Field parameter

Question

in power bi, how to use a field parameter to switch on/off the visibility of columns in a array/matrix visual ?

Answer 1

Post/ask in the Power BI community:

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-forums/ct-p/powerbi

Answer 2

Use a field parameter as the column field in the matrix and drive it with a slicer; switching columns on/off is done by changing which fields are selected in that parameter.

1. Create the field parameter
   1. In Power BI Desktop, go to Modeling > New parameter > Fields.
   2. Give the parameter a name (for example, Column Selector).
   3. Add the columns and/or measures that should be optionally visible in the matrix.
   4. Adjust the order and display names as needed in the dialog.
   5. Confirm; Power BI creates a parameter table and (optionally) a slicer for it.
2. Use the parameter in the matrix
   1. Add a Matrix visual.
   2. Put the field parameter (for example, Column Selector) into the Columns or Values bucket of the matrix, depending on whether the parameter represents dimensions or measures:
      • For switching dimension columns: place the parameter in Columns.
      • For switching measures: place the parameter in Values.
   3. Use the automatically created slicer (or create your own) based on the parameter table to control which fields are active.
3. Switch columns on/off
   • Report readers use the parameter slicer to select which fields are active. Only the selected fields appear as columns in the matrix; deselecting a field effectively hides that column.
   • From the visual’s field well, use the parameter’s context menu (Show selected field) to control whether the matrix shows the values or the display names of the selected fields.
4. Optional: edit the parameter in DAX
   • To add or remove fields later, edit the parameter table’s DAX definition. Each row defines a field and its order:

      Parameter = {
          ("Customer", NAMEOF('Customer'[Customer]), 0),
          ("Category", NAMEOF('Product'[Category]), 1),
          ("Color", NAMEOF('Product'[Color]), 2),
          ("Product", NAMEOF('Product'[Product]), 3)
      }
   

   • Keep exactly three elements per tuple (display name, column/measure reference, order) and use unique values for each.

This setup lets the matrix dynamically show or hide columns based on the field parameter selection, without separate show/hide logic for each column.

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References:

• Let report readers use field parameters to change visuals
• Create and use parameters to visualize variables in Power BI Desktop
• Extend the data source schema to support data translations
• Working with a matrix in Power View