Cross-filtering and selections
Click a mark on one visual and the other visuals on the page narrow to what you picked. This page explains what you can select, how several picks build up, and how a selection looks while it is active. Setting which visuals a selection reaches is covered on Filters, slicers and interactions.
How a selection reaches the page
- By default, a selection on one visual filters every other visual on the page. It applies to your view only; nothing is saved.
- The values you pick are applied as one update, so every other visual re-runs against the whole selection. Select all and Clear in a slicer apply in one update too.
- A slicer that cannot be emptied picks a value for you as soon as it loads, so the filter is never empty.
- To change which visuals respond to a selection, see Filters, slicers and interactions.
What you can select
- A category mark on a bar, line or combo chart.
- A stage on a funnel. A second click on the same stage clears it.
- A pie slice, or its item in the legend. When a pie draws one slice per measure, its slices cannot filter the page.
- One or more values in a slicer.
Add more values to a selection
- Hold Ctrl (Windows and Linux) or Cmd (macOS) while you click to add a value to the current selection. A plain click replaces it.
- The modifier works the same way on funnel stages and pie slices.
How a selection looks
- Deselected marks dim instead of disappearing, so the full shape of the data stays in view. They sit at 40% opacity normally, and at 28% when another selection exists.
- Hovering a dimmed mark brings it back to full.
Hover linking on legends
- Hovering a legend entry highlights its series and dims the others. A pie shares one highlight between its legend and its slices.
- While a selection is active, hover highlighting pauses so the two do not compete; it returns when you clear the selection.
When a selection is not available
- Tables, matrices and KPI tiles cannot filter other visuals. Choosing one as a source in the interactions editor answers This visual type can't filter other visuals.
- When your role cannot filter from a slicer, the slicer stays readable but has no effect: its values show, and ticking one does nothing.
Questions, answered
Why did the other visuals change when I clicked a mark?
By default, a selection on one visual filters every other visual on the page. It changes your view only; nothing is saved, and it stays until you clear it. See Filters, slicers and interactions to keep a visual out of a selection.
Why do deselected marks dim instead of disappearing?
Dimming keeps the full shape of the data in view, so you can compare what you picked with what you did not. Deselected marks sit at 40% opacity, and at 28% when another selection exists; hovering a dimmed mark brings it back to full.
How do I select more than one value at once?
Hold Ctrl (Windows and Linux) or Cmd (macOS) while clicking. The modifier adds to the current selection instead of replacing it, on category marks, funnel stages and pie slices alike. A plain click replaces what was selected before.
How do I clear a selection?
Click the selected mark again to clear it; a funnel stage clears on a second click, and the modifier key adds stages instead. Slicer selections have their own controls; see Slicers.
Can I select a pie category with the keyboard?
Yes, when the pie draws its slices from a legend field: Tab to a legend item, then press Enter or Space. A pie that draws one slice per measure has no legend values to select.
Why can't my table, matrix or KPI tile filter other visuals?
Tables, matrices and KPI tiles cannot act as a filter source; in the interactions editor, choosing one answers This visual type can't filter other visuals. A selection can still filter them, and you set which visuals receive a selection on Filters, slicers and interactions.
Why does ticking a slicer value do nothing?
Your role does not include cross-filtering, so the slicer stays readable but has no effect: its values show, and ticking one does not filter. See Slicers for how a slicer filters.