Matrix Plume: every field and setting explained

This page describes everything Matrix Plume offers: the field wells, then each card of the Format pane, in the order they appear. Each setting's default value is in bold, and premium features carry a ★. For a guided first visual, see the getting started guide.

The visual's fields

Field well (exact name)	Required?	How many fields	What goes in it	What it's for	Example
Rows	Yes, to get groups	One or more (one per level)	Columns (text, date, number)	The row levels, from parent to child	Region, City
Columns	No	One or more (one per level)	Columns	The values spread across	Year (then Month)
Values	Yes	One or more	Measures	The numbers in each cell	Revenue, Margin Rate
Cell elements fields	No	Several	Measures (not displayed)	Drive the color, icon or link of the values (Cell elements card)	Margin Color
Tooltips	No	Several	Measures (not displayed)	Added to each cell's tooltip	Order Count
Dynamic format	No	Several	Measures	Drive a Format pane setting with a DAX formula	Open Levels renamed expand.startLevel

Rows. Each field you add creates one more level: Region then City gives regions that expand into their cities; add Category third and each city expands into its categories. With no field in Rows, the measures fit on a single row.

Columns. Optional. With Year, each measure is repeated for each year. With several levels (Year then Month), the headers stack on several merged, frozen tiers: the year, the month, then the measure name. The Columns well also serves as the axis for Sparklines ★.

Values. Can you put several series in it? Yes: each measure becomes a column of values (repeated under each item in Columns). Each measure is set up separately in Column formatting.

Cell elements fields. Measures that don't become value columns: they serve as the base field in the Cell elements card (Based on field), read in the same cell (same row, same column). For example Margin Color, which returns "#2E7D4F" or "red" depending on the margin rate, or Status, which returns an icon name (check, warning).

Tooltips. Measures shown in each cell's tooltip, below the hovered row and column. A report page tooltip can replace it, filtered on the cell: see the Tooltips card.

Dynamic format. A measure renamed card.setting replaces the value of a Format pane setting (see the common basics). Matrix Plume specifics: Power BI doesn't offer the fx button to matrix-type visuals, so this well is the only way to drive a setting with DAX; the matrix reads the measure's value at the grand total level; Row subtotals, its Position, and Column subtotals can't be driven this way (Power BI reads them itself).

Format pane settings

Column formatting

This card sets up each measure separately: alignment, numbers, colors, conditional formatting (including the heatmap ★), width, and group.

How "general setting, then exceptions" works. At the top of the card, a drop-down list (labeled Apply settings to in Power BI) offers:

• All columns: the general setting, applied to every measure;
• then the name of each measure in the Values well (Revenue, Margin Rate): an exception, which applies only to that measure and overrides the general setting.

