PBI Desktop & Service BUG: Icon Rules conditional formatting occasionally displays wrong icon

[rmsolfest]

ISSUE replicated in PBI Desktop & Service
Measure returning wrong % value to conditionally display icon based on Rules within a Matrix visual.  Issue can be replicated when filtered to one customer, but works properly when filtered to multiple customers.

Conditional Format Config screen:

Output showing icon displaying incorrectly (BUG) with measure & components when one customer is selected in slicer

Output showing icon displaying correctly with measure & components when multiple customers are selected in slicer

[v-pgoloju]

Hi @rmsolfest,

Just following up to see if the Response provided by community members were helpful in addressing the issue. If one of the responses helped resolve your query, please consider marking it as the Accepted Solution. Feel free to reach out if you need any further clarification or assistance.

Best regards,
Prasanna Kumar

[Nabha-Ahmed]

Hi @rmsolfest 

What you’re seeing is a known limitation/bug in Power BI where icon rules can behave incorrectly when a measure returns a value in a filtered context with a single row. This happens because the conditional formatting engine evaluates the measure differently when there’s only one row in the matrix.

Workarounds / Solutions:

1. Wrap your measure in IF(HASONEVALUE(...)) or COALESCE:
   Ensure the measure always returns a numeric value even when a single customer is selected. Example:

IconMeasure = 
IF(
    HASONEVALUE('Customer'[CustomerName]),
    DIVIDE(SUM('Table'[Value]), SUM('Table'[Total])),  -- your existing calculation
    DIVIDE(SUM('Table'[Value]), SUM('Table'[Total]))
)

• Force the measure to return a consistent format:

  • Sometimes, formatting as decimal instead of percentage avoids the misinterpretation by the icon rules.

  • Example: If your measure returns 0.75 instead of 75%, the icon rule will work consistently.

• Test with a dummy “all customers” context:

  • Create a measure like:

IconMeasure_All = 
IF(
    ISFILTERED('Customer'[CustomerName]),
    [IconMeasure],
    [IconMeasure]
)

• This can help Power BI’s icon logic evaluate consistently even for single selections.

1. Alternative approach:

   • Use Unicode symbols / conditional formatting with field value instead of icon rules for more stable behavior.

   • Sometimes switching from Icon rules to Field value icons avoids the bug.

If this helps, consider marking it as the solution and giving a kudo!

Nabha Ahmed

[rmsolfest]

Thanks for the solution detail you provided! 

I tested all but the changing the measure to producing an Unicode Icon without any impact on resolving the visual bug/issue.

The unicode looks like a possible solution, but would change the color coded format of the icon.  I am not yet able to test this at this time.

[v-pgoloju · Accepted solution]

Hi @rmsolfest,

thanks for testing those options. Since the Unicode icon approach may affect the color formatting and you haven’t had a chance to try it yet, would you like some more time to test it out? Or are you looking for an alternative workaround in the meantime?

Thanks & Regards,

Prasanna Kumar

[v-pgoloju]

Hi @rmsolfest,

Just following up to see if the Response provided was helpful in resolving your issue. Please feel free to let us know if you need any further assistance.

Best regards,

Prasanna Kumar

[v-pgoloju]

Hi @rmsolfest,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Forum Community, and special thanks to @Shahid12523  for prompt and helpful responses.

Just following up to see if the Response provided by community members were helpful in addressing the issue. If one of the responses helped resolve your query, please consider marking it as the Accepted Solution. Feel free to reach out if you need any further clarification or assistance.

Best regards,
Prasanna Kumar

[Shahid12523]

Bug: Icon rules in Power BI matrix visuals show the wrong icon when filtered to a single customer—even though the percentage is correct.

Works fine when multiple customers are selected.
Cause: Likely a context evaluation issue—measure behaves differently with one vs. multiple filters.

Fixes to try:
- Use ISFILTERED() or SELECTEDVALUE() in your measure.
- Wrap logic in VAR blocks.
- Consider using a calculated column or field value–based icon formatting.

[rmsolfest]

I don't understand how the context would affect the icon calc differently than the measure result.  My measure's value is listed in the screenshots on the side of the icon to confirm that the value is what I thought regardless of context.  

In your proposed solution what would I do differently with HASONEVALUE() or ISFILTERED()?

[Shahid12523]

Bug: Icon-based conditional formatting in Power BI sometimes shows the wrong icon when filtered to a single customer.

Cause: Likely due to measure evaluation context—DAX behaves differently with one vs. multiple values selected.

Fixes to try:
- Use HASONEVALUE() or ISFILTERED() in your measure.
- Wrap logic in CALCULATE(..., REMOVEFILTERS(Customer)).
- Recreate the icon rules or switch to color formatting as a workaround.

[rmsolfest]

FYI - This was tested in the latest version of PBI Desktop & in the PBI Service

PBI Desktop Version: 2.146.1133.0 64-bit (August 2025)