Conditional formatting rows based on blank values in the grand total column with matrix visuals

This is a very common Matrix + Grand Total + Conditional Formatting challenge in Power BI. Let’s solve it cleanly and the right DAX way.
Step 1 – Create a helper measure to detect blank Grand Total
Assume your main measure is: [Total Sales]
Create a new measure:
Row Highlight Flag =
VAR GrandTotalValue =
CALCULATE(
[Total Sales],
REMOVEFILTERS( 'Date' ) -- replace with your column used in Columns of matrix
)
RETURN
IF(
ISBLANK( GrandTotalValue ),
1,
0
)

Why this works?

• REMOVEFILTERS() forces DAX to calculate Grand Total for that row
• If it’s BLANK(), the row qualifies for formatting

Step 2 – Apply Conditional Formatting

1. Select your Matrix visual
2. Go to Values → Conditional formatting
3. Choose:
   • Background color (or Font color)
4. Select:
   • Format by → Rules
   • Based on field → Row Highlight Flag
5. Rule setup:
   • If value is 1
   • Apply your highlight color (e.g., light red or yellow)

This will highlight the entire row, not just one cell.

Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using   ISBLANK([Total Sales])   directly
>> That only checks cell-level, not Grand Total

Formatting based on the value column itself
>> Won’t work for row-level logic

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This is doable, but there’s one important limitation: Power BI does not let you directly reference the Grand Total column in conditional formatting. You have to re-create the same logic in a measure and use that measure for formatting.

Step 1: Create a measure that returns the grand total value :-

Grand Total Value = CALCULATE([YourValueMeasure],REMOVEFILTERS( 'YourColumnField' ))

Replace 'YourColumnField' with the field used in Columns of the matrix.

Step 2: Create a flag measure for formatting :-

Highlight Blank Grand Total =
IF(ISBLANK( [Grand Total Value] ),1,0)

Step 3: Apply conditional formatting

1. Select the matrix

2. Go to Format - Conditional formatting

3. Choose Background color (or Font color)

4. Format by: Rules (or Field value)

5. Base it on: Highlight Blank Grand Total

6. Rule:

   • If value = 1 - set highlight color

   • Else - no color