What is Field Parameters in Power BI? How to create a dynamic Axis using a slicer?

Field Parameters, introduced in the May 2022 update for Power BI, allow switching between dimensions and measures within a visualization for Axis/Row/Column and Values dynamically. That is if a user selects Field A as the axis, users can then select any field (Group B or Group C) within the saved visual to change their report view. Or if a field should be used as values rather than axis, dynamic measures directly through the Field Parameter should be selectable.

Dynamic Axis

Dynamic axis can be achieved by replacing bookmarks or unpivoting table columns with field parameters. For instance, in a bar chart where Category is on the x-axis, field parameters would make the axis dynamic and change it to Brand, Item, City, or State based on the selections in the slicer. This enables easy setting to show what one wants without changing the visual itself.

Dynamic Measure Slicer

Dynamic measures changing has been simplified with field parameters. In the earlier method, one had to create an additional table and write measures for the switch between different metrics. This could also produce a formatting issue when percentages were mixed with numbers. This used a field parameter to solve in a more seamless way and avoided all measures having format consistencies manually managed.

Calculation Groups as an Alternative:

Another way to apply dynamic measures is with Calculation Groups. They have the same capability to switch between measures as, for example, field parameters. On the other hand, field parameters are much easier to use and especially for end-users who need to be able to quickly switch dimensions or measures on a report.

Example Scenarios

Dynamic Axis: For instance, if you have a bar chart with Category on the x-axis and want to allow users to switch to Brand, Item, City, or State dynamically, then you can use a field parameter slicer and let users choose which field appears on the axis.

Dynamic Measure Selection: To be able to switch between showing total sales, profit, discount percentage, etc., set up a measure slicer created with field parameters — this makes things easier and eliminates the need for a more complex workaround.