In a matrix, a measure appears in several columns (one per year). The setting made for Revenue applies to all the Revenue columns, whatever the year. Always check the item shown in the list before changing a setting: on All columns, you are changing the whole matrix. Color settings tied to a conditional formatting option only appear once that option is chosen. A measure in the Dynamic format well only drives All columns. There is no per-measure total setting: the totals are Power BI's.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Alignment	Places the values on the left, center, or right.	Automatic (numbers right), Left, Center, Right
Display units	Shows numbers in thousands, millions, or billions.	Auto, None, Thousands, Millions, Billions
Decimals (-1 = field format)	Digits after the decimal point; -1 keeps the model's format.	-1 to 6
Prefix	Text added before each value.	Free text (empty)
Suffix	Text added after each value (e.g. "€").	Free text (empty)
Conditional formatting	Colors or illustrates each cell according to its value. Background color scale ★ gives the heatmap: the higher the value, the darker the cell.	None, Colored negatives, Data bars ★, Background color scale ★, Text color scale ★, Icons (▲ ● ▼) ★, Colored pill ★
Bar color (empty = accent)	Color of the data bars (appears with Data bars ★).	Color (empty)
Bar only (no value)	Shows the bar without the number (appears with Data bars ★).	On / Off
Scale colors	Colors for the background or text color scale and the pill (appears with these options).	Background → style accent, Style palette, Green → red, Red → green, Custom
Color scale type	How the gradient's shades are spread (background, text, dot). Linear: proportional to the value. Logarithmic ★: spreads out small values when a few large ones crush the rest. Quantiles (rank) ★: each shade covers the same number of cells.	Linear / Logarithmic ★ / Quantiles (rank) ★
Group rows and totals	By default, conditional formatting only colors detail cells. Scale per level also colors group rows (subtotals), each level with its own scale: regions against regions, cities against cities.	Detail only / Scale per level (groups included)
Low color	Color of the smallest values (appears with Custom).	Color (#F7F4EF)
High color	Color of the largest values (appears with Custom).	Color (#B8462A)
Negative color	Color of negative values (with Colored negatives, and for the ▼ icon).	Color (#C0392B)
Positive color (icons)	Color of the ▲ icon (appears with Icons (▲ ● ▼) ★).	Color (#2E7D4F)
Icon rule	Picks the icon from the sign of the value, or from the third it falls into.	Sign (positive / zero / negative), Thirds of the values (high / mid / low)
Width (px, 0 = auto)	Width of this measure's columns in pixels; 0 = automatic.	0 to 800
Group	Name of a group of measures: neighboring measures with the same name share a header with a + / − button. "›" creates a subgroup. Requires Column groups › Collapsible groups ★.	Free text (empty)
Stays visible when the group is collapsed	Keeps this measure displayed when its group is collapsed.	On / Off
Bold	Makes this measure's values bold.	On / Off
Text color (empty = values)	Color of this measure's text.	Color (empty)
Background color (empty = none)	Background color of this measure's columns.	Color (empty)
Apply to header too	Carries the column's text color, background, bold and alignment over to its header, like "Specific column › Apply to header" in the native table.	On / Off
Apply to total too	Carries the same settings over to the column's total cell.	On / Off
Images	Shows the value as an embedded image. Automatic: a data:image/… value (or an Image URL category column holding base64) becomes an image. Always: raw base64 and SVG text too. Chunk of the previous column's image: this column continues the previous column's image (text joined back, column hidden), for images longer than 32,766 characters. No web address is ever loaded. Size and fit: Images card.	Automatic (data:image…) / Always (raw base64, SVG) / Chunk of the previous column's image / Never (text)

Cell elements

The free equivalent of the native table's conditional formatting (Power BI doesn't give the fx button to table-type visuals): background, font, icons and links, driven by the cell's value or by another measure. As in Column formatting, the Apply settings to list picks All columns or a specific measure, which wins. The settings shown depend on the chosen mode (a Gradient shows the colors and bounds, Rules shows the rules box).

