Filters VS Slicers in Power BI

Filter is   the feature of the power bi whereas Slicer is the visual of the power bi. We can go through deeply into the filters and slicers for better understanding.

Filters:

Power BI filters are used to extract the required data from the huge data given and controls what type of information to be represent in visuals and reports. That means filters will work on subset of the data. In power BI filters can be shown on the right side of your screen.

Types of power bi filters: There are 4 different types of filters like,

1. Visual level filters: We can apply the filter for a particular visual in the dashboard or report.

2. Page level filters: The filter which can be applied to all the visuals of a particular page are called Page level filters.

3. Drill through filters: These filters are used to drill down and navigate through different pages.

4. Report level filters: These filters are used to apply on all visuals in all pages of the dashboard.

Visual level filter:

Here in this power bi page when we select the pie chart, filters on this visual option will appear and we can apply the filter as we need.

Page level filter:

Page level filter contains Basic filtering and Advanced filtering options. These filters only filter the data on a given page, which makes them useful for creating pages that focus on particular subsets of your data. Here in the above page, we applied filter on subcategory by choosing some items only. To apply page level filter, we need to drag and drop the data field from the data panel to the filter panel.

Report level filtering:

The report-level filters are the filters that you simply use to apply a filter condition on the entire report. The report-level filter will get applied to each visualization and page of a report. Thus, report-level filters are different from visual-level and page-level filters, report-level filters are generalized filters.

To apply report level filtering, we need at least two pages in power bi. The above screen shot shows the report level filtering which will apply to all the pages in our report.

Slicers:

In power bi Slicers are essentially interactive controls that allow you to filter your data. They provide an easy and dynamic way to browse analyze data, especially when you are dealing with huge amount of data.

Slicers in power bi are highly customizable and can be used in a variety of ways. We can choose from a range of different types of slicers, including dropdowns, checkboxes and sliders. Also, we can customize the appearance of the slicers to match the report or dashboard.

 We can use the data that we got by using slicers can be used to form other visualizations. For example, when we apply slicer on a table, we can use the filtered data to form visualizations.

How to add slicers in power bi:

To add slicers,

1. Click on visualizations pane on the right side of the screen.

2. Select “slicer” from the list of visualization types.

3. Choose the fields that you want to add to the slicer.

Types of Slicers:

Dropdown slicer: Allows us to select a single value from a list of values.

   Slider slicer: Allows to select a range of values using a slider control.

  Checkbox slicer:  Allows to select multiple values from the list.

In the above screenshot we applied slicer for the subcategory using dropdown list.

Slicers can be created in a variety of styles, which include:

·        Date Range Selectors – Multiple styles available and dynamically scales to size of the visual

·        Dropdowns – Dropdown list of all values

·        Tiles – Buttons that dynamically re-size or can be defined number of buttons or tiles on a visual

·        Vertical Lists – A long list of values that can be single or multi-selected

 In the above example it shows the tiles type multi selection slicer.

FILTERS	SLICERS
Filters are one of the features in power bi not a visual.	Slicer is one of the visual in power bi.
In Filters there are Visual level, page level filters, report level filters are there.	In Slicers there is no feature only sync slicers are present.
Report level filters are used to filter all the pages.	Sync slicers are used to filter the data across all pages.
Filters support “Measures”	Slicers will not support the “Measures”
Basic and Advanced filters are there, where you can filter top N.	In slicers there is no such concept.
Filters does not affect performance as slicers.	Slicers slowdown the performance of the reports.

Advantages of using Slicer on a power BI report:

• A slicer is simple to use; they appear in the canvas.

• Report consumers can customize the visuals by selecting what they want to see.

• Despite the fact that slicers are limited to a single report page, you can add them to many pages and synchronize their activities.

Advantages of using Filter on a power BI report:

• It has three levels of applications:report,page, and visual.

• Users can apply a filter to a single object on the page, like tables, charts or cards.

• It can be used inside the same report on different pages.

• Users could use a filter to refer to objects in other reports.

Conclusion:

It's a skill to refine Power BI data outcomes. To get the most out of reports, report developers must apply their knowledge. They must employ slicers to provide the appropriate level of end-user accessibility, and they must use various filters to regulate report performance.

Both power bi filters and slicers are vital components of building power bi dashboards. Which one to use is depending on the end user experience.  Slicers are visible and can be used by end users also. Filters on the other hand, give end users a lot more options than what would be feasible to fit on a page with slicers.

References: Slicer vs Filter in Power BI: Understanding the Differences & Similarities (powerbiconsulting.com)

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