Understanding “Remove Filters” in Power BI DAX with Examples

Filters can be applied at different levels, such as at the table, column, or row level. However, there are situations where you may want to remove filters to perform calculations on the entire dataset or a specific subset of data.

What is “Remove Filters” in Power BI DAX?

“Remove Filters” is a DAX function in Power BI that allows you to remove any existing filters applied to a table or column. This function is particularly useful when you want to perform calculations on the entire dataset or when you want to ignore certain filters temporarily.

The syntax for the “Remove Filters” function is as follows:

REMOVEFILTERS([table_name_or_column_name])

Here, [table_name_or_column_name] refers to the name of the table or column from which you want to remove filters. If you don’t specify any table or column name, the function removes filters from the entire dataset.

Examples of Using “Remove Filters” in Power BI DAX

Let’s explore a few examples to understand how the “Remove Filters” function works:

Example 1: Removing Filters from a Table

Suppose you have a table called “Sales” with columns like “Product”, “Region”, and “Sales Amount”. You want to calculate the total sales amount for all products, regardless of any filters applied to the “Region” column.

You can use the “Remove Filters” function as follows:

Total Sales Amount = 
    CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Sales Amount]), REMOVEFILTERS(Sales[Region]))

This calculation will ignore any filters applied to the “Region” column and provide the total sales amount for all products.

Example 2: Removing Filters from a Column

Continuing with the previous example, let’s say you want to calculate the average sales amount for each product, regardless of any filters applied to the “Region” column.

You can use the “Remove Filters” function in combination with the “SUMMARIZE” function as follows:

Average Sales Amount by Product = 
    SUMMARIZE(
        REMOVEFILTERS(Sales[Region]),
        Sales[Product],
        "Average Sales Amount", AVERAGE(Sales[Sales Amount])
    )

This calculation will remove filters applied to the “Region” column and provide the average sales amount for each product.

Example 3: Removing Filters from the Entire Dataset

Sometimes, you may want to remove filters from the entire dataset to perform calculations on all the data. In such cases, you can simply use the “Remove Filters” function without specifying any table or column name.

For example:

Total Sales Amount = 
    CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Sales Amount]), REMOVEFILTERS())

This calculation will remove all filters applied to the dataset and provide the total sales amount for all records.

Conclusion

The “Remove Filters” function in Power BI DAX is a powerful tool for manipulating filters and performing calculations on the entire dataset or specific subsets of data. By using this function, you can remove any existing filters applied to a table or column, allowing you to analyze your data more effectively.

Remember to use the “Remove Filters” function judiciously and only when necessary, as removing filters can significantly impact the results of your calculations. It’s important to understand the context and purpose of your analysis before deciding to remove filters.

DAX Tutorial: RemoveFilters in Power bi.