How to Add Multiple Columns in Slicer Power BI

Arranging a Power BI slicer into multiple columns can instantly clean up a cluttered report and make it far easier for users to navigate. Instead of a long, scrollable list, you can create a compact, grid-like filter that saves valuable dashboard space. This guide will walk you through exactly how to format your slicers for a multi-column layout and the best way to combine different data fields into a single, cohesive filter.

Why Use a Multi-Column Layout for Slicers?

Before jumping into the "how," it's helpful to understand the "why." A single, long slicer that forces users to scroll endlessly is a classic sign of an inefficient dashboard. Breaking that list into columns offers several distinct advantages:

• Saves Dashboard Space: This is the most obvious benefit. A horizontal, multi-column slicer takes up significantly less vertical space than a long list, freeing up room for more important visuals.
• Improves User Experience (UX): Good reports are easy to use. By displaying more options on the screen at once, you reduce the need for scrolling, allowing users to find and select what they need much faster.
• Enhances Readability: Seeing options laid out in a grid can be more scannable and digestible than processing a single vertical list.

There are two main scenarios where you might want multiple columns: arranging a single field into a grid, or showing data from multiple fields within one slicer. Let’s tackle both.

Method 1: Formatting a Single Field into Multiple Columns

This is the most straightforward method and is built directly into Power BI's formatting options. It's perfect when you have one slicer field (like "Product Category" or "Region") and you simply want to arrange its values in a grid instead of a list.

Let’s say you have a slicer for “Country” and its default view is a long vertical list.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• 1. Select Your Slicer: Click on the slicer visual on your Power BI report canvas to select it.
• 2. Open the Formatting Pane: With the slicer selected, go to the “Format your visual” pane (the paintbrush icon).
• 3. Adjust the Layout Settings:

As soon as you select "Horizontal," you’ll see the slicer values transform into responsive tiles.

• 4. Define the Number of Columns:

That’s it! You’ve successfully converted a long list into a clean, multi-column layout. This simple formatting trick is one of the quickest ways to improve your report's usability.

Method 2: Combining Multiple Data Fields into One Slicer

Now for a more advanced scenario. What if you want to display information from two different columns in a single slicer? For example, you want users to see both the Product Name and its corresponding Product ID, or a city name and its state, within the same slicer choice.

Power BI slicers are designed to work with only one data field at a time. You can’t drag two separate fields into the "Field" well. The solution is to create a new, combined column in the background using Power Query. This new column acts as a single field that contains the information from both original columns.

Here’s how to do it step-by-step.

Step 1: Open the Power Query Editor

First, we need to create our new combined column. This is best done in the Power Query Editor, which allows you to shape and transform data before it’s loaded into your Power BI model.

• On the Home tab in Power BI Desktop, click on Transform data. This will open the Power Query Editor in a new window.

Step 2: Add a Custom Column

Once you’re in the Power Query Editor, find the table (query) that contains the columns you want to combine on the left side pane and select it.

• With the correct table selected, go to the Add Column tab in the ribbon at the top.
• Click on the Custom Column button. This will open a dialog box where you can create your new column using a formula.

Step 3: Write the Concatenation Formula

In the Custom Column dialog box, you'll need to write a simple formula to combine your fields. This is called concatenation.

Let’s say you want to combine a [Product Name] column and a [Category] column.

• Name your new column: In the "New column name" box, give your column a descriptive name, like "Product and Category Slicer".
• Enter the formula: In the "Custom column formula" box, you'll join the columns together using the ampersand symbol (&). It’s also a best practice to add a text separator (like a hyphen or a pipe character) to make the final output more readable.

Here is an example formula:

[Product Name] & " - " & [Category]

Let's break that down:

• [Product Name] refers to the first column you want to include.
• & is the concatenation operator that joins text together.
• " - " is a text string that we are adding as a separator. The spaces around the hyphen make it easier to read. You could use " | " or " (" & [Category] & ")" instead, depending on your preferred style.
• [Category] refers to the second column.

After entering the formula, click OK. You will see your new combined column appear at the far right of your table in Power Query.

Step 4: Close & Apply

Your new column is ready. Now you just need to load it into your Power BI report model.

• In the top-left of the Power Query Editor, click on Close & Apply. This will save your changes and take you back to the main Power BI report view.

Step 5: Create your New Slicer

Now for the easy part. You can use your newly created column just like any other field in your model.

• Add a new slicer visual to your report canvas.
• From the Data pane, find the new column you created ("Product and Category Slicer").
• Drag this new column into the Field well of the slicer visual.

You will now have a slicer where each item contains the combined information from both columns, such as "Laptop - Electronics" or "Coffee Mug - Kitchenware".

To make it even better, you can apply the multi-column formatting from Method 1 to this new slicer. Select the slicer, go to Format visual > Slicer settings > Layout, change the Orientation to "Horizontal", and adjust the number of columns to create a clean, compact grid of your combined data.

Best Practices for Multi-Column Slicers

To make sure your new slicers are effective, keep a few best practices in mind:

• Keep it Readable: When concatenating columns, always use a clear separator. A long string of text like "LaptopElectronics" is much harder to read than "Laptop - Electronics".
• Consider Cardinality: Concatenation works best for fields with a manageable number of unique combinations. If you combine two columns that result in thousands of unique values, your slicer will still be cumbersome to use. In such cases, two separate slicers might be better.
• Use Sorting: To ensure your concatenated field sorts in a logical way, select the custom column in the "Data" view, then go to the "Column tools" tab and use the "Sort by column" feature to sort by another field, like a Product ID or an order index.
• Use an Alias If Necessary: If column names are long, it's a good practice to use an alias for the final column name. For example, instead of naming a new column “Sales Person Name and Respective Region”, you can simply call it “Sales Rep” in Power Query. This makes your dashboard cleaner and easier to manage for you as a developer.

Final Thoughts

Creating multi-column slicers in Power BI is a fantastic way to streamline your reports, providing a cleaner look and a more intuitive user experience. Whether you're arranging a single field into a neat grid or combining multiple data fields into a single, contextual filter, these techniques help you build more professional and efficient dashboards.

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