Forum Discussion
Visual level filtering for slicers
I have a large set of options from which I would like to pick some specific ones and use them in a slicer to filter my data.
Why Is it not possible to add a Visual level filter for a slicer when this is an option for other chart types?
I'm currently using a 100% stacked column chart as a workaround.
Thanks,
Andre
There is a hack for this ...
1. turn the visual into a bar chart
2. apply the visual level filter
3. turn the visual back into a slicer
54 Replies
Hi,
There is a workaround to it:
1. Create a copy of the slicer so you have two slicers on the page (let's call them "SL1" and "SL2")
2. On SL2, select the values you want to see appear in the actual slicer (this is NOT using the visual filter of the slicer, just select the values from the actual slicer)
3. SL1 will now be showing ONLY the values you have selected in SL2.
4. With SL1 switch "ON" background and set transparency to 0%
5. reduce the size of SL2 to something smaller than SL1 and Drop it "behind" SL1 to hide it.
This will get the work done.
Thanks GregM for the edit
Thanks sumit4732 That worked...
To be clearer for other users...
1. Create a copy of the slicer so you have two slicers on the page (lets call them "SL1" and "SL2")
2. On SL2, select the values you want to see appear in the actual slicer (this is NOT using the visual filter of the slicer, just select the values from the actual slicer)
3. SL1 will now be showing ONLY the values you have selected in SL2.
4. With SL1 switch "ON" background and set transparency to 0%
5. reduce the size of SL2 to something smaller than SL1 and Drop it "behind" SL1 to hide it.
Thanks again sumit4732
Best Regards
Gerard
Thanks @sumit4732 It's a great workaround! Just wanted to add that you can hide SL2 in the Selection Pane, it will eliminate the need for step 4 and 5.
There is a hack for this ...
1. turn the visual into a bar chart
2. apply the visual level filter
3. turn the visual back into a slicer
austinsense, Power BI Desktop June update kill this hack :smileysad:
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this no longer works in the latest version of Power BI.
me too have the same problem.
solved temporarily with created double slicer (one on the top of the other)
but sometimes this slicer doesn't work (there's blank option in the slicer)
so i have to re-publish from desktop version to eliminate the blank
and it happens quite frequent
so please, Microsoft, would you fix this?
Greg_Deckler I'm using an Analysis Service connection which doesn't have those modelling capabilities (yet!)
austinsense That's awesome! And works both with the out of the box slicer and the chiclet slicer custom chart! Thank you
andrecavaca - You should definitely post to Ideas, but why not just use Enter Data or another query to create a table with just the values you want, relate the two tables and use the second table as your slicer? Boom!
- I think the query is the better option so you can to some extent keep your filter list dynamic. You can either write a new query or use table measure to do that.
There is a cusom visualization called "Hierarchy Slicer" that has this functionality. You don't have to use the hierarchy aspect of the slicer if you don't need it, but the list filters down based on your other selections. This needs a permanent fix though, and I know there can be issues with custom visuals on mobile devices.
https://app.powerbi.com/visuals/show/HierarchySlicer1458836712039
kmccormick I tried to use a filter in the Hierarchy slicer, but for that's not possible. Did you really add a filter to that visual (the hierarchy slicer)?
Add your idea to the ideas section and let us know here so we can vote for it. :smileyhappy:
Followed your advice, the idea can be found here: https://ideas.powerbi.com/forums/265200-power-bi-ideas/suggestions/12545673-visual-level-filtering-in-slicers
Cheers
I just went to the Ideas forum and upvoted as many posts as I could find that request this fix. This is so important! And it's so frustrating to see a Visual-level slicer on this visual, but not be able to use it!
In the meantime, I have a really hack-y workaround:
- Right click on your Field, and group together all the values you don't want to show up in your filter. Name this group something that will send it to the bottom of your list, alphabetically (such as Z-Past Performances)
- Leave all the values you'd like to see in your slicer Ungrouped.
- In your Filter Slicer:
- In "Field" enter your grouped Field
This will give you a Filter Slicer with all of the values you want to see, then a group of values at the very bottom that contains all the values you don't want to see. If you don't have too many values you do want to see, you can even format this filter slicer as a List and resize it so that all of the values except for the Z group at the bottom show up.
If a direct page filter wont' help, then you are probably filtering the wrong table and a relationship is missing.
Anoterh way to help limit your slicer options is to ensure you have cross filtering enabled.
often you have filters on the page, but the slicers seem unaffected by the filters. that's possibly because you're filtering for all won opportunities but are not applying that filter back to the accounts list. (just as a concrete excample I was struggling with)
if you configure your relationship between the two tables to not just filter in a single direction but both you will see that slicers automatically filter too.
PS. this cross filter option often only works once. PowerBI does not like multiple cross filters in your model as it can only handle a singe filtering path.
Create two of the same slicers, making sure one of them (referred to as 'first slicer') only has 'interactions' with the other slicer ('second slicer') and nothing else on the page. Select the chosen items from the first slicer and it will filter the second slicer to only show those options available. Go to View->Selection Pane and hide the first slicer so it is no longer visible and you're sorted.
