Forum Discussion
Help with Power BI RLS + Default Slicer Behavior
Hi As_analyst ,
I couldn't find the link to your pbix. Did you miss to attach it? The pbix would be helpful.
Hi As_analyst , thank you for providing the demo file. To get a better understanding of your requirements:
- What should exactly happen to the country slicer and the matrix if the reporting country is not part of the set of countries allowed for the user:
- All allowed countries are shown in the country slicer?
- All allowed counries are shown in the matrix?
- Which title and subtitle should be shown?
- What should exactly happen to the country slicer and the matrix if the reporting country is part of the set of countries allowed for the user:
- Only the selected report country is shown in the country slicer?
- Only the selected report country is shown in the matrix?
- Which title and subtitle should be shown?
The first case might be confusing to the user. A certain report country is selected but the data from another country is shown. If you really want this behaviour you should at least warn the user.
Hi Hans,
Thanks for your detailed questions. Let me clearly explain the data model, scenario, and exact requirement, and I’ve also attached the latest PBIX file for reference.1. Data Model Overview (4 Tables)
I am using the following tables in the report:
Country Dimension
Used as a global country slicer (Reporting_Country)
This slicer is synced across all pages
It controls the country context for all visuals
User–Country Mapping Table
Defines which countries’ volume data a user is allowed to see
Used for access control logic
Sales Table
Contains sales data for all countries
No RLS is applied
All users can see sales data for any country
Volume Table
Contains volume data
RLS is applied
Users can see volume data only for mapped countries
2. Business Scenario
Let’s assume:
The report is saved and shared with a global slicer pre-selected as “Germany”
User Prateek logs in
Prateek is a Director for India and Thailand only
Business expectation:
Prateek is not interested in volume data for other countries
However, he may want to see sales data for other countries for comparison or reporting
3. Problem with Current Behavior
If Prateek opens the report while Germany is selected:
Volume visuals become blank due to RLS
This creates confusion and a poor user experience on first load
4. Required Behavior (Core Requirement)
4.1 Default Slicer Selection (Key Requirement)
When any user opens the report:
The global country slicer should automatically default to one of the countries assigned to that user
For example:
Prateek → India or Thailand (based on mapping table)
This should override the country selected at the time of report sharing
Result:
No visuals appear blank on first load
All pages show valid data immediately
4.2 User Changes Country Manually
If the user later selects another country (e.g. Germany, France, Italy):
Sales visuals → still show data (no restriction)
Volume visuals → show a dynamic guidance message instead of data:
“This is a restricted view. You are not allowed to see volume data for the selected country.”
This behavior is expected and acceptable.
5. Final Clarification
The goal is to:
Prevent blank visuals on first load
Dynamically control the default slicer selection based on user–country mapping
Maintain RLS integrity
6. Final Question
How can we dynamically change the default slicer selection based on the logged-in user, so that:
Every user sees a permitted country by default
No visuals are blank when the report opens
Please refer to the attached latest PBIX file for implementation details.
Thanks again for your help!