Time Series Brush Slicer¶

Time Series Brush Slicer

The Time Series Brush Slicer custom visual is the heart of the interactive experience. It displays your time series data as a Power BI chart and lets you brush (drag) to select time ranges.

Overview¶

The brush slicer enables intuitive time range selection by:

Displaying a visual overview of your time series data
Allowing click-and-drag selection of time ranges
Outputting selection as a parameter for filtering other visuals
Supporting anomaly markers and timeline events

What It Shows¶

Chart Types¶

Type	Description
Line chart	Traditional time series line visualization
Area chart	Filled area under the line for emphasis
Combined	Line with area fill for maximum visibility

Data Overlays¶

Anomaly markers highlighting unusual data points
Timeline markers for important events
Multiple series compared on the same chart

Visual Customization¶

Style the visual to match your needs:

Chart Appearance¶

Setting	Description
Line width	Thickness of the time series line
Line color	Color of the line
Area fill	Whether to show filled area
Opacity	Transparency of the area fill

Axes Configuration¶

Setting	Description
Show X-axis	Toggle visibility of the time axis
Show Y-axis	Toggle visibility of the value axis
Font family	Axis label font
Font size	Axis label size
Font color	Axis label color
Min/Max values	Fixed or auto-scaled axis ranges

Brush Overlay¶

Setting	Description
Selection color	Color of the selected region
Transparency	Opacity of the brush overlay
Handle style	Visual style of drag handles

Conditional Formatting¶

Apply conditional formatting to:

Color line segments based on data values
Highlight specific time periods
Emphasize anomalies or thