Slicers are crucial in the dashboard creation, as they enable users to interact with the report. However, if you are using multiple slicers related to multiple visuals, managing them can be tricky. This is where sync slicers step in, providing a functionality to manage slicers across multiple report pages.
In this article, we will be curating a walkthrough on how you can configure Sync Slicers in Power BI.
Creating a Slicer
Before we delve into configuring sync slicers, it’s important to understand how to create a slicer. Creating a slicer is pretty straightforward in Power BI:
- From the “Fields” pane, select a field for the slicer.
- Drag the selected field onto the report canvas.
- Once the field is on the canvas, on the “Visualizations pane”, select “Slicer”.
Your slicer is ready, you can adjust its size and placement according to your needs.
Configuring Sync Slicers
The Sync Slicers feature allows slicers to stay in sync across multiple pages. This means you can control multiple slicers with one master slicer. To use this feature, follow the steps below:
- Ensure you’ve selected the slicer you want to use as the master slicer.
- From the visualization pane, select the “Formatting” icon (the paint roller).
- From the expanded list, select the “Sync slicers”.
- After clicking on “Sync slicers”, toggle the switch to “On” to enable the feature and bring up the Sync table.
- In the Sync table, checkboxes denote which slicer is in sync with which. Check the boxes next to the pages where you want the slicer to have an impact.
- The “Sync” column allows you to sync selected slicers across pages. The “Visible” column lets you control the visibility of the slicer on the pages.
Practical Example
Let’s assume you have a sales dashboard with two pages, “Sales Overview” and “Sales Breakdown”. Now you have the “Region” slicer in “Sales Overview” page and you want to filter the same region in the “Sales Breakdown” page when you filter in the “Sales Overview” page.
Step 1: Select the “Region” slicer in the “Sales Overview” page.
Step 2: From the Visualization pane, select the paint roller (formatting icon) and then “Sync Slicers”. Toggle the switch to On.
Step 3: A table will appear listing your pages. Check the “Sales Breakdown” box under “Sync” to ensure that any filtering on the “Sales Overview” page also takes effect on the “Sales Breakdown” page.
Step 4: You can also control visibility; let’s assume you don’t want to show the “Region” slicer in “Sales Breakdown” page. In this case, uncheck the “Sales Breakdown” box under “Visible”.
By following these steps, you have successfully created a sync slicer which impacts both your pages while being visible only on one.
In this way, configuring Sync Slicers in Power BI can be a game-changer in the way you manipulate and handle data across report pages. The synchronizing slicer option caters to creating more interactive, robust, and user-friendly reports and dashboards. The sync slicers functionality is a must-know for any individual preparing to ace the PL-300 Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst exam.
Practice Test
True or False: Sync slicers allow you to synchronize multiple slicers so that selection on one slicer is applied to others.
Answer: True
Explanation: Sync slicers is a feature in Power BI that enables syncing of slicer state across multiple report pages.
To configure sync slicers, which pane in Power BI should be used?
- a. Fields pane
- b. Sync slicers pane
- c. Visualizations pane
- d. View pane
Answer: b. Sync slicers pane
Explanation: Sync slicers pane is used to manage syncing the slicers in Power BI.
True or False: Slicers can not be synced across multiple report pages.
Answer: False
Explanation: Using sync slicers, you can sync slicers across multiple report pages in the Power BI.
In Power BI, the _____ button is used to sync slicers.
- a. Add
- b. Synchronize
- c. Sync
- d. Add slicer
Answer: c. Sync
Explanation: The Sync button in the sync slicers pane is used to sync the slicers in Power BI.
True or False: The slicer syncing feature in Power BI supports hierarchies.
Answer: True
Explanation: The slicer syncing feature supports hierarchies and ensures selected hierarchy level is maintained across synced slicers.
The slicer syncing feature is not supported for slicers using which of the following data types?
- a. Numeric
- b. Text
- c. Date/Time
- d. Distinct count
Answer: d. Distinct count
Explanation: The slicer syncing feature is not supported for slicers using distinct count as these don’t allow syncing across other slicers.
True or False: You can configure slicer syncing for slicers that use different fields.
Answer: False
Explanation: Slicers must use the same field to be synced. Sync slicers feature doesn’t support syncing across slicers that use different fields.
Which of the following is not true about Sync slicers in Power BI?
- a. Sync slicers replicate slicer selection to all pages it’s been sync to.
- b. Sync slicers support hierarchies.
- c. You can pick and choose visuals to affect slicer syncing.
- d. Sync slicers can be synced across slicers using different fields.
Answer: d. Sync slicers can be synced across slicers using different fields.
Explanation: Slicers should use the same field to be eligible for syncing using the sync slicers feature in Power BI.
Which of the following visualization type doesn’t support the slicer syncing feature?
- a. Matrix
- b. Chart
- c. Map
- d. Table
Answer: All of the above support slicer syncing
Explanation: The slicer syncing feature works with all types of visualizations: matrix, chart, map, table.
True or False: Sync slicers preserve slicer state even after the Power BI report is saved and reopened.
Answer: True
Explanation: Sync slicers do preserve the slicer state even after you save and then reopen the Power BI report.
Interview Questions
What are sync slicers in Power BI?
Sync slicers in Power BI is a feature that allows users to apply a slicer selection to multiple visuals, tables or other slicers across different report pages.
How do you configure a sync slicer in Power BI?
You can configure a sync slicer by selecting the slicer and then navigating to the View tab, then clicking on Sync slicers. This will open a pane where you can choose the reports to which the slicer should sync.
Can you identify which slicer state can be synced across multiple visuals?
Yes, it is possible to sync both the slicer visibility and slicer selection state across multiple visuals.
Can slicer syncing be done between separate report files in Power BI?
No, slicer syncing can only be done within visuals of the same report file.
How can you identify synced slicers from the list in the Sync slicers pane?
Synced slicers are denoted by a small chain icon next to the slicer name.
Can a slicer be synced to specific pages or does it have to sync with all pages in a report?
A slicer can be synced to specific pages in Power BI. You simply need to select or unselect the check boxes for the specific pages in the Sync slicers pane.
Can slicer syncing be turned off for a particular page in Power BI?
Yes, it can. In the Sync slicers pane, you can turn off the slicer syncing for a particular page by unselecting its check box.
What are the prerequisites for creating sync slicers?
There are no prerequisites. Any slicer in a Power BI report can be synced.
Can slicer syncing be turned off completely in a Power BI report?
Yes. You can turn off slicer syncing completely by unselecting all the check boxes in the Sync slicers pane.
Can slicers be synced across different data models within the same Power BI report?
No, slicers can only be synced within the same data model in a Power BI report.
Is it possible to sync multiple slicers at once?
No, each slicer must be synced individually in the Sync slicers pane.
Are there any limitations to using sync slicers in Power BI?
Yes. Sync slicers do not support the relative date slicer, hierarchy slicer, or slicer syncing across reports.
Can a slicer synchronization setting be copied from one slicer to another?
No, each slicer’s synchronization settings must be configured individually.
What purpose does the “Sync” column serve in the Sync slicers pane?
The “Sync” column in the pane is used to enable or disable the synchronization of slicer selection state.
Can you sync slicers from the desktop version of Power BI to the web service version?
Yes. If you utilize sync slicers in your desktop report, the settings will be maintained when you publish the report to the Power BI service.
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