Totals & subtotals

Native configuration

No totals, group subtotals or grand total — and how flat and hierarchical aggregation differ.

Working example

Flat Table — one grand total at most

Anna Visser	29.8 h
Bram Vos	30.0 h
Carla Jansen	35.8 h
Daan Mulder	37.3 h
Eva Dekker	37.0 h
Femke Smit	36.6 h
Total	206.5 h

Matrix — subtotals per level

Operations	236.0 h
Anna Visser	29.8 h
Bram Vos	30.0 h
Retail	254.0 h
Hanna Bakker	32.1 h
Ivo Bos	30.6 h
Finance	146.5 h
Olaf Jansen	35.8 h
Pien Mulder	40.9 h
IT	244.7 h
Sanne Peters	35.2 h
Tim Bakker	37.0 h
Total — all departments	881.2 h

Power BI platform fact

Totals are evaluated by the measure at the total grain. Percentages and averages are recalculated, not summed.

What it is

Table visuals support a single grand total row; Matrix visuals support subtotals per level plus row and column grand totals.

When to use it

Whenever a sum, average or ratio at group level supports the analytical question.

Native Power BI capability

Yes — format pane: Row subtotals, Column subtotals, Grand total, per-level switches.

UX considerations

Decide per level whether a subtotal answers a question or just adds a line.
Label the total row explicitly ('Total — all departments').
Warn that ratios do not sum; they are recalculated at total level.

BI developer considerations

Totals are recomputed by the measure at the total grain, not summed from rows.
Use per-level subtotal switches instead of hiding rows visually.

QA considerations

Ratio and percentage totals recalculate rather than sum.
Total respects the active filter context.

Limitations

Totals cannot be pinned to the top of a scrolling Table visual in all layouts.
Custom total formulas require DAX, not a visual setting.

HTML prototype note

This interactive HTML example simulates the native Power BI behaviour. It is not Power BI itself and should not be interpreted as an implementation of the Power BI rendering engine.

Designer ↔ BI developer handoff

UX designer defines

Information hierarchy and column order
Required fields and measures
Default state (sort, filters, selection)
Interaction intent and what it should affect
Responsive priority and what may be dropped
Accessibility expectations and focus order
Empty, loading and error states

BI developer implements

Dataset fields, measures and relationships
Visual configuration in the format pane
Filters, sort order and interaction wiring
Drill-through / drill-down configuration
Conditional formatting rules
Row-level security and permissions
Query performance optimisation

QA validates

Data correctness against the source
Correct default state on first load
Sorting and filtering behaviour
Drill and selection behaviour
Permissions and row-level security
Empty states and responsive layout
Performance and export behaviour