# A dropdown slicer that opens over the report, with a hierarchy

> Get started with Basic Slicer Plume: a one-line menu that opens over your visuals, a Category › Product hierarchy, and an optional count next to each value.

- Language: English
- Web page: https://plumevisuals.com/en/tutorials/segment-menu-deroulant-hierarchie
- Published: 2026-10-08
- Visual: Basic Slicer Plume, technical reference: https://plumevisuals.com/ai/visuals/basic-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.** Basic Slicer Plume is a **dropdown** slicer: closed, it takes up a single line ("All", or the chosen values); open, its list goes over the visuals placed below it. Drag in several columns and the menu becomes a **hierarchy**: Category › Product, like the folder tree on your computer, where checking a folder checks everything inside it. It can also be displayed as an always-visible **list**, like the native slicer.
- **When to use it.**
  - When the page is short on space: one line is enough for a filter.
  - To filter on a tree (Department › Category › Product, Country › Region › City).
  - To replace the native slicer with a slicer whose style matches the other Plume visuals, with search and a count.
- **When to use something else.** To see the weight of each value with bars, use Bar Slicer Plume. For several independent fields side by side, use Filter Bar Plume.
- **By the end of this tutorial, you'll know how to:**
  - build a dropdown menu with one or two levels;
  - make the menu open over the visual below it;
  - switch to the list layout;
  - sync the slicer across several pages and save a selection in a bookmark;
  - understand what the slicer filters when you check a parent or a child.
- **What you need.** A recent version of Power BI Desktop, the Basic Slicer Plume visual installed (see [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume)), and one or more columns to filter; for a hierarchy, columns that nest inside each other.

### 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 "Kitchen", every chart on the page only calculates the orders in the Kitchen category. Check nothing and the page shows everything: that's what the "All" text in the box means.

What to remember about how Basic Slicer Plume behaves:

- **It filters the columns placed in Field.** Checked values add up: "Kitchen" and "Decor" gives the orders from Kitchen *or* Decor.
- **In a hierarchy, the filter follows the level you check.** If you only check whole categories, the filter applies to the `Category` column. If you check a specific product, the filter applies to Category + Product **pairs**: checking all of "Kitchen" plus "Vase" under Decor filters on (Kitchen, Knives), (Kitchen, Saucepan) and (Decor, Vase). So a product name stored under two categories is only kept under the checked category.
- **Other visuals filter it.** If another slicer picks the "Brittany" region, the menu only lists values that have orders in Brittany, and the count is recalculated. This is **cross-filtering** (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)). The visual doesn't do partial highlighting.
- **It doesn't filter itself**: the count shown next to each value doesn't depend on what you checked in this same menu.
- **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/basic-slicer-plume-cas-pratiques)).

## The data you need

The visual needs **one column** (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)) for a simple menu, or **several nested columns** for a hierarchy (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)): each product belongs to a single category, each category to a single department. They must be real table columns, not measures: that's what the filter applies to.

The visual reads one row per **existing combination** of the columns (Kitchen › Knives, Kitchen › Saucepan…) and builds the tree from these rows. Your table can have one row per order: the visual does the grouping itself.

A **measure** (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)) is optional: the **count**, shown to the right of each value. A parent shows the **sum** of its children, so the measure must be **additive** (a count or a sum).

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

| Department | Category | Product | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen & Dining | Kitchen | Knives | Occitanie |
| Kitchen & Dining | Kitchen | Knives | Brittany |
| Kitchen & Dining | Kitchen | Saucepan | Occitanie |
| Kitchen & Dining | Tableware | Plates | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Kitchen & Dining | Tableware | Glasses | Brittany |
| Home | Decor | Vase | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Home | Decor | Vase | Occitanie |
| Home | Decor | Photo frame | Brittany |
| Home | Lighting | Desk lamp | Occitanie |
| Home | Lighting | Pendant light | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Outdoor | Garden | Watering can | Brittany |
| Outdoor | Garden | Planter | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |

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

```dax
Sales =
DATATABLE (
    "Department", STRING,
    "Category", STRING,
    "Product", STRING,
    "Region", STRING,
    {
        { "Kitchen & Dining", "Kitchen", "Knives", "Occitanie" },
        { "Kitchen & Dining", "Kitchen", "Knives", "Brittany" },
        { "Kitchen & Dining", "Kitchen", "Saucepan", "Occitanie" },
        { "Kitchen & Dining", "Tableware", "Plates", "Nouvelle-Aquitaine" },
        { "Kitchen & Dining", "Tableware", "Glasses", "Brittany" },
        { "Home", "Decor", "Vase", "Nouvelle-Aquitaine" },
        { "Home", "Decor", "Vase", "Occitanie" },
        { "Home", "Decor", "Photo frame", "Brittany" },
        { "Home", "Lighting", "Desk lamp", "Occitanie" },
        { "Home", "Lighting", "Pendant light", "Nouvelle-Aquitaine" },
        { "Outdoor", "Garden", "Watering can", "Brittany" },
        { "Outdoor", "Garden", "Planter", "Nouvelle-Aquitaine" }
    }
)
```

