Slicer Retains Old Values Even After Data Source Updates (DirectQuery)

[abhargava]

I'm facing an issue with slicers in my Power BI report that uses DirectQuery. I have a slicer based on a column containing project names from my SQL database. Whenever a new project is added to the database, the slicer shows it (which is good!), but it also retains old project names that have been deleted from the database.

To get rid of these outdated project names, I have to manually select a new project in the slicer. Only then do the old names disappear. This happens with both single-select and multi-select slicer modes.

My dataset refresh is scheduled to run frequently, but that doesn't seem to resolve the problem.

Is there a way to ensure my slicer always reflects the current project names from my SQL database without manually interacting with it? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Additional Details:

• Power BI Desktop version: Also happens in Power BI Service
• SQL database type: SQL Server 2012
• Data connectivity mode: DirectQuery

[v-mdharahman]

Hi @abhargava,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

Thank you.

[v-mdharahman]

Hi @abhargava,

We haven’t heard back from you for some time, so just following up to our previous message. We hope your issue has been resolved.

If the solution we provided has worked for you, kindly mark it as the accepted solution. Your feedback is important to us, Looking forward to your response. 

Thank you for being a valued member of the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum!

[v-mdharahman]

Hi @abhargava,

As we haven’t heard back from you, so just following up to our previous message. We hope your issue has been resolved.

If the solution we provided has worked for you, kindly mark it as the accepted solution. Your feedback is important to us, Looking forward to your response.

Thank you for being a valued member of the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum!

[v-mdharahman]

Hi @abhargava  ,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

The issue you're encountering with slicers retaining outdated project names in Power BI while using DirectQuery is likely due to how Power BI caches data for slicers and visuals, this might be why the slicer is retaining old project names in Power BI while using DirectQuery. Here's the steps and suggestions to ensure that your slicer always shows you the current project names : 

Solution 1: Clear Slicer Cache Automatically. Power BI slicers may retain cached values. To clear this:

    1.Use a Reset Button:

            • Add a button in your report for clearing slicer selections.

            • Go to the View tab, enable Bookmarks and Selection Pane.

            • Create a bookmark where slicers are cleared:

                    • Set slicers to their "default" state.

                    • In the Bookmarks Pane, click Add, rename it (e.g., "Reset Slicer"), and ensure the Data 

                       option is checked.

            • Link the bookmark to the button.

  2.Reset Slicers on Page Load (Bookmark Method):

         • If slicer values must reset automatically when a user navigates to the page:

                    • Use the bookmark as the default state for the report page.

                    • Set the page to load with this bookmark applied.

Solution 2: Force DirectQuery Refresh. DirectQuery mode fetches data dynamically, but cached slicer data can                    still persist. Ensure your visuals are refreshing correctly:

    1.Enable Auto-Refresh for Visuals:

            • Go to File > Options and Settings > Options > Data Load.

            • Under DirectQuery, check Allow data previews to refresh.

     2.Use the "Refresh Now" Button:

            • Add a "Refresh Now" button in Power BI to force all visuals (including slicers) to refresh when  

                  clicked.

     3.Disable Data Caching for Slicers:

            • In slicer settings:

                       • Go to the slicer's Format pane > Data/Items and set it to dynamically refresh by 

                          ensuring no static filters are applied.

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution and give a Kudos to help the other members find it more quickly. If you have any other queries you can reach out to community forum for assistance.

Thank you. 

[lbendlin]

This is working as designed.  You must avoid setting default values for slicers before publishing when you use Direct Query sources or when you use RLS.