FILTER DAX Function (Filter)

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Returns a table that has been filtered.

Syntax

FILTER ( <Table>, <FilterExpression> )
Parameter Attributes Description
Table
Iterator

The table to be filtered.
FilterExpression
Row Context

A boolean (True/False) expression that is to be evaluated for each row of the table.

Return values

Table An entire table or a table with one or more columns.

A table containing only the filtered rows.

Remarks

FILTER can filter rows from a table by using any expression valid in the row context.
Thanks to context transition, using a measure in the filter expression it is possible to filter a table based on a dynamic calculation involving other rows and/or tables.

» 9 related articles
» 1 related function

Examples

Filter the customers in Europe.

EVALUATE
FILTER (
    Customer,
    Customer[Continent] = "Europe"
)

Use RELATED to access a column in a related table in a FILTER iterator. However, the usage of CALCULATE is preferred over FILTER, when possible.

--  Being an iterator, FILTER creates a row context. If you need
--  to access related tables, the RELATED function is needed.
--  This makes the usage of CALCULATE preferred over FILTER, when
--  possible
DEFINE
    MEASURE Sales[Red Sales] =
        SUMX (
            FILTER ( Sales, RELATED ( Product[Color] ) = "Red" ),
            Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Net Price]
        )
    MEASURE Sales[Red Sales CALCULATE] =
        CALCULATE ( [Sales Amount], KEEPFILTERS ( Product[Color] = "Red" ) )
EVALUATE
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS (
    Product[Brand],
    "Sales", [Sales Amount],
    "Red Sales", [Red Sales],
    "Red Sales CALCULATE", [Red Sales CALCULATE]
)
Product[Brand] Sales Red Sales Red Sales CALCULATE
Contoso 7,352,399.03 579,062.70 579,062.70
Wide World Importers 1,901,956.66 41,435.95 41,435.95
Northwind Traders 1,040,552.13 9,187.51 9,187.51
Adventure Works 4,011,112.28 131,348.11 131,348.11
Southridge Video 1,384,413.85 24,362.90 24,362.90
Litware 3,255,704.03 113,120.32 113,120.32
Fabrikam 5,554,015.73 96,272.49 96,272.49
Proseware 2,546,144.16 108,667.41 108,667.41
A. Datum 2,096,184.64 (Blank) (Blank)
The Phone Company 1,123,819.07 (Blank) (Blank)
Tailspin Toys 325,042.42 6,644.72 6,644.72

FILTER is needed to create a filter based on a measure relying on context transition.

DEFINE
    MEASURE Sales[Sales Amount] =
        SUMX ( Sales, Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Net Price] )
    MEASURE Sales[Sales in countries >3M] =
        CALCULATE (
            [Sales Amount],
            FILTER ( 
                ALL ( Customer[CountryRegion] ),
                [Sales Amount] > 3000000
            )
       )
EVALUATE
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS ( 
    'Date'[Calendar Year],
    "Sales amount", [Sales Amount],
    "Sales in countries >3M", [Sales in countries >3M] 
)
Date[Calendar Year] Sales amount Sales in countries >3M
2007-01-01 11,309,946.12 7,209,663.88
2008-01-01 9,927,582.99 7,228,113.02
2009-01-01 9,353,814.87 3,103,916.04

FILTER is needed to iterate the content of a variable.

--  AVERAGE Monthly Sales computes the average sales for the months
--  with at least 10K sales
DEFINE
    MEASURE Sales[Sales Amount] =
        SUMX ( Sales, Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Net Price] )
    MEASURE Sales[AVERAGE Monthly Sales] =
        VAR MonthlySales =
            ADDCOLUMNS (
                DISTINCT ( 'Date'[Calendar Year Month] ),
                "@MonthlySales", [Sales Amount]
            )
        VAR FilteredSales =
            -- Iterator required to filter the @MonthlySales column        
            FILTER ( MonthlySales, [@MonthlySales] > 10000 )
        VAR Result =
            AVERAGEX ( FilteredSales, [@MonthlySales] )
        RETURN
            Result
EVALUATE
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS ( 
    'Product'[Color], 
    "AVERAGE Monthly Sales", [AVERAGE Monthly Sales] 
)
Color AVERAGE Monthly Sales
Silver 188,848.91
Blue 67,651.24
White 161,933.33
Red 32,219.43
Black 162,779.61
Green 42,147.07
Orange 30,672.37
Pink 26,985.05
Grey 97,476.06
Silver Grey 17,205.33
Brown 30,514.95
Gold 14,428.17
Yellow 12,524.31

Related articles

Learn more about FILTER in the following articles:

  • Filtering Tables in DAX

    This article describes a number of techniques available to filter tables in DAX, showing possible pitfalls that you can avoid once you know them, in particular using bidirectional filters. One of the hardest things to do, when learning DAX, is to get rid of common sense reasoning and learn to follow a new set of […] » Read more

  • Context Transition and Filters in CALCULATE

    This article explains how the context transition interacts with the filter arguments of a CALCULATE function in DAX. This is important in order to avoid unexpected results with complex calculations made in filter arguments. » Read more

  • Filter Arguments in CALCULATE

    A filter argument in CALCULATE is always an iterator. Finding the right granularity for it is important to control the result and the performance. This article describes the options available to create complex filters in DAX. » Read more

  • FILTER vs CALCULATETABLE: optimization using cardinality estimation

    A common best practice is to use CALCULATETABLE instead of FILTER for performance reasons. This article explores the reasons why and explains when FILTER might be better than CALCULATETABLE. » Read more

  • From SQL to DAX: Filtering Data

    The WHERE condition of an SQL statement has two counterparts in DAX: FILTER and CALCULATETABLE. In this article we explore the differences between them, providing a few best practices in their use. » Read more

  • Applying a measure filter in Power BI

    This article describes how to use a measure to filter a Power BI visualization, and the different behaviors of a same filter between different visuals. » Read more

  • Introducing CALCULATE in DAX

    CALCULATE is the most powerful and complex function in DAX. In this article, we provide an introduction to CALCULATE, its behavior, and how to use it. » Read more

  • Row context in DAX

    Understanding the difference between row context and filter context is the first and most important concept to learn to use DAX correctly. This article introduces the row context, and is part of a series of articles about evaluation contexts in DAX. » Read more

  • Filter columns, not tables, in DAX

    One of the few golden rules in DAX is to always filter columns and never filter tables with CALCULATE. This article explains the rationale behind the rule. » Read more

Related functions

Other related functions are:

Last update: Nov 14, 2024   » Contribute   » Show contributors

Contributors: Alberto Ferrari, Marco Russo

Microsoft documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dax/filter-function-dax

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Context Transition

This function performs a Context Transition if called in a Row Context. Click to read more.

Row Context

This expression is executed in a Row Context. Click to read more.

Iterator

Not recommended

The use of this function is not recommended. See Remarks and Related functions for alternatives.

Not recommended

The use of this parameter is not recommended.

Deprecated

This function is deprecated. Jump to the Alternatives section to see the function to use.

Volatile

A volatile function may return a different result every time you call it, even if you provide the same arguments. Click to read more.

Deprecated

This parameter is deprecated and its use is not recommended.

DirectQuery compatibility

Limitations are placed on DAX expressions allowed in measures and calculated columns.
The state below shows the DirectQuery compatibility of the DAX function.

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