Guide section 9 of 31
Filters & Slicers
Use slicers for frequently changed, user-facing controls and the Filters pane for less frequent or more technical filtering. The user must be able to understand scope, active state, defaults and reset behavior.
| Pattern | User need | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Report-level filters | Persistent/global report context. | Use for context that truly applies across pages; expose important active context in the UI. |
| Page-level filters | Context for one analytical page. | Use when the page needs additional scope without affecting other pages. |
| Visual-level filters | Local visual constraint. | Use for implementation logic or local analytical behavior; avoid invisible states that surprise users. |
| Dropdown slicer | Compact selection from a longer list. | Show current value and search when needed. |
| List slicer | Visible scanning/selection list. | Use when option visibility is more important than space. |
| Tile / button slicer | Short, mutually understandable options. | Useful for view/metric/category switching when the options are few. |
| Date slicer | Date/range selection. | Choose between/before/after/relative/date-picker modes based on task. |
| Relative date/time | Rolling windows such as last N days/hours. | Use when users reason in relative periods rather than fixed dates. |
| Hierarchy slicer | Selection across hierarchical levels. | Use only if the hierarchy itself is meaningful and understandable. |
| Search | Find values in long slicer lists. | Prefer when browsing is inefficient. |
| Synced slicers | Persist the same selection across pages. | Keep placement/meaning consistent; avoid hidden synced state without visible context. |
| Filter pane | Technical/secondary filters. | Do not make users depend on it for frequent task-critical controls. |
| Filter summary | Visible active-filter context. | Show count/labels for collapsed or complex filter sets. |
| Reset / clear | Return to a known default state. | Define whether 'clear' means blank/all or reset-to-default. |
| Default selections | Initial context on entry. | Document and test; do not leave defaults implicit. |
Standard filter-bar pattern
[Location ▼] [Period ▼] [Budget ▼] [Channel ▼] Filters · 4 active [Clear all]
Power BI limitation / UX risk A slicer can be synced to another page without being visible there. Hidden synced slicers can create an apparently unexplained state. Use them only when persistent context is obvious elsewhere.
Recommended pattern For a small number of simple slicers, direct updates are generally appropriate. For pages with many or expensive slicers, use Power BI's Apply all slicers and Clear all slicers pattern where it improves performance and control.