
If tables must remain tables:
Create disconnected selection tables
Capture selected value via SELECTEDVALUE
Apply filtering logic in measures using TREATAS / SWITCH
- v-ssriganesh
Community Support
Hi haseebahmad_223,
Thank you for posting your query in the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum, and thanks to cengizhanarslan & rohit1991 for sharing valuable insights.
Could you please confirm if your query has been resolved by the provided solutions? This would be helpful for other members who may encounter similar issues.
Thank you for being part of the Microsoft Fabric Community.
- v-ssriganesh
Community Support
Hello haseebahmad_223,
Hope everything’s going great with you. Just checking in has the issue been resolved or are you still running into problems? Sharing an update can really help others facing the same thing.
Thank you.