Currently, when using the “Apply to: Labels” option in matrix visuals for conditional formatting, Power BI applies the formatting to all row headers, including both regular rows and subtotal rows. This behavior is consistent across both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service, and it is not configurable to scope the formatting to only subtotals.
This limitation causes confusion and inconsistent visual behavior—especially in scenarios where users want to highlight only subtotal rows for clarity in large hierarchical matrices. In semantic model .pbix files, the formatting may appear more scoped due to local model context, but in live-connected reports, the formatting engine lacks the metadata granularity to distinguish between subtotal and non-subtotal labels.
Proposed Enhancement:
Introduce a new option in the “Apply to” dropdown for matrix visuals that allows users to apply conditional formatting only to subtotal labels. This would provide parity with the existing “Apply to: Values,” “Totals,” and “Subtotals” options and give report authors more precise control over formatting behavior.
Benefits
- Enables cleaner, more intuitive matrix visuals in both semantic models and live-connected reports.
- Reduces formatting inconsistencies between development and production environments.
- Improves accessibility and readability for end users by clearly distinguishing subtotal rows.
- Eliminates the need for workarounds such as importing models or using custom themes.
Reference:
@https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/desktop-conditional-table-formatting
@https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/visuals/power-bi-visualization-matrix-visual-format-settings?tabs=powerbi-desktop
1 Comment
- Tnank you Abhi2211 for creating this idea after our discussion over this limitation. I'm sure this will help developers to create even better and comprehensive table matrix to help the users with their analysis. Raphael
