Setting a default on date slicer, but have the ability to change the dates as necessary

[user5341567]

Hi all,

I'm working on setting a default for my date slicer, but it needs to have the capability of being changed by others. I've read on other forums that this is not possible to do, but I feel like there may be a workaround I haven't thought of.

My company uses date ranges that are the previous Mon-Sun, so I want to default to this when the report is opened, but give them the option of using another date range. I can't use the filters pane because a lot of the users are not tech-savvy and will just forgo the report altogether if they can't change the date range.

I have two measures, one for start of week and one for end of week. Any idea on how I can use something like this in a date slicer?

Start of Fiscal Week =

    VAR StartOfWeek = TODAY() - WEEKDAY(TODAY(), 2) + 1

    RETURN StartOfWeek - 7

End of Fiscal Week =

    VAR EndOfWeek = TODAY() - WEEKDAY(TODAY(), 2) + 1

    RETURN EndOfWeek - 1

Thank you in advance for any insight.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi user5341567,

We are following up to see if your query has been resolved. Should you have identified a solution, we kindly request you to share it with the community to assist others facing similar issues.

If our response was helpful, please mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos, as this helps the broader community.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi user5341567,

We wanted to check in regarding your query, as we have not heard back from you. If you have resolved the issue, sharing the solution with the community would be greatly appreciated and could help others encountering similar challenges.

If you found our response useful, kindly mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos to guide other members.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi user5341567,

We have not received a response from you regarding the query and were following up to check if you have found a resolution. If you have identified a solution, we kindly request you to share it with the community, as it may be helpful to others facing a similar issue.

If you find the response helpful, please mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos, as this will help other members with similar queries.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi user5341567,

As suggested by @rajendraongole1 , to see this become an automated feature in the future, we highly recommend submitting or voting for this on the Microsoft Fabric Ideas link given below. Microsoft product teams closely monitor this space for popular feature requests.
Fabric Ideas - Microsoft Fabric Community

Thank you.

[user5341567]

Thank you, @v-pnaroju-msft. I have submitted the request. I appreciate your response.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi user5341567,

Please follow the workaround steps outlined below, which may help resolve the issue:

1. Use a Relative Date Slicer set to Last 1 Week. This will automatically display the previous Monday to Sunday when the report is opened.
2. Users can still adjust the slicer freely to select other date ranges as needed.
3. If desired, you may enhance usability by adding a toggle slicer that allows users to choose between Use Default Dates and Select Custom Dates.
4. The calculated column for the previous Monday to Sunday can be utilized in visual-level or page-level filters, but not directly in slicers.

If you find our response helpful, we kindly request you to mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos. This will assist other community members facing similar queries.

Thank you.

[user5341567]

Hi @v-pnaroju-msft, thank you for your reply. 

For option #1, do you know how I could set the slicer to show Monday-Sunday? When I select the 'Calendar Week', option it automatically sets to the previous Sunday-Saturday. Is there a way to change what timeframe a calendar week is?

I certainly like the toggle slicer that allows users to select custom or default dates.

Thank you for the note on #4. That makes sense.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Thank you, @rajendraongole1 , for your response.

Hi @user5341567,

We sincerely appreciate your query posted on the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

As per my understanding, Power BI currently does not support persistent slicer defaults that reset upon opening the report. However, as a workaround, the goal can be achieved by using the Relative Date Slicer set to Last Week.

This slicer will automatically default to the previous Monday–Sunday range, allowing users to manually modify the date range as needed, thereby eliminating the need to rely on the filter pane.

Additionally, please find below some useful reference links:
Slicers in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Create a relative date slicer or filter in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

If you find our response helpful, we kindly request you to mark it as the accepted solution and consider giving it a kudos. This will help other community members who may have similar queries.

Thank you.

[rajendraongole1]

Hi @user5341567  - You're right that Power BI does not have a built-in way to set a default slicer selection while allowing user overrides. 

If you want to give users control over whether they see the default range, you can add a slicer with two options:

"Use Default Dates" (filters the slicer to the previous Mon-Sun)

"Select Your Own Dates" (lets them choose freely)

Hope the suggestion helps.

[user5341567]

Thank you for your comment, @rajendraongole1  - I like the idea to have these as options for the users to select.

Do you know how I can set the slicer to show previous Mon-Sun? I've created a calculated column that sets to 'true' when the date falls within the previous Mon-Sun. However, I am unable to use this in a filter. Any suggestions? 

[rajendraongole1]

@user5341567 - you can create a seperate table and then use a measure to filter your visuals based on the selected value in that slicer.

as like below using enter data:

PeriodSelector = DATATABLE(
"Label", STRING,
"Flag", STRING,
{
{"Previous Week (Mon–Sun)", "PreviousWeek"},
{"Custom Range", "Custom"}
}
)

add it as slicer.

It gives users control through a simple slicer.It avoids the limitation of using boolean calculated columns in slicers.

Hope this helps. 

[user5341567]

Hi @rajendraongole1 , this is a great idea to use DATATABLE to show both of these options.

I think the last part I'm missing is how to show Mon-Sun when users select the 'Previous Week' option. The Filters pane has a relative date option, where I can set 'in the last week', but I believe it would use the default Sun-Sat to show a week timeframe.

I appreciate your suggestion.

[rajendraongole1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @user5341567 -You're absolutely right, using the Filters pane's "in the last week" option will default to Sunday–Saturday, which might not align with your desired Monday–Sunday week view.

you can use this as filter or slicer, to drop IsPreviousWeek into a slicer or page filter.Select "Previous Week (Mon–Sun)" to only show data for that range.

I hope this helps.

[user5341567]

Thank you, @rajendraongole1!

I think the "in the last week" option in the Filters pane should do the trick. It is not Monday-Sunday, but at least gives us a week view.

I appreciate your assistance! 

[rajendraongole1]

Hi @user5341567 - please submit your idea using below link:

Ideas - Microsoft Fabric Community

Hope this helps.

[user5341567]

Thanks, @rajendraongole1  - when opening that link, I don't see anywhere to submit an idea. Do I need certain permissions to do this? 

[rajendraongole1]

Please use this link:

New Idea - Microsoft Fabric Community

Hope this works. please check and confirm