Stacked table column widths

[mhamlyn]

As a report author building stacked, table-like visuals, I need: 1) The ability to specify exact column widths numerically (px or character width) for Table and Matrix. 2) In Matrix, an option to fully hide the row-header column (or designate a hidden key) so it doesn’t wrap or affect row height. 3) Consistent persistence of manually set widths when fields are replaced in Values. Today, achieving a table-like Matrix requires workarounds (unique row keys, SELECTEDVALUE measures, shrink row header), which adds complexity for an aesthetic requirement. Numeric width input and a true 'hide row header' toggle would eliminate these workarounds and make stacked visuals consistent and efficient.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @mhamlyn ,
Thanks for posting in  Microsoft Fabric Community.

The workarounds already shared by @d_m_LNK and @Ritaf1983  (such as using outline mode, disabling subtotals, fixing column width auto sizing, and adjusting row header settings) represent the supported options available today for achieving a more table-like layout with Matrix and Table visuals.

These can help in many scenarios, but they do not fully cover cases that require precise numeric column widths or a true option to hide the row header.

For visibility, we also noticed that you’ve already created a related Idea in the Ideas forum that captures these requirements around stacked table column widths and layout consistency:

Stacked table column width setting - Microsoft Fabric Community

Sharing this here so others running into similar limitations can review it, vote, or add additional context. Requests like this are best tracked through Ideas, as they would require product-level changes.

Thanks again for raising this and for sharing clear feedback.

[Ritaf1983]

Hi @mhamlyn 

You’re raising very real and painful points — these are well-known friction areas when trying to build table-like layouts with Matrix/Table.
I also noticed that you opened an Idea in parallel — I’ve voted for it and will share it with colleagues as well.

That said, for some of the things you mentioned, there are partial workarounds that may help already today, depending on the exact use case:

Symmetric matrix column widths
In recent Power BI versions, when the matrix is symmetric, you can define column width relative to the matrix itself — effectively enforcing an equal-width distribution across all value columns, regardless of content.
This doesn’t replace numeric px input, but it can help achieve visual consistency.

REPT-based techniques
Various REPT-based methods can be used to control perceived width and wrapping behavior.
This video demonstrates one such approach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZtuifazEHk

Model-level formatting techniques
Some formatting and layout behavior can be influenced directly from the model (rather than the visual), which can improve stability when swapping fields.
Example here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twiwgEXy87g&t=8s

Table-focused custom visuals
If the primary requirement is truly tabular reporting, it may be worth evaluating visuals that are designed specifically for that use case, such as Zebra BI Tables or Inforiver.
They are paid solutions, but they provide significantly more flexibility for column control, layout persistence, and table-centric reporting.

If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly

[d_m_LNK]

Hi @mhamlyn 

Some of the issues are experiencing I have experienced as well (as long as I'm understanding you correctly). Some of these can be helped with some configuration changes in the format pane.  Consider trying these options:

Switching to outline mode and putting columns all in the rows section and only true measures in the values will allow it to feel more like a table:

When you do this you will want to also disable row subtotals to give it the true table look:

To fix your column widths use this setting so they don't dynamically change (works in table and matrix):

Also switching off row header icons will give it a cleaner table look: