Dynamic Column Selection With Mandatory (always selected) column for ID

[ASMParDA]

Hello, 

I am hoping someone on here can help me.

The Aim

I am aiming to create a very simple dashboard where the end user can select in a slicer (possibly via field parameters) the columns they want to see in a table visual.

One of those columns a unique ID must always be selected (i.e. not be optionally selected by the user) BUT if the user selects other columns with only null values (i.e. for a given unique ID there are only null values for selected columns), the row for that unique ID should not display.

The Data

My dataset is very simple with various (over 100) columns of data (simplified example below, null is blank not the string null)

Unique ID	order quantity	delivered quantity	sales volume	sales value
1	1	1	null	null
2	null	null	1	1
3	1	1	1	1

Example Outcomes   

The desired outcome would therefore be table visual results like the below 

User selects the order quantity & delivered quantity columns:

Unique ID	order quantity	delivered quantity
1	1	1
3	1	1

User selects the  sales volume &  sales value columns:

Unique ID	sales volume	sales value
2	1	1
3	1	1

Potential options 

I am open to ideas as to how to do this as I am getting stuck; or to be told this isnt actually possible (I assume basically anything is possible given time and DAX skill)

So far I have tried a few different solutions (outlined below) all of which I have hit roadblocks with, so if any of those are feasible please let me know.

Option 1

- Create a field parameter table with all columns except unique ID 

- Add the columns: unique ID and parameter into the table visual (results in all unique IDs being displayed regardless of column selection)

- create a measure to filter the table visual where selected columns are not null (I have tried various iterations of this without success)

Option 2 

- Create a field parameter table with all columns except unique ID 

- create a measure for unique ID that displays a null unique ID if the columns are all blank  

- Add the columns: measure and parameter into the table visual (my attempts so far have resulted in erroneous unique IDs being displayed / duplicated e.g. ID 3 might be shown 6 times presumably due to there being no working relationship between the measure and columns)

- add the measure to the table filters where not null

Option 3 

- Create a field parameter table with all columns including unique ID (

I believe this should automatically exclude those null rows)

- somehow ensure that the unique ID is always selected (I dont belive this is possible but I am very happy to be told otherwise)

Option 4

- ditch field parameters and create some kind of virtual table populated dynamically by slicer selection 

I havent actually tried this option as I am hoping it is more simple than this with the out of the box parameter functionality

Feel free to put forward any other approaches that I am missing 

Thanks in advance for any help

[ASMParDA]

Thank you both for your solutions, and for coming back so speedily. 

It has saved me a ton of time and headaches!

You wouldnt believe how close one of my attempts was to v-ssriganesh's solution, which is why I have gone down that route for the accepted solution. Thanks again all.

[v-ssriganesh · Accepted solution]

Hi @ASMParDA,
Thanks for your detailed explanation and examples and it really helped in reproducing the scenario.

I’ve implemented your requirement in Power BI using field parameters and a custom DAX measure to conditionally show rows based on whether the selected columns contain non-blank values for each Unique ID. The Unique ID column remains fixed in the visual, and only rows with at least one non-blank value in the selected fields are displayed.

Example Outcomes (as requested):

• If the user selects order quantity and delivered quantity, rows with non-blank values in either of those are shown.

• If the user selects sales volume and sales value, only rows with data in those fields are shown.

For your reference, I’m attaching the working .pbix file so you can explore the implementation directly.

If this information is helpful, please “Accept as solution” and give a "kudos" to assist other community members in resolving similar issues more efficiently.
Thank you.

[burakkaragoz]

Hi @ASMParDA ,

This is a great use case and yeah, field parameters don’t allow repeating the same column (like ID) twice — but there’s a clean workaround using a combination of field parameters and a calculated table.

Here’s how you can approach it:

1. Create a field parameter with only the optional columns (A, B, C, D etc). Don’t include ID here.

2. Then create a calculated table like this:

CombinedFields =
UNION(
    SELECTCOLUMNS(VALUES('YourTable'[ID]), "Field", "ID"),
    SELECTCOLUMNS('Field Parameters', "Field", 'Field Parameters'[Name])
)

1. Use this CombinedFields table in your visual. This way, ID is always included, and the rest are dynamic based on slicer selection.

Alternatively, if you’re using a matrix visual, you can:

• Add ID as a fixed row or column
• Use the field parameter only for the dynamic part

If you’re open to using Calculation Groups, that can work too, but it’s a bit more complex to maintain and doesn’t always play well with slicers.

If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I would be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response helpful.
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