# A list slicer that shows how much each value weighs

> Get started with Bar Slicer Plume: prepare your data, set up the slicer in 10 minutes, and read the measure bar shown next to each value in the list.

- Language: English
- Web page: https://plumevisuals.com/en/tutorials/segment-liste-avec-barres
- Published: 2026-10-01
- Visual: Bar Slicer Plume, technical reference: https://plumevisuals.com/ai/visuals/bar-slicer.md
- If an option name in this tutorial differs from the technical reference, the reference is right (it is generated from the visual's code).

## In short

- **What the visual does.** Bar Slicer Plume is a list slicer: you click values (categories, regions, customers…) and the whole report filters on those values. Unlike the Power BI list slicer, each value carries a bar and a number taken from a measure. Picture the list of departments in a store where each department shows a gauge of its revenue next to its name: before you even click, you know that "Lighting" makes up a third of sales and "Home linens" barely 4%.
- **When to use it.**
  - To replace a list slicer whose values don't all carry the same weight (categories, regions, salespeople).
  - When users need to find a value quickly in a long list (accent-insensitive search).
  - To select the biggest contributors in one click (Top N ★) or a list copied from Excel (Paste a list ★).
  - When you want to always show how much the selection weighs ("2 selected · … of …").
- **When to use something else.** To filter on several fields or a hierarchy in a single visual, use Filter Bar Plume or Basic Slicer Plume. For a range of numbers or dates, use Range Plume or Period Plume.
- **By the end of this tutorial, you'll know how to:**
  - prepare a column to filter and a measure for the bars;
  - build the slicer and read what it sends to the report;
  - set up how bars, values and the summary are displayed;
  - sync the slicer across several pages and save a selection in a bookmark;
  - select a Top N or a list pasted from Excel.
- **What you need.** A recent version of Power BI Desktop, the Bar Slicer Plume visual installed (see [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume)), and a table with a text column to filter and a numeric column to add up.

### What is a slicer?

A **slicer** is a visual that doesn't show numbers: its job is to **filter** the other visuals on the page. A **filter** (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)) limits the data that is taken into account: if you check "Lighting", every chart on the page only calculates lighting sales. Uncheck everything and the filter goes away: the page goes back to the full data.

What to remember about how Bar Slicer Plume behaves:

- **It filters the column placed in Field.** In practice, it sends the report the rule "Category is one of: Lighting, Garden". Checked values add up (Lighting *or* Garden).
- **It doesn't filter itself.** The bars always show the weight of each value based on the *other* filters on the page, never based on its own selection. Unchecked values therefore keep their bar: that's what lets you compare.
- **Other visuals filter it.** If another slicer picks the "Brittany" region, the Bar Slicer Plume bars are recalculated for Brittany only. This is **cross-filtering** (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)). The visual doesn't do partial highlighting: it recalculates its bars.
- **A selection is a fixed list of values.** "Invert" and "Top N ★" check specific values at the moment you click. If the data changes afterward, the checked list doesn't change.
- **Bookmarks and slicer sync work**: the selection is checked again when you recall a bookmark or switch pages (see the [how-to guides](/en/tutorials/bar-slicer-plume-cas-pratiques)).

## The data you need

The visual needs two things:

- **A column to filter** (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)), for example `Category`. The visual shows one row per distinct value in this column. It must be a real table column, not a measure: that's what the filter applies to.
- **A measure** for the bars (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)), for example revenue. A measure is a formula that is recalculated for each value in the list. It should preferably be **additive** (a sum or a count): the share of total shown is calculated as the row's value divided by the sum of the positive values in the list.

Your source table can have one row per order: the visual groups the rows by `Category` value itself and calculates the measure for each one.