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

```dax
// Order Count: the count shown to the right of each value.
// COUNTROWS counts the rows of the table: here, one row = one order.
// It's a count, so an additive measure:
// the Kitchen category shows 3 = Knives (2) + Saucepan (1).
Order Count = COUNTROWS ( Sales )
```

Data preparation pitfalls:

- **Column order**: the first column in the **Field (or hierarchy levels)** well is the top level. Drag `Category` before `Product`.
- **Non-additive count** (average, `DISTINCTCOUNT`): the number shown on parents is wrong, since it adds up the children's numbers. Prefer `COUNTROWS` or `SUM`.
- **Columns that don't nest**: if the same product exists under two categories, it appears twice, once under each parent. That's normal, and the filter tells the two apart.
- **Values without data**: they're only received if **Show items with no data** is on for the field (right-click the field in the well), and they're only detected with a measure in **Count (optional)**.
- **Volume**: the visual loads up to 100,000 combinations; long menus stay smooth because only the visible rows are drawn.

## Step by step: your first Basic 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.
2. Select the `Sales` table, then **Modeling › New measure**: paste `Order Count = COUNTROWS ( Sales )` and confirm.
3. In the **Visualizations** pane, insert a native **Card** and drag `Order Count` into it. It shows 12. Place it near the top of the page: this is the visual the menu will cover.
4. Click an empty area of the page, then the **Basic Slicer Plume** icon. A frame appears, with a welcome screen asking you to add a field.
5. Drag `Category` into the **Field (or hierarchy levels)** well. The visual shows the title "Category" and an "All" box.
6. Drag `Product` into the same well, below `Category`. The title becomes "Category › Product": the menu is a two-level hierarchy (free).
7. Drag `Order Count` into the **Count (optional)** well.
8. Place the slicer just above the card, then drag the bottom of its frame down to about 250 px high, so that it covers the card.
9. With the slicer still selected, select **Format › Arrange › Bring to front** in the ribbon. The slicer moves in front of the card.
10. In the **Format** pane (the paintbrush icon in the Visualizations pane), **General** tab, open **Effects** and turn off **Background**. With the menu closed, you now only see the one-line box; the card is visible under the transparent frame.

11. Click the "All" box. The menu opens over the card, with the categories and their count (Kitchen 3, Decor 3…).
12. Click the chevron next to **Decor**, then check **Vase**. The Decor checkbox is half filled (partial selection); the card shows 2.
13. Press **Esc**. The menu closes; the box shows "Vase".

Result: a one-line slicer that opens over the report and filters by category or by product. To clear the selection, click the clear (×) button in the box.

> **Warning:** **Warning**: even when transparent, the frame captures the mouse. In the area it covers, you can no longer click or hover over the visual below. Cover titles, KPI cards or margins, not the top of an interactive chart.

## Troubleshooting

| What you see | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| A white box around the slicer | The Power BI container background is on. | **Format › General › Effects › Background**: turn it off. |
| The menu opens in a small panel instead of going over the visual below | The frame isn't tall enough (in *Auto*, less than 120 px available below the box) or the slicer is behind the other visual. | Make the frame taller and select **Format › Arrange › Bring to front**. |
| In edit mode, a message asks you to enlarge the visual to show the list | The frame is less than 110 px high. | Make the frame larger. |
| The chart below the slicer no longer responds in one area | That area is covered by the slicer frame, which captures the mouse even when transparent. | Shrink the frame or place it over a title or KPI cards. |
| The parents' count looks wrong | The count measure isn't additive. | Use `COUNTROWS` or `SUM`. |
| No search box | Search is off by default. | **Format › Search › Show**. |
| No **Hierarchy** card in the Format pane | Only one column in **Field (or hierarchy levels)**. | Add a second column. |
| Values without data aren't dimmed | No measure in **Count (optional)**, or **Show items with no data** isn't on for the field. | Add the measure and turn on the option (right-click the field). |
| The "Premium preview" watermark appears | 3 or more levels in the field, or a ★ style / Theme JSON ★, without a valid key. | Paste a key in **Plume Studio License › License key**, or go back to 2 levels. |

## Key takeaways

- A slicer filters the other visuals on the page; Basic Slicer Plume does it from a one-line box, or as an always-visible list.
- Several columns in **Field (or hierarchy levels)** form a tree; the filter applies to the most detailed level checked.
- To go over the visual below: make the frame taller, **Bring to front**, and turn off the container background.
- Bookmarks and slicer sync restore the selection, sub-levels included.
- The count must be an additive measure: a parent shows the sum of its children.

## Learn more

- [Basic Slicer Plume: 8 how-to guides (list, bookmarks, hierarchy…)](/en/tutorials/basic-slicer-plume-cas-pratiques): recipes for common needs.
- [Basic Slicer Plume: every field and setting explained](/en/tutorials/basic-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: [Basic Slicer Plume](/en/visuals/basic-slicer). Have a question? [Support](/en/support).