Forum Discussion

StevenT's avatar
StevenT
Helper V
10 months ago
Solved

text search visual - changing to different fields dynamically.

Good morning. I have a page where when I choose an option from a Category Selector, it changes my matrix properly and with this i was able to reduce the pages from 7 to 1. The text search is awes...
Need Help
  • Shubham_rai955's avatar
    Shubham_rai955
    9 months ago

    Power BI does not natively support switching the search field of a text search visual dynamically based on slicer or user selection, as text filter visuals require binding to a single column. However, there are workarounds and custom visual options to achieve your goal:​​

    Recommended Solution: Combined Search Column

    • Create a new column in your data model that concatenates all target fields (e.g., Category, Product, Customer) using DAX like SearchKey = [Field1] & " " & [Field2] & " " & [Field3].​

    • Bind your text search visual (such as Text Filter or Text Slicer) to this combined column. Users can then search all target fields using a single text box.​

    • This approach simplifies the interface and maintains performance for large datasets.​

    Custom Visual Alternatives

    • Custom visuals, such as Smart Filter by OK Viz, may support more advanced filtering (including cascading or multi-field searches).​

    • Explore AppSource for visuals with flexible configuration, but most currently available require a single column for free text search.​

    Why Measure Does Not Work

    • Measures cannot be used, as text filter visuals require column-level binding, not measure-based dynamic values.​

    Steps

    • Create a search column in Power BI Desktop using DAX.

    • Use the Text Filter or Text Slicer visual and bind it to the search column.​

    • (Optional) Explore custom visuals for more advanced features from AppSource

V-yubandi-msft's avatar
V-yubandi-msft
Community Support
10 months ago

Hi StevenT ,

Adding to ajaybabuinturiresponse, another helpful option is the bridge table technique. By unpivoting searchable fields into a single column in Power Query, you can set up a model where one slicer lets users pick a field, and another slicer enables keyword searching within that field. This method provides dynamic text filtering natively and avoids duplicating visuals.

Thank you mh2587 , ajaybabuinturi for you valuable inputs.


Regards,
Yugandhar.

StevenT's avatar
StevenT
Helper V
9 months ago

Thanks Very much! Still didn't resolve it but I appreciate the ideas. Maybe I just need to do some research.

  • V-yubandi-msft's avatar
    V-yubandi-msft
    Community Support
    9 months ago

    Thank you for getting back to us. Once you’ve had a chance to try out Shubham_rai955  suggestion, please let us know how it works for you. We’re available to help with any further improvements.


    Regards,
    Yugandhar.