Data format option missing in live connected PBIP report

Hi saikumarg 

I would first separate two different things here: model-level formatting and report/visual-level formatting.

In a live connection to a Power BI semantic model, you normally cannot change the model-level format of the field from the thin report. That needs to be changed in the semantic model itself. However, the newer visual-level format string feature is report metadata, not a change to the semantic model. If available, it should appear in the selected visual under General > Data format after the field is placed in the visual.

So if one user sees Data format on the slicer and another user does not, I would not assume the semantic model is the direct cause. I would check the following:

1. Make sure both users are using exactly the same Power BI Desktop build, not just the same month/version family. Microsoft Store and MSI installations can sometimes be on different builds.

2. Confirm that both users are selecting the same slicer visual type. The classic slicer, new slicer, and text slicer do not expose exactly the same formatting options.

3. Confirm that the selected field is numeric/date and not text or Boolean. Custom format strings are not available for string or Boolean fields.

4. Test in a brand-new thin report connected to the same semantic model. Add only that field to a new slicer and check whether General > Data format appears. If it appears in a new report but not in the existing one, this points to report/visual metadata state rather than a model configuration issue.

5. If the goal is only to show whole numbers, the most robust solution is still to fix the format in the semantic model itself, for example setting the column/measure format to `#,##0` or `0`. That will apply consistently across all reports unless overridden at the visual level.

6. Also check the slicer’s Display units setting. For slicers, Microsoft documents the path as Visual > Slicer settings > Options > Display units. If Display units is set to Auto, it can interfere with what the displayed value looks like, even when a format string is applied.

In short, I would investigate this as either a Desktop build / feature rollout difference, a different slicer visual type, or a corrupted/stale visual state in the PBIX. I would not start with permissions or live connection limitations unless model-level formatting is what you are trying to change.