Sample dataset: sales for a home goods retailer (fictional data), one row per order.

| Category | Region | Channel | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lighting | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | Online | 1,240 |
| Lighting | Occitanie | Store | 980 |
| Lighting | Brittany | Online | 615 |
| Garden | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | Store | 1,460 |
| Garden | Occitanie | Online | 720 |
| Decor | Brittany | Store | 430 |
| Decor | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | Online | 385 |
| Kitchen | Occitanie | Online | 890 |
| Kitchen | Brittany | Store | 560 |
| Bathroom | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | Store | 1,120 |
| Home linens | Occitanie | Online | 210 |
| Home linens | Brittany | Online | 175 |

The same dataset, ready to paste: **Modeling › New table**, then paste the formula.

```dax
Sales =
DATATABLE (
    "Category", STRING,
    "Region", STRING,
    "Channel", STRING,
    "Amount", INTEGER,
    {
        { "Lighting", "Nouvelle-Aquitaine", "Online", 1240 },
        { "Lighting", "Occitanie", "Store", 980 },
        { "Lighting", "Brittany", "Online", 615 },
        { "Garden", "Nouvelle-Aquitaine", "Store", 1460 },
        { "Garden", "Occitanie", "Online", 720 },
        { "Decor", "Brittany", "Store", 430 },
        { "Decor", "Nouvelle-Aquitaine", "Online", 385 },
        { "Kitchen", "Occitanie", "Online", 890 },
        { "Kitchen", "Brittany", "Store", 560 },
        { "Bathroom", "Nouvelle-Aquitaine", "Store", 1120 },
        { "Home linens", "Occitanie", "Online", 210 },
        { "Home linens", "Brittany", "Online", 175 }
    }
)
```

> **Warning:** **Warning**: Depending on your regional settings, Power BI Desktop may expect `;` instead of `,` between DAX arguments. If it rejects the formula, replace the commas with semicolons, or change the DAX separators setting in the Power BI Desktop options.

The measures to create (**Modeling › New measure**, with the `Sales` table selected):

```dax
// Revenue: the length of the bars.
// SUM adds up the Amount column for each value in the list
// (for "Lighting", it adds up the 3 lighting orders).
Revenue = SUM ( Sales[Amount] )

// Order Count: a second number, for the tooltip or for sorting.
// COUNTROWS counts the rows of the table: here, one row = one order.
Order Count = COUNTROWS ( Sales )
```

With this data, the list sorted by revenue gives: Lighting 2,835, Garden 2,180, Kitchen 1,450, Bathroom 1,120, Decor 815, Home linens 385 (total 8,785).

Data preparation pitfalls:

- **No measure at hand?** `COUNTROWS` is enough: each bar then shows the number of rows for the value.
- **A non-additive measure** (average, `DISTINCTCOUNT`, percentage) works for the length of the bars, but the "share of total" no longer makes sense: prefer a sum or a count.
- **Values disappear when the page is filtered**: Power BI only sends values that have data. To keep them, right-click the field in the **Field** well › **Show items with no data**, then choose how they're displayed in **Layout › Values without data**.
- **Months or codes out of order**: by default, sorting follows the measure. See the [how-to "sort months in calendar order"](/en/tutorials/bar-slicer-plume-cas-pratiques#how-do-i-sort-months-in-calendar-order).
- **Date column**: it works, but Period Plume is designed for filtering dates.
- **Very large lists**: the visual loads up to 100,000 distinct values. Beyond that, a warning icon appears and the extra values aren't listed.

## Step by step: your first Bar Slicer Plume in 10 minutes

1. In the ribbon, select **Modeling › New table**: paste the `Sales = DATATABLE(...)` formula from the ["The data you need"](#the-data-you-need) section and confirm. The `Sales` table appears in the **Data** pane, with 12 rows.
2. Select the `Sales` table, then **Modeling › New measure**: paste `Revenue = SUM ( Sales[Amount] )` and confirm. The `Revenue` measure appears under the table.
3. Do the same with `Order Count = COUNTROWS ( Sales )`.
4. In the **Visualizations** pane, click the **Bar Slicer Plume** icon. An empty frame appears on the page, with a welcome screen asking you to add a field.
5. Drag the `Category` column into the **Field** well. The list of 6 categories appears, with no bars yet.
6. Drag the `Revenue` measure into the **Measure (bars)** well. Each category gets a bar and its amount; the list is sorted by revenue, descending, with Lighting at the top.
7. Drag `Order Count` into the **Tooltips** well. When you hover over a category, the tooltip also shows the number of orders.

