Forum Discussion
Request: Support for Ragged Hierarchies
Hi,
We work with large hierarchies (like multi-level charts of accounts) and run into issues when using the Matrix visual and standard slicers:
- Blank levels show up as extra nodes in Matrix when the hierarchy depth is uneven.
- Slicers can’t easily hide blank members or handle ragged hierarchies smoothly.
- We rely on custom visuals to get basic features like expand/collapse, hide blanks, or “end-node only” selection.
It would be great if Power BI offered built-in support for ragged hierarchies:
- A “Hide blank members” option in Matrix.
- Enhanced slicers with built-in hierarchical filtering (expand/collapse, hide blanks, end-node selection).
Is this on the roadmap? It would make life much easier for users working with charts of accounts, org hierarchies, product structures, etc.
Thanks!
Jakob
Challenge Recap
- You’re working with ragged hierarchies (uneven depth, like Chart of Accounts or Org Trees).
- Issues in Power BI today:
- Matrix shows blank rows for missing child levels.
- Standard slicers don’t allow proper hierarchical filtering (expand/collapse, hide blanks, select only leaf nodes).
- Workarounds often involve custom visuals like Hierarchy Slicer, Smart Filter Pro, or custom matrix visuals.
1-Built-in Options (Limited)
- Matrix visual:
- Currently no native “hide blanks” toggle.
- Blanks will show unless you flatten the hierarchy with DAX / Power Query.
- Native slicers:
- Only support flat or simple hierarchies, no expand/collapse.
- No “end-node only” selection.
2-Workarounds (No Custom Visuals)
- DAX Parent-Child Functions
Use PATH() and related functions to model hierarchies:
Path = PATH ( Accounts[ParentID], Accounts[AccountID] )
Then calculate hierarchy levels with:
Level 1 = PATHITEM ( Accounts[Path], 1 )
Level 2 = PATHITEM ( Accounts[Path], 2 )
Level 3 = PATHITEM ( Accounts[Path], 3 )- These create explicit levels.
- You can then remove blanks using measures or filters in visuals.
- Hide Blanks in Matrix
Create measures that return BLANK() when no data exists → these rows collapse naturally in visuals.
- Leaf Node Filtering
Add a column that flags whether a node is a leaf (no children), and filter slicers by that column.
IsLeaf =
IF (
ISBLANK (
CALCULATE (
COUNTROWS ( Accounts ),
Accounts[ParentID] = EARLIER ( Accounts[AccountID] )
)
),
1,
0
)3 - Custom Visuals (Practical Today)
Until Microsoft ships ragged hierarchy improvements, many use:
- Hierarchy Slicer (free, marketplace) → expand/collapse, hide blanks, leaf-only.
- OKViz Smart Filter Pro → advanced filtering, hierarchy navigation.
- xViz Hierarchy Tree (paid) → advanced org chart style navigation.
4 - Roadmap / Community Voice
- This feature is one of the top voted items on Power BI Ideas forum (hide blanks in hierarchies, ragged hierarchy support).
- Microsoft has acknowledged it’s important but hasn’t yet committed to a release timeline.
- Best way to influence: vote on the idea + comment with scenarios.
(Finance, HR, product, sales reporting all rely heavily on this).
Summary
- Native Power BI still lacks smooth ragged hierarchy handling.
- Workarounds: DAX PATH() modeling + blank-filtering.
- Practical fix today: Hierarchy Slicer or similar custom visuals.
- Roadmap: not yet officially announced, but highly requested.
Your kudos is highly appreciated. If it helps you to solve your challenge, I would be happy if you accept it as a solution.
5 Replies
Hi Jayway
There is a idea obout the issue by the link :
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Fabric-Ideas/Ragged-or-Parent-Child-Hierarchy-Visuals/idi-p/4534715please vote for it ( i voted an will share in my users group 🙂 )
Until we'll have the wanted functionality ,there are a few workarounds to handle with the issue.
Please refer to the linked guides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEuxONjCl1Ahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTDKQQI9vUA
If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly
Challenge Recap
- You’re working with ragged hierarchies (uneven depth, like Chart of Accounts or Org Trees).
- Issues in Power BI today:
- Matrix shows blank rows for missing child levels.
- Standard slicers don’t allow proper hierarchical filtering (expand/collapse, hide blanks, select only leaf nodes).
- Workarounds often involve custom visuals like Hierarchy Slicer, Smart Filter Pro, or custom matrix visuals.
1-Built-in Options (Limited)
- Matrix visual:
- Currently no native “hide blanks” toggle.
- Blanks will show unless you flatten the hierarchy with DAX / Power Query.
- Native slicers:
- Only support flat or simple hierarchies, no expand/collapse.
- No “end-node only” selection.
2-Workarounds (No Custom Visuals)
- DAX Parent-Child Functions
Use PATH() and related functions to model hierarchies:
Path = PATH ( Accounts[ParentID], Accounts[AccountID] )
Then calculate hierarchy levels with:
Level 1 = PATHITEM ( Accounts[Path], 1 )
Level 2 = PATHITEM ( Accounts[Path], 2 )
Level 3 = PATHITEM ( Accounts[Path], 3 )- These create explicit levels.
- You can then remove blanks using measures or filters in visuals.
- Hide Blanks in Matrix
Create measures that return BLANK() when no data exists → these rows collapse naturally in visuals.
- Leaf Node Filtering
Add a column that flags whether a node is a leaf (no children), and filter slicers by that column.
IsLeaf =
IF (
ISBLANK (
CALCULATE (
COUNTROWS ( Accounts ),
Accounts[ParentID] = EARLIER ( Accounts[AccountID] )
)
),
1,
0
)3 - Custom Visuals (Practical Today)
Until Microsoft ships ragged hierarchy improvements, many use:
- Hierarchy Slicer (free, marketplace) → expand/collapse, hide blanks, leaf-only.
- OKViz Smart Filter Pro → advanced filtering, hierarchy navigation.
- xViz Hierarchy Tree (paid) → advanced org chart style navigation.
4 - Roadmap / Community Voice
- This feature is one of the top voted items on Power BI Ideas forum (hide blanks in hierarchies, ragged hierarchy support).
- Microsoft has acknowledged it’s important but hasn’t yet committed to a release timeline.
- Best way to influence: vote on the idea + comment with scenarios.
(Finance, HR, product, sales reporting all rely heavily on this).
Summary
- Native Power BI still lacks smooth ragged hierarchy handling.
- Workarounds: DAX PATH() modeling + blank-filtering.
- Practical fix today: Hierarchy Slicer or similar custom visuals.
- Roadmap: not yet officially announced, but highly requested.
Your kudos is highly appreciated. If it helps you to solve your challenge, I would be happy if you accept it as a solution.Hi Jayway,
Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community.
Thank you Ritaf1983 and Ilgar_Zarbali for the prompt response.
As we haven’t heard back from you, we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution provided by the user's for the issue worked? or let us know if you need any further assistance.
Thanks and regards,
Anjan Kumar Chippa
