Getting startedBeginner10 min read· Published on October 12, 2026

A calendar slicer that opens on the latest date and grays out days without data

Get started with Date Picker Plume: build a date table, gray out the days without data, and select a single date or a range in two clicks on a real calendar.

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At a glance

What the visual does. Date Picker Plume is a date slicer (a visual that filters the rest of the page) shaped like a calendar, like the one on a booking website: you click a start date, an end date, and the report is filtered. Days without data are grayed out, a "Latest date" button selects the last available day, and rules let you allow only certain days (Fridays, the last working day of the month).
When to use it:
- a daily report that must open on the latest available date;
- users who are used to picking dates in a calendar (weeks starting on Monday, public holidays visible);
- reporting on specific dates: Fridays, month ends, quarter-end closings;
- spotting busy days at a glance with a heatmap ★.
When to use something else: to pick a period while seeing the trend, with periods that move forward on their own every day and a year-over-year comparison, use Period Plume. To filter numbers (price, age), use Range Plume.
By the end, you will know how to:
- create a date table and relate it to your sales;
- gray out the days without data;
- select a range, a single date, a week or a month;
- open the report on the latest date;
- restrict the selectable dates with rules.
What you need: Power BI Desktop (a recent version), the Date Picker Plume visual installed (see the shared basics), a column of dates and, ideally, a measure (revenue, number of orders).

Range, Period or Date Picker: which of the three slicers should you pick?

What you need	Slicer to pick	Why
Filter numbers between a minimum and a maximum (price, floor area, age, lead time)	Range Plume	It reads a numeric column and shows how the values are spread (histogram). It does not accept dates.
Pick a period while seeing the trend of a measure, with rolling periods ("Last 30 days" that moves forward every day) and a year-over-year comparison ★	Period Plume	It draws a timeline of the measure and sends relative date filters. It also accepts monthly or yearly data.
Pick specific days in a calendar: one date, one week, one month, several dates ★, or only certain days (Fridays, month ends), with days without data grayed out	Date Picker Plume	It shows a real month-by-month calendar and rules for which dates can be selected. Its shortcuts send fixed dates.

The data you need

The expected shape. Date Picker Plume receives one row per day, with, if you add one, the value of a measure on that day:

Date	Value (optional)
2026-09-28	1,980
2026-09-29	1,655
…	…

It needs:

a date column (type Date or Date/time; the time is ignored): this is the column that gets filtered. A column of years is not accepted;
a measure, optional (a DAX calculation, see the glossary) in Value: days where it is blank count as "without data" and are grayed out. It also colors the calendar if you turn on the heatmap ★.

What is a date table (calendar), and why create one?

A date table (or "calendar") holds one row per day, with no gaps, from the first to the last day of the period you study. It holds no sales: it is the shared reference for time.

Every day exists: a Sunday or a closing day is in the calendar even without sales. This is essential so that it shows up (grayed out) in the slicer instead of disappearing.
A single date table filters several tables (sales, returns, budget) through relationships (links between tables, see the glossary): the calendar is on the "one" side (each day once), the sales on the "many" side (several sales on the same day).
You mark it as a date table so that Power BI knows which column is the reference for time.

Watch out: in a complete date table, every date exists. Without a measure in Value, nothing is grayed out. The measure is what tells the visual which days have no sales.

What is a date hierarchy, and why avoid it here?

By default, Power BI quietly creates a hierarchy (a set of nested levels) for every date column: Year › Quarter › Month › Day. When you drag the column into a visual, this hierarchy often comes in instead of the date. A calendar needs days: with the hierarchy (or a column of years), it only shows years or an error message.

Right-click the field (or click its arrow) in the Date well and choose Date instead of Date Hierarchy. With a marked date table, the problem goes away. To turn these hierarchies off for the whole file: File › Options and settings › Options › Current File › Data Load, then clear Auto date/time.

Sample dataset: made-up sales from a shop that is closed on Sundays and on October 7 and 8 (stocktaking), table Sales.

Date	Transactions	Amount
2026-09-25	58	2410.50
2026-09-26	71	3120.00
2026-09-28	47	1980.00
2026-09-29	39	1655.40
2026-09-30	44	1872.90
2026-10-01	52	2205.00
2026-10-02	63	2690.30
2026-10-03	80	3540.00
2026-10-05	41	1720.60
2026-10-06	45	1890.00
2026-10-09	66	2830.20
2026-10-10	77	3390.00

The same dataset, ready to paste into Modeling › New table:

Sales =
DATATABLE (
    "Date", DATETIME,
    "Transactions", INTEGER,
    "Amount", DOUBLE,
    {
        { "2026-09-25", 58, 2410.50 },
        { "2026-09-26", 71, 3120.00 },
        { "2026-09-28", 47, 1980.00 },
        { "2026-09-29", 39, 1655.40 },
        { "2026-09-30", 44, 1872.90 },
        { "2026-10-01", 52, 2205.00 },
        { "2026-10-02", 63, 2690.30 },
        { "2026-10-03", 80, 3540.00 },
        { "2026-10-05", 41, 1720.60 },
        { "2026-10-06", 45, 1890.00 },
        { "2026-10-09", 66, 2830.20 },
        { "2026-10-10", 77, 3390.00 }
    }
)

