Image: vladim_ka/ Adobe Stock Numeric information provides itself to varieties in visualizations. End users might want to see sales for a particular time period or show sales that fall above or below a specific criteria. When this holds true, you can use Microsoft Power BI’s numerical variety slicer. Users will value the flexibility of viewing visualizations that provide this type of insight, which they can use themselves if they are appropriately trained to use the feature. Even then, it’s a bit unpleasant.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to include a numerical variety slicer to a Power BI visualization and discuss the mistakes this type of slicer will provide. What you’ll discover is that without correct training, users may get more than a bit lost. Sadly, this slicer does not deal with steps.
SEE: Microsoft Power Platform: What you need to learn about it (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
I’m utilizing Microsoft Power BI Desktop on a Windows 10 64-bit system. You can also utilize Power BI Service. If you’re utilizing Microsoft Power Bi Service, note that you can decide whether users can see a published report in Edit mode, which will affect their capability to use slicer types. If you disable modify mode, don’t include numerical range slicers.
You can download the Microsoft Power BI demo filefor this tutorial.
How to prepare the slicer in Power BI
When using a Power BI numeric range slicer, users have 4 options:
- Values in between two given numbers
- Values less than a defined number
- Values greater than a specified number
- Values relative to a defined time or date
Figure A shows a simple table matrix with two numerical columns based upon the Sales table. This is where understanding your data matters. The dates represent sales for 2021 and 2022. Users might want to see values from week to week, month to month, quarter to quarter or even year to year. Providing the choice is a simple step.
Figure A
We’ll include a numerical variety slicer to filter
sales by time periods. Let’s begin by adding a numeric range slicer for the dates. How to add a numeric variety slicer in Power BI Users are sure to appreciate the ability to see sales for specific period. Include the slicer by clicking Slicer in the Visualization pane. Then, add the SalesDate column from the Sales table to the Field pail (Figure B).
Figure B
Add a slicer that evaluates the dates in the Date field. As you can see, the slicer defaults to the first and last date in the SalesDate field. Your work as designer is done, sort of. Without the correct training, users won’t understand how to use this slicer to its complete benefit.
How to utilize the manages in numerical range slicer in Power BI
At this point, the slicer is ready to utilize if all that’s utilized are the two deals with. By default, the slicer can display every date. The left handle displays the earliest date, and the right deal with display screens the most current date.
By moving either manage, you filter the underlying records in the matrix visualization. For instance, Figure C shows the right deal with relocated to 12/31/2021 of the published report. Consequently, the matrix shows records for 2021. When you’re done, click the Clear Choices button in the top-right of the slicer.
Figure C
Move the best manage to display all the records for 2021. Likewise, you can move the left manage to display records for 2022(Figure D). Make sure to return the right manage to the far ideal initially. Think of the handles as the very first and last dates. Figure D Show all the records for 2022. If you have problem landing on a specific date, hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the right or left arrow key. Doing so will nudge the deal with a bit. That push must equal a single day. Another way to rapidly pick a particular date is to click the Date Picker beside each date. These lose their effectiveness when the time period covers numerous months or perhaps years. How to utilize the slicer type choices in Power BI The deals with come in handy, and knowing how to nudge the handles makes them even easier to use. Nevertheless, often you’ll desire a bit more precision. When developing the report, the slicer type dropdown is offered by default in the slicer’s header to the right of the name. If you do not see it, click Format in the Visualization pane and turn on the slicer’s header. It’s not easily noticeable in a published report, which need to be an oversight because users will not understand how to display it. Maybe this will change in a future upgrade. The user can show the dropdown and utilize the different slicer types by clicking Edit in the released report’s menu.
If you still don’t see it, click Mobile Design, and after that, click Web Design. Figure E reveals the dropdown and types in Edit mode. Figure E< img src ="https://d1rytvr7gmk1sx.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/tr-hark-PBINumericSlicer_E-770x595.jpg"alt="The dropdown displays slicer types."width="770"height="595"/ > The dropdown displays slicer types. The slicer types are self-explanatory, however there are a few things the user will require to know. Between is the default, so picking it appears to do absolutely nothing, unless you have actually used another type formerly. Prior to removes the left manage.
Move the best manage to alter the upper value of the date range. After eliminates the ideal handle.
Move the left manage to change the lower value of the date variety. Relative Date displays choices for specifying a date relative to the present date (Figure F).
Figure F< img src="https://d1rytvr7gmk1sx.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/tr-hark-PBINumericSlicer_F.jpg?x85972"alt="Discover values based on the existing date."width="653"height="638"/ > Discover values based on the present date. Relative Time display screens alternatives for defining a time relative to the existing time(Figure G). Figure G Find worths based upon the existing time. For the two latter types, the very first dropdown displays Last, Next and This. Using the 2 dropdowns together uses a lot of flexibility. For example, you may wish to see worths for the last month or the existing (this) hour. Both the date and time will upgrade if you revitalize the report. Power BI caches the results of these relative date and time inquiries. You must refresh the report or threat seeing the same results as before and not recognizing it.
Currently, Power BI does not think about time zones. That implies you and an associate in a various time zone will see worths evaluated in the UTC, which is the local time at Greenwich, England. This might or might not be useful, but this is something users should understand.
Utilizing slicer types in a released report is rife with risks most users won’t be familiar with. Nor will they know how to prevent them without training or card visualizations dropped in by the designer with specific instructions.