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Background color	Colors the cell background, like conditional formatting in the native table. Gradient: from the minimum to the maximum color by value. Rules: one color per condition. Field value: a measure that returns the color (#RRGGBB, rgb(), CSS name).	None / Gradient / Rules / Field value
Based on field	The field whose value decides the color: the column itself, another displayed column, or a field of the Cell elements fields role (not displayed).	List of fields ((this column))
Minimum color (empty = style)	Color of the smallest values (Gradient mode). Empty: the style's color.	Color (empty)
Center color (empty = none)	Middle color, for a three-color gradient. Empty: two-color gradient.	Color (empty)
Maximum color (empty = style)	Color of the largest values. Empty: the style's color.	Color (empty)
Minimum (empty = lowest value)	Start of the gradient: a number (0), a percentage of the range (10%) or a percentile (p10). Empty: the lowest value.	Free text (empty)
Maximum (empty = highest value)	End of the gradient: a number (100), a percentage of the range (90%) or a percentile (p90). Empty: the highest value.	Free text (empty)
Rules	One rule per line: the condition, then : and the color. Example: >= 100 : #2E7D4F, >= 50 and < 100 : orange, blank : #CCCCCC, else : gray. A % is a share of the range, like "Percent" in Power BI. The first matching rule wins.	Free text (empty)
Font color	Colors the cell text, with the same modes as Background color.	None / Gradient / Rules / Field value
Based on field	The field whose value decides the text color (same choices).	List of fields ((this column))
Minimum color (empty = style)	Color of the smallest values (Gradient mode). Empty: the style's color.	Color (empty)
Center color (empty = none)	Middle color, for a three-color gradient. Empty: two-color gradient.	Color (empty)
Maximum color (empty = style)	Color of the largest values. Empty: the style's color.	Color (empty)
Minimum (empty = lowest value)	Start of the gradient: a number (0), a percentage of the range (10%) or a percentile (p10). Empty: the lowest value.	Free text (empty)
Maximum (empty = highest value)	End of the gradient: a number (100), a percentage of the range (90%) or a percentile (p90). Empty: the highest value.	Free text (empty)
Rules	One rule per line, as for the background.	Free text (empty)
Gradient scale	How the shades of both gradients are spread. Logarithmic ★ spreads out small values; Quantiles (rank) ★ gives each shade the same number of cells.	Linear / Logarithmic ★ / Quantiles (rank) ★
Icons	Adds an icon to the cell. Rules: a marker set (green / amber / red dots, arrows…) by value; without rules, thirds of the range. Field value: a measure that returns an icon name (green, amber, red, up, down, check, warning…), an emoji, or an SVG / base64 image ★.	None / Rules / Field value
Based on field	The field whose value picks the icon (same choices).	List of fields ((this column))
Icon set	The set of three markers used by the rules (high, mid, low).	Green / amber / red dots / Arrows / Triangles / Symbols (✓ ! ✗) / Flags / Shapes (circle, diamond, triangle) / Stars
Icon rules	One rule per line, then : and the icon: high, mid, low (in the chosen set) or a name (green, up, check, star…). Example: >= 0.1 : high, >= 0 : mid, else : low. Empty: thirds of the range.	Free text (empty)
Icon layout	Puts the icon before or after the value, or shows it alone.	Left of the value / Right of the value / Icon only
Icon vertical alignment	Vertical position of the icon in a tall row.	Top / Middle / Bottom
Icon size (px, 0 = text size) ★	Icon size in pixels; 0: the text size.	0 to 64 (0)
Web URL	Field value: the value becomes a link to the address returned by the field (https:// only, opened by Power BI, which asks for confirmation).	None / Field value
Based on field	The field that gives the link address (same choices).	List of fields ((this column))
Apply to values	Applies these elements to the value cells.	On / Off
Apply to totals and subtotals	Also applies these elements to the totals.	On / Off

Grid

This card controls row spacing, column width and the matrix lines.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Density	Row height: tight, normal, or roomy.	Compact, Normal, Comfortable
Stretch columns to the visual width	Widens the columns to fill the visual's width (leaving room for the vertical scroll bar).	On / Off
Default column width (px, 0 = fit to content)	Like "Fixed width" in the native table: the same width for every column, except those set in Column formatting › Width (px, 0 = auto) or with the mouse. 0: based on content.	0 to 800 (0)
Minimum row height (px, 0 = automatic)	Makes rows taller (images, icons, on-screen reading); the text stays vertically centered. 0: automatic.	0 to 300 (0)
Lines between rows	Horizontal line between each row.	On / Off
Lines between columns	Vertical line between each column.	On / Off
Line color (empty = style grid)	Color of these lines.	Color (empty)
Line width (px)	Thickness of the grid lines.	1 to 6 (1)
Banded rows	Shades every other row.	On / Off
Banded row background (empty = automatic) (appears if Banded rows is on)	Color of the shading.	Color (empty)
Banded row text (empty = values text) (appears if Banded rows is on)	Text color of the alternate rows. Empty: the values' color.	Color (empty)
Highlight hovered row	Highlights the row under the mouse.	On / Off

Values

This card controls the text of the value cells.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Size	Size of the cell text.	7 to 30 (12)
Color (empty = style text)	Color of the cell text.	Color (empty)
Background color (empty = none)	Background color of all value cells.	Color (empty)
Bold	Makes the values bold.	On / Off
Italic	Makes the values italic.	On / Off
Text wrap	Lets long text run over several lines.	On / Off
Text for blank cells	Text shown in a cell with no value (e.g. "–").	Free text (empty)
Selected rows background (empty = light accent)	Background color of a clicked row.	Color (empty)
Link icon instead of web addresses	Like "URL icon › Values" in the native table: a URL column (Web URL data category) or a cell-elements link shows a clickable icon instead of the address.	On / Off

Column headers

This card sets up the column titles, stacked and frozen at the top.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Show	Shows or hides the headers (the card's toggle).	On / Off
Size	Size of the titles.	7 to 30 (12)
Bold	Makes the titles bold.	On / Off
Italic	Makes the titles italic.	On / Off
Small caps	Writes the titles in small capitals.	On / Off
Color (empty = secondary text)	Color of the titles.	Color (empty)
Background color (empty = none)	Background color of the headers.	Color (empty)
Alignment	Title alignment. By default, the column's own (numbers on the right).	Same as the column (numbers right) / Left / Center / Right
Text wrap	Lets a long title run over several lines.	On / Off
Text angle (°) ★	Slants the titles of the last tier (the one just above the values); the upper tiers (years) stay horizontal. 45 slants upward, 90 writes vertically, and a negative angle slants downward.	-90 to 90 (0 = horizontal)
Maximum length of a slanted line (px) (appears if Text angle (°) ★ is not 0)	With Text wrap, a longer slanted title continues on the next line (4 lines at most); without it, it is cut off with "…".	40 to 400 (120)
Rule under headers (text color)	Draws a line under the headers.	On / Off
Sort by clicking a header	One click on the title of a value column sorts each level by that column (the regions among themselves, the cities within each region); a second click reverses the order, and a third goes back to the model order.	On / Off
Resize with the mouse	Drag the edge of a title; a double-click restores the automatic width.	On / Off
Link icon in URL column headers	Like "URL icon › Headers" in the native table: adds a link icon to the header of URL columns.	On / Off

Row headers

This card sets up the left side of the matrix: the region and city labels, and how the levels are shown.

• Stepped (one indented column): all levels in a single column, each level shifted to the right. Compact, ideal for reading.
• Tabular (one column per level): a Region column and a City column, side by side. Closer to an Excel table.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Layout	Chooses between stepped and tabular.	Stepped (one indented column), Tabular (one column per level)
Indent per level (px) (appears if Layout = Stepped (one indented column))	How far each level is shifted to the right.	0 to 60 (16)
+ / − buttons	Shows the buttons to expand or collapse a group.	On / Off
Bold groups	Makes rows that have children (the regions) bold.	On / Off
Shade group rows	Gives group rows a light background.	On / Off
Size	Size of the row labels.	7 to 30 (12)
Italic	Makes the row labels italic.	On / Off
Color (empty = text)	Color of the row labels.	Color (empty)
Background color (empty = none)	Background color of the row label column.	Color (empty)
Text wrap	Lets a long label wrap onto several lines.	On / Off
+ / − button color (empty = secondary text) (appears if + / − buttons is on)	Color of the + and − buttons.	Color (empty)
+ / − button size (px) (appears if + / − buttons is on)	Size of the + and − buttons, in pixels.	8 to 28 (13)
Maximum width (% of the visual)	Limits the space taken by the row labels.	10 to 80 (40)

Subtotals

This card sets up the intermediate totals and grand totals. A quick vocabulary reminder:

• Row subtotal: the total of a group of rows (the region, for its cities).
• Column subtotal: the total of a group of columns (the year, for its months). With a single level in Columns, there is no intermediate group: only the grand total matters.
• Grand total: the row at the very bottom (all regions) and the column on the far right (all years).

All these numbers are calculated by Power BI with your measures: they are correct for rates and averages.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Row subtotals	Shows the total of each group of rows.	On / Off
Position (appears if Row subtotals is on)	Where to place this subtotal: on the group row itself (compact), or on a "Total" row below its children (like an invoice).	On the group row, "Total" row below the group
Column subtotals	Shows the totals of the column groups and makes the grand total column and collapsing years possible.	On / Off
Grand total row (appears if Row subtotals is on)	Adds the total row for the whole matrix.	On / Off
Grand total column (appears if Column subtotals is on)	Adds the total column for all columns.	On / Off
Grand total column position (appears if Column subtotals is on)	On the right, as in the native matrix, or on the left, right after the row labels and frozen during horizontal scrolling.	Right (after all columns), Left (after the row headers, frozen) ★
Total label	Replaces the word "Total".	Free text (empty)
Totals background (empty = automatic)	Background color of the total rows and columns.	Color (empty)
Totals text (empty = text)	Text color of totals and subtotals. Empty: the text color.	Color (empty)
Bold totals	Makes totals and subtotals bold.	On / Off

Expand and collapse

This card sets the state of the groups when the report opens. Expanding a group means showing its children (opening the region to see its cities); collapsing means hiding them (the region alone, with its subtotal).

While reading, the reader expands and collapses groups in four ways: the + / − button, a double-click on the row, the → / ← arrow keys, or the Expand all / Collapse all buttons in the toolbar. Expanding, collapsing, sorting, or searching only changes what is displayed, never the report filters.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Levels expanded at start	0: only the first level is shown (the regions). 1: its children too (the cities). 2: the next level, and so on.	0 to 10 (1)
Save the state in the report (edit mode)	In edit mode, saves in the report the groups you expanded or collapsed by hand; the published report opens that way.	On / Off

Column groups

This card adds a + / − button to the column group headers. There are two kinds of groups: the levels of the Columns well (a year above its months) and the measure groups named in Column formatting › Group. A collapsed year is replaced by its subtotal calculated by Power BI (so Column subtotals must be on).

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Collapsible groups ★	Turns on the + / − buttons on the groups (the card's toggle).	On / Off
Groups collapsed at start	Collapses all groups when the report opens.	On / Off
Save the state in the report (edit mode)	In edit mode, saves in the report which groups are collapsed.	On / Off
Lines between groups	Strong vertical line between two groups (lighter between two subgroups).	On / Off

Sparklines ★

This card adds a "Trend" column for each measure: a small chart that follows each row across the matrix columns (years, months), at the most detailed level, even when the years are collapsed. You need a field in Columns; without it, nothing is drawn and no watermark appears.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Show	Adds the trend columns (the card's toggle, ★ feature).	On / Off
Type	Line or small columns.	Line, Columns
Position	Places the trend columns at the end or right after the row labels.	After the columns, After the row headers
Header	Title of the trend column; with several measures, each measure's name is added.	Free text (empty)
Minimum width (px)	Minimum width of the trend column.	30 to 400 (90)
Color (empty = style accent)	Color of the lines and columns.	Color (empty)
Line width	Thickness of the line.	0.5 to 4 (1.5)
Area under the line	Lightly fills the area under the line.	On / Off
Highlight the last value	Marks the last point.	On / Off
Minimum and maximum points	Minimum in the unfavorable color, maximum in the favorable color.	On / Off
Negative columns (empty = unfavorable)	Color of negative columns.	Color (empty)
Same scale for every row	Off: each sparkline uses its full height (you read the shape). On: rows can be compared with each other.	On / Off
Axis from zero (lines)	Starts the vertical axis of the lines at zero.	On / Off

