SELECTEDVALUE DAX Function (Filter)
Returns the value when there’s only one value in the specified column, otherwise returns the alternate result.
Syntax
| Parameter | Attributes | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ColumnName |
The column from which a single value is to be returned. |
|
| AlternateResult | Optional |
The value that is returned when there is no value or more than one value in the specified column; if omitted, BLANK is returned. |
Return values
The value when the context for ColumnName has been filtered down to one distinct value only. Else, AlternateResult.
Remarks
A similar expression for
SELECTEDVALUE( <columnName>, <alternateResult> )
is
IF ( HASONEVALUE( <columnName> ), VALUES( <columnName> ), <alternateResult> )
SELECTEDVALUE cannot be directly used to get the selected item on a column used by the Fields Parameter feature in Power BI.
Instead, the required code is the following:
VAR __SelectedValue =
SELECTCOLUMNS (
SUMMARIZE ( Parameter, Parameter[Parameter], Parameter[Parameter Fields] ),
Parameter[Parameter]
)
RETURN IF ( NOT ISEMPTY ( __SelectedValue ), __SelectedValue )
» 2 related functions
Examples
SELECTEDVALUE returns the value currently visible in the filter context for a column if there is only one value filtered. Otherwise, it returns the default argument.
-- Shows "unknown" when there are more values in the filter context
-- for the columns specified in the first argument of SELECTEDVALUE
EVALUATE
CALCULATETABLE (
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS (
Product[Brand],
ROLLUPADDISSUBTOTAL ( 'Product'[Category], "Total Category" ),
"Current Brand", SELECTEDVALUE ( 'Product'[Brand], "**Unknown Brand**" ),
"Current Category", SELECTEDVALUE ( 'Product'[Category], "**Unknown Category**" ),
"Current Product", SELECTEDVALUE ( 'Product'[Product Name], "**Unknown Product**" )
),
TREATAS ( { "Litware", "A. Datum" }, Product[Brand] )
)
| Product[Brand] | Product[Category] | Total Category | Current Brand | Current Category | Current Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litware | TV and Video | false | Litware | TV and Video | **Unknown Product** |
| A. Datum | Cameras and camcorders | false | A. Datum | Cameras and camcorders | **Unknown Product** |
| Litware | Home Appliances | false | Litware | Home Appliances | **Unknown Product** |
| Litware | (Blank) | true | Litware | **Unknown Category** | **Unknown Product** |
| A. Datum | (Blank) | true | A. Datum | Cameras and camcorders | **Unknown Product** |
-- SELECTEDVALUE is equivalent to a more complex combination
-- with HASONEVALUE and VALUES.
EVALUATE
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS (
'Product'[Brand],
"Current Brand",
SELECTEDVALUE (
'Product'[Brand],
"**Unknown**"
),
"Current Brand 2",
IF (
HASONEVALUE ( 'Product'[Brand] ),
VALUES ( 'Product'[Brand] ),
"**Unknown**"
)
)
| Product[Brand] | Current Brand | Current Brand 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Contoso | Contoso | Contoso |
| Wide World Importers | Wide World Importers | Wide World Importers |
| Northwind Traders | Northwind Traders | Northwind Traders |
| Adventure Works | Adventure Works | Adventure Works |
| Southridge Video | Southridge Video | Southridge Video |
| Litware | Litware | Litware |
| Fabrikam | Fabrikam | Fabrikam |
| Proseware | Proseware | Proseware |
| A. Datum | A. Datum | A. Datum |
| The Phone Company | The Phone Company | The Phone Company |
| Tailspin Toys | Tailspin Toys | Tailspin Toys |
Related articles
Learn more about SELECTEDVALUE in the following articles:
-
Using the SELECTEDVALUE function in DAX
This article describes how the SELECTEDVALUE DAX function simplifies the syntax required in many scenarios where you need to read a single value selected in the filter context. » Read more
-
Showing the top 5 products and Other row
This article shows how to add an additional “other” row to the selection obtained using the Top N filter in a Power BI report. » Read more
-
Comparing with previous selected time period in DAX
This article describes how you can create a comparison with the previous time period in a visualization, regardless of whether the time periods are consecutive or not. » Read more
-
Using SELECTEDVALUE with Fields Parameters in Power BI
If you try to use SELECTEDVALUE on the visible column of the table generated by the Fields Parameters feature in Power BI, you get the following error: Calculation error in measure ‘Sales'[Selection]: Column [Parameter] is part of composite key, but… » Read more
-
Finding products without sales by using DAX
This article analyzes the performance of different DAX techniques to identify any products without sales in an area or a time period. » Read more
-
Filtering calculation items in a slicer
When a slicer contains many items, developers can filter the most relevant items using another slicer. The scenario is easily solved with a many-to-many relationship if the source is a regular table. Still, it requires some DAX coding if the slicer contains calculation items. » Read more
Related functions
Other related functions are:
Last update: Jul 2, 2025 » Contribute » Show contributors
Contributors: Alberto Ferrari, Marco Russo, Kenneth Barber
Microsoft documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dax/selectedvalue-function