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16. Drill Up and Drill Down

16.4 Matrix: Expand, Collapse and +/- Icons

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Quick answer: the short, self-contained version of this lesson is the guide Power BI Matrix Visual.

Start with a problem

Rani opens a matrix and sees only cities. She cannot find the stores and thinks data is missing.

Explain simply

A matrix with several row fields can expand and collapse each parent with +/− icons, and show subtotals per level. The default expansion level is saved with the report.

Show the data

City Store Total Sales (₹)
Pune Kothrud 650
Pune Baner 200
Nashik College Road 500
Nashik Gangapur 300
Kolhapur Rajarampuri 450

About this data: This table uses columns: City, Store, Total Sales (₹). This table uses columns: Row, Total Sales (₹). This table uses columns: Wrong result, Reason, Correction. Values shown are the lesson examples already on this page (not a new dataset).

Fictional sample data. Practice file: visuals_orders_apr_may_2026.csv (source: src/practice/).

Demonstrate

  1. Matrix: Rows City, then Store; Values Total Sales.
  2. Format › Visual › Row headers › +/- icons On.
  3. Click + next to Pune.
  4. Right-click › Expand › Entire level to open all cities.
  5. Collapse back to the level you want users to see first, then save.

Show the result

Your result should look like this (fictional sample):

Row Total Sales (₹)
Pune (subtotal) 850
— Kothrud 650
— Baner 200
Nashik (collapsed) 800
Kolhapur (collapsed) 450
Total 2,100

Explain what happened

Each parent row shows a subtotal with only its City filter; children add the Store filter. Collapsing hides children but keeps the parent subtotal.

Explore further

  • Stepped layout indents children; turn it off for a tabular look.

Detailed reference for this lesson:

A matrix with a hierarchy in Rows behaves slightly differently.

Steps in Power BI

  1. Insert a Matrix. Rows = Location hierarchy; Columns = Platform; Values = Total Orders, Avg Delivery Time (mins).
  2. Format visual › Visual › Row headers › Options › +/- icons = On. Each city now has a + to expand it on its own.
  3. Right-click a row header, e.g. Pune › Expand › Selection (only Pune) or Entire level (all cities). Collapse › Selection / Entire level works the same way.
  4. The header drill icons (↓ ⇊ ⤓ ↑) also work on the matrix. Expand all down shows the next level for every row, with subtotals.
  5. Row headers › Options › Stepped layout On (indented, compact) or Off (each level in its own column). Row subtotals › Per row level lets you turn subtotals on/off for City or Area separately.
  6. Put the hierarchy in Columns (e.g. Date hierarchy) and use the same icons to drill across columns (the drill header lets you choose Rows or Columns).

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Friends, many students collapse the matrix before saving, and users think data is missing. Decide the default expansion level on purpose, and turn on the +/- icons so users can see that rows can be expanded. It's very simple – just make it a habit.

Fix common mistakes

Wrong result Reason Correction
Users think stores are missing Saved collapsed with no icons Turn on +/- icons and choose the default level deliberately
Subtotal not equal to children sum Non-additive measure Expected for averages; explain in a note
Icons too small Default size Increase icon size in Row headers

Practise independently

Practice task

Expand Nashik only. Write the rows shown.

Hints
  • Nashik subtotal 800.
Solution

Pune 850 (collapsed), Nashik 800 → College Road 500, Gangapur 300, Kolhapur 450, Total 2,100.

Think like a professional

The saved expansion state is a design decision. Ask users which level they read first.

Ravi Sir's Cards for this lesson

Matrix expand, collapse and icons. A matrix with many levels is too long if every row is open.Revision card

मराठी cards