Images

Size and fit of the embedded images (base64 or data URI) shown in cells. Which column becomes an image: Column formatting › Images.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Size	Fixed: every image in the same box. Variable: each image keeps its proportions, within the height and width limits.	Fixed (same box for every image) / Variable (each image's proportions)
Height (px)	Fixed: height of the box. Variable: maximum height.	8 to 400 (28)
Width (px, 0 = same as height)	Fixed: width of the box (0: square). Variable: maximum width (0: no limit).	0 to 800 (0)
Fit (appears if Size = Fixed (same box for every image))	How the image fills the fixed box: whole, cropped or stretched.	Contain (whole image) / Crop (fill the box) / Stretch
Alignment	Position of the image in its cell. By default, the column's alignment.	Same as the column / Left / Center / Right
Value that is not an image	What a cell shows when its value isn't a valid image. A web address is never loaded: only embedded images (base64 or data URI) are shown.	Blank cell / Original text
Images in row and column headers	A data:image/… value from the Rows or Columns field (flag, logo) is shown as an image; screen readers still read its text.	On / Off

Toolbar

The small bar shown on hover at the top of the matrix.

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Show	Shows the bar above the matrix (the card's toggle).	On / Off
Expand all / Collapse all	Adds the two buttons that expand or collapse every group at once.	On / Off
Search in rows	Adds a search box that looks in the row labels: matching rows stay displayed with their parents, and the groups expand.	On / Off
Placeholder	Grayed-out text in the empty search box.	Free text (empty)

Auto-scroll

This card scrolls the rows by themselves when they don't fit in the visual (report page tooltip, display screen).

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Auto-scroll ★	Turns scrolling on (the card's toggle). Nothing moves if everything fits in the visual.	On / Off
Speed (rows per second) (appears if Auto-scroll ★ is on)	Scrolling speed.	0.1 to 20 (1)
Loop (back to the top at the end) (appears if Auto-scroll ★ is on)	Starts again from the top once it reaches the bottom.	On / Off
Pause at the top and bottom (s) (appears if Auto-scroll ★ is on)	How long it stops at the top and bottom.	0 to 30 (2)
Pause on mouse hover (appears if Auto-scroll ★ is on)	Pauses when the mouse is over the visual.	On / Off

Any reader action suspends scrolling for about 4 seconds.

Tooltips

The tooltip shown when hovering over a cell. Report page tooltips are supported (a page sized as Tooltip, chosen in Power BI's Format › General › Tooltips).

Setting	What it does	Options (default in bold)
Show	Shows the tooltip when hovering over a cell, with the Tooltips fields; a report page tooltip replaces it when one is chosen (card toggle).	On / Off
Repeat the row and the column	A cell's tooltip starts with the text columns of its row (product, category…), then the hovered value and the Tooltips fields.	On / Off

Shared cards (Plume Studio License, Style, Title, Source note, Frame, Language and numbers): see the shared basics.

Premium ★ features of this visual

Feature	Where to set it
Heatmap Background color scale ★, Text color scale ★, Data bars ★, Icons (▲ ● ▼) ★, Colored pill ★	Column formatting › Conditional formatting
Slanted headers	Column headers › Text angle (°) ★ (any value other than 0)
Collapsible column groups	Column groups › Collapsible groups ★
Frozen total column on the left	Subtotals › Grand total column position: Left (after the row headers, frozen) ★
Auto-scroll	Auto-scroll › Auto-scroll ★
Trend sparklines	Sparklines ★ card › Show
Logarithmic ★ and Quantiles (rank) ★ scales	Column formatting › Color scale type and Cell elements › Gradient scale
Icon size, custom icons (SVG, base64)	Cell elements › Icon size (px, 0 = text size) ★; image returned by a measure in Field value mode
Styles, advanced palettes, Theme JSON ★	Style card (see the common basics)

Nothing is locked: without a license key, a ★ feature works normally and shows a discreet watermark (see the common basics). Colored negatives remains free, as does the whole Cell elements card (background, font, dots and icon sets, links) apart from the two scales and custom icons ★.

Learn more

• Getting started with Matrix Plume: the data to prepare and a first visual, step by step.
• Matrix Plume: 10 how-to guides (heatmap, share, tabular…): recipes for common needs.
• Getting started with Plume visuals: installation, license, styles, and settings shared by all the visuals.
• The visual's page: Matrix Plume. A question? Support.