8. To see the slicer in action, click an empty area of the page, insert a native **Clustered bar chart**, then drag `Region` into **Y-axis** and `Revenue` into **X-axis**. The chart shows the revenue of the three regions.
9. Select Bar Slicer Plume again. In the **Format** pane (the paintbrush icon in the Visualizations pane), **Displayed values** card, set **Content** to *Value and share*. Each row shows its amount followed by its share of total (about 32% for Lighting).
10. In the same card, set **Display units** to *None* and type `$` in **Prefix**. Amounts now read "$2,835".
11. Click **Lighting**, then **Garden**. Both values are checked; the regions chart now only shows sales for these two categories, and the summary below the list shows how many values are selected and how much they weigh in the total.

12. Click the **Clear** button in the header. The selection is emptied, the filter is removed, and the chart goes back to total sales.

Result: a slicer that filters the page by category and shows, for each category, how much it weighs in revenue.

## Troubleshooting

| What you see | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| No bars, no Top N button | The **Measure (bars)** well is empty, or **Bars › Show** / **Quick actions › Top N ★** is turned off. | Drag a measure into **Measure (bars)** and check these toggles. |
| Values disappear when you filter elsewhere | This is normal Power BI behavior: only values with data are sent. | Right-click the field › **Show items with no data**, then set **Layout › Values without data**. |
| The visual checks a value on its own | **Always keep one value selected** is on in *Single value* mode. | Turn this setting off if the slicer can be left empty. |
| Months or codes are out of order | Sorting follows the measure. | **Sort › Sort by** = *Model order* (with "Sort by column" set in the model) or *Label A → Z* with **Natural sort**. |
| A warning icon says only the first n values are loaded | More than 100,000 distinct values in the field. | Filter the page or use a less detailed column. |
| Top N doesn't follow new data | Top N checks a list that is fixed at the moment you click. | Click **Top N** again after the refresh. |
| A value stays checked even though it no longer appears | Another slicer filtered it out; the selection is kept. | Click **Clear**, or uncheck it when it shows up again. |
| The "Premium preview" watermark appears | A ★ layout, a ★ summary text, a ★ style, or a click on Top N ★ / Paste a list ★ without a valid key. | Paste a key in **Plume Studio License › License key**, or turn off the ★ feature. |
| The visual's wells are in another language | Their names follow the language of Power BI Desktop. | **Language and numbers › Interface language** forces the language of the visual's texts. |

## Key takeaways

- A slicer filters the other visuals; Bar Slicer Plume adds to each value a bar that shows how much it weighs, calculated from the *other* filters on the page.
- One column in **Field** and one additive measure in **Measure (bars)** are all you need.
- **Bars › Position** and **Displayed values › Content** do most of the work on the look.
- Bookmarks and slicer sync work just like with the native slicer.
- Top N ★ and Invert check a list that is fixed at the moment you click.

## Learn more

- [Bar Slicer Plume: 9 how-to guides (Top N, Excel list, bookmarks…)](/en/tutorials/bar-slicer-plume-cas-pratiques): recipes for common needs.
- [Bar Slicer Plume: every field and setting explained](/en/tutorials/bar-slicer-plume-champs-et-reglages): every field well and every setting.
- [Getting started with Plume visuals](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume): installation, license, styles and settings shared by all visuals.
- The visual's page: [Bar Slicer Plume](/en/visuals/bar-slicer). Have a question? [Support](/en/support).