The date table, also created with Modeling › New table:

Calendar =
ADDCOLUMNS (
    // One day per row, no gaps, from September 1 to November 30, 2026
    CALENDAR ( DATE ( 2026, 9, 1 ), DATE ( 2026, 11, 30 ) ),
    // Handy columns for other visuals (optional)
    "Year", YEAR ( [Date] ),
    "Month", FORMAT ( [Date], "mmmm yyyy" )
)

The measures to create (Modeling › New measure):

// Total revenue in the current context (a day of the calendar,
// the chosen range…). Blank on days without sales: those days will be grayed out.
// Drag it into "Value (data and heatmap)".
Revenue = SUM ( Sales[Amount] )

// Number of transactions, to drag into "Tooltips" (optional)
Transaction Count = SUM ( Sales[Transactions] )

Common setup pitfalls

Dates stored as text. "2026-09-25" typed as text is not a date. The type must be Date or Date/time (Column tools › Data type).
Date/time vs. Date. DATATABLE creates Sales[Date] as Date/time. Switch it to Date for a clean relationship with the calendar.
A measure that returns 0 instead of blank. A measure written as SUM(...) + 0 is never blank: nothing will be grayed out. Leave it blank, or turn on Value equal to 0 = no data (Selectable dates card).
Volume. One row per day: 30,000 rows cover more than 80 years.

Step by step: your first Date Picker Plume in 15 minutes

In Modeling › New table, paste the code of the Sales table and confirm. The table appears with 12 rows.
Select the Sales[Date] column, then in Column tools › Data type, choose Date.
In Modeling › New table, paste the code of the Calendar table. The table has 91 rows, one per day from September to November 2026.
Select the Calendar table, then Table tools › Mark as date table, and choose the Date column.
Open Model view and drag Calendar[Date] onto Sales[Date]. A One to many (1:*) relationship appears, with the "1" on the Calendar side.
Go back to Report view, select the Sales table and create the Revenue and Transaction Count measures.
In the Visualizations pane, click the Date Picker Plume icon, then drag Calendar[Date] into the Date well (check that it is Date, not Date Hierarchy). The calendar appears with as many months as the frame can hold. No day is grayed out: every date exists in the calendar.
Drag Revenue into Value (data and heatmap). Days without sales (before September 25, Sundays, October 7 and 8, after October 10) become grayed out and not selectable. If September and October 2026 are not visible, click the name of the month shown to pick the month.
In the Format pane, Calendar card, set Public holidays to France. A dot appears under November 1 and November 11, with the name of the holiday in the tooltip.
Next to it, add a native Card visual with the Revenue measure. It shows 29,304.90 (all the revenue).
In the calendar, click September 28, then October 2. While you choose, the range is previewed on hover. The summary under the calendar shows the period and its length (5 days), and the card shows 10,403.60.
Click the Latest date shortcut. October 10 is selected (the last day with data) and the card shows 3,390.

Troubleshooting

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
No day is grayed out	The column comes from a complete date table and Value is empty	Drag a measure (e.g. `Revenue`) into Value
Days at 0 are not grayed out	A value of 0 counts as data	Turn on Value equal to 0 = no data
The calendar only shows years, or an error message	The date hierarchy or a column of years was dragged in	Right-click the field in the Date well › Date
"Latest date" picks an older day than expected	The last days are not selectable (rules, future dates, holidays) or their Value is blank	This is by design: "Latest date" picks the last selectable day with data. Check the Selectable dates card
The published report does not open on the latest date	Preselection › Shortcut (no DAX) is set to None (measure only), or a date was saved and Force is off	Choose Latest date in the data, Apply = Reapply on every display and turn on Force
"Last 7 days" does not move from one day to the next	Shortcuts send fixed dates	Use the Preselection shortcut with Apply = Reapply on every display, or Period Plume for rolling filters
The compact calendar is cut off or opens behind another visual	The frame is too small, or it is not in front	Make the frame bigger, use Format › Bring forward › Bring to front, turn off General › Effects › Background
An advanced rule ★ has no effect	The rule was not understood: it is ignored and flagged in edit mode	Fix the wording (see the table of terms)
Other visuals are not filtered	The date table is not related to the sales	Create the relationship `Calendar[Date]` 1 → * `Sales[Date]`
A "Premium preview" watermark appears	Several dates, advanced rules, heatmap with a measure, custom shortcuts or a ★ style, without a valid key	Turn off the ★ feature or paste a key (shared basics)

Key takeaways

Drag in the Date column (preferably from a date table), never the hierarchy.
The Value measure is what grays out the days without data.
Preselection: Latest date in the data shortcut + Reapply on every display + Force: the report always opens on the last available day.
The Selectable dates card limits which days can be clicked (Fridays, month ends); A range filters decides whether a range sends every day or only those days.
For periods that move forward on their own and a year-over-year comparison, use Period Plume.

Learn more

Date Picker Plume: 8 how-to guides (Fridays, month ends, heatmap…): recipes for everyday needs.
Date Picker Plume: every field and setting explained: each field well and each setting.
Getting started with Plume visuals: installation, license, styles and settings shared by every visual.
The visual's page: Date Picker Plume. A question? Support.