Forum Discussion
How to set default selection to blank for single selection slicer ?
Requirment : I want to develop a Dashboard with 2 pages. both will have same visuals. Also I have added slicer on page 1 and its hidden on page 2. I want to integrate this dashboard in angular. So when I open this dashboard from angular I will pass page id of page 2 and slicer value in URL in filters. but Some users will access this dashboard directly not from Angular app. So they will see page 1 where they need to manually select slicer value from dropdown. How can I achieve this ?
Already implemented and problem : As single selection slicer already contains default value, URL params doesnt work if I try this on published dashboard. It only works if blank is selected in slicer instead of default value. and I cant have blank value for that field as there is a one-to-many relation on that field.
Power BI single-select slicers always default to one value selected when the field has no blanks. Because of this:
- Your Angular URL filter can’t override the slicer when a default value is already applied.
- Multi-select slicers allow deselection, but single-select does not, unless a blank option exists.
1-Add a “blank” option in the data model (recommended)
- In Power Query or DAX, create a union table that adds a blank row:
SlicerTable =
UNION (
ROW ( "YourField", BLANK() ),
DISTINCT ( YourTable[YourField] )
)- Relate this new table to your fact table using a many-to-one relationship (single direction).
- Now, slicer defaults to blank, letting URL filters take precedence.
2-Use a disconnected table for the slicer
- Create a disconnected table with the field values plus a blank row.
- Use a measure to control visuals with TREATAS:
SelectedValueMeasure =
CALCULATE (
SELECTEDVALUE ( FactTable[YourField] ),
TREATAS ( VALUES ( SlicerTable[YourField] ), FactTable[YourField] )
)- This gives you full control over the slicer without affecting relationships.
3-Apply a default bookmark
- Save a bookmark with no slicer value selected (after adding a blank option).
- Set the bookmark as the default view.
- This ensures page 1 opens with the slicer blank.
4-Use relative filtering (if possible)
If the field supports a relative condition (e.g., date ranges), you can switch the slicer to relative mode, but this is less flexible for categorical fields.
To make the slicer truly start blank for direct users and allow Angular filters to work, you must add a blank option to the slicer’s source table or use a disconnected table approach with DAX. Power BI doesn’t natively allow single-selection slicers to default to no selection otherwise.
5 Replies
- mh2587
Super User
Turn single select OFF, and enforce single selection with a DAX measure:
SelectedValueCheck = //Try this might help you IF ( HASONEVALUE(Table[Column]), 1, ERROR("Please select only one value") ) - Ilgar_Zarbali
Power BI single-select slicers always default to one value selected when the field has no blanks. Because of this:
- Your Angular URL filter can’t override the slicer when a default value is already applied.
- Multi-select slicers allow deselection, but single-select does not, unless a blank option exists.
1-Add a “blank” option in the data model (recommended)
- In Power Query or DAX, create a union table that adds a blank row:
SlicerTable =
UNION (
ROW ( "YourField", BLANK() ),
DISTINCT ( YourTable[YourField] )
)- Relate this new table to your fact table using a many-to-one relationship (single direction).
- Now, slicer defaults to blank, letting URL filters take precedence.
2-Use a disconnected table for the slicer
- Create a disconnected table with the field values plus a blank row.
- Use a measure to control visuals with TREATAS:
SelectedValueMeasure =
CALCULATE (
SELECTEDVALUE ( FactTable[YourField] ),
TREATAS ( VALUES ( SlicerTable[YourField] ), FactTable[YourField] )
)- This gives you full control over the slicer without affecting relationships.
3-Apply a default bookmark
- Save a bookmark with no slicer value selected (after adding a blank option).
- Set the bookmark as the default view.
- This ensures page 1 opens with the slicer blank.
4-Use relative filtering (if possible)
If the field supports a relative condition (e.g., date ranges), you can switch the slicer to relative mode, but this is less flexible for categorical fields.
To make the slicer truly start blank for direct users and allow Angular filters to work, you must add a blank option to the slicer’s source table or use a disconnected table approach with DAX. Power BI doesn’t natively allow single-selection slicers to default to no selection otherwise.
v-lgarikapatCommunity Support
Hi pratikrami ,
I wanted to follow up and confirm whether you’ve had the opportunity to review the information provided by Ilgar_Zarbali , mh2587 . If you have any questions or need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
We appreciate your collaboration and support!
Best regards,
Lakshmi.- v-lgarikapat
Hi pratikrami ,
We’d like to confirm whether your issue has been successfully resolved. If you still have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re more than happy to continue supporting you.
We appreciate your engagement and thank you for being an active part of the community.
Best Regards,
Lakshmi.- v-lgarikapat
Hi pratikrami ,
We’d like to confirm whether your issue has been successfully resolved. If you still have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re more than happy to continue supporting you.
We appreciate your engagement and thank you for being an active part of the community.
Best Regards,
Lakshmi.
