ALL, REMOVEFILTERS, and KEEPFILTERS: How DAX Controls Filter Context

If you’re not yet familiar with the basics, it’s worth first reading:an introduction to DAX.

What is the filter context?

DAX calculations depend on thefilter context. These are all the filters that affect a visual – slicers, tables, page filters.

More on this:a row vs filter context explanation.

ALL – ignores filters

ALLremoves filters and lets you see all the data.

Used when you need an overall result – e.g. for comparing a KPI against whole-market data.

Often used together with:KPI calculations.

REMOVEFILTERS – removes a specific filter

REMOVEFILTERSremoves only the specified filter, but leaves the others.

The difference from ALL – other filters (e.g. date or product) remain.

Very useful when working with:Time Intelligence.

KEEPFILTERS – adds a filter

KEEPFILTERSadds a new filter, but doesn’t remove the existing ones.

This lets you narrow the analysis without losing the already selected filters.

When to use which?

• ALL– when you need to ignore filters and see the whole database
• REMOVEFILTERS– when you need to remove one filter
• KEEPFILTERS– when you need to add a new filter

What to read next

• the DAX CALCULATE function
• Row vs Filter context in the DAX language
• Time Intelligence in Power BI

Conclusion

ALL, REMOVEFILTERS and KEEPFILTERS let you precisely control which data participates in a DAX calculation. ALL ignores filters completely, REMOVEFILTERS removes only the selected filter, and KEEPFILTERS adds a new filter without losing the existing ones.

Once you understand the differences between these functions, it becomes much easier to build accurate KPIs, comparisons and dynamic Power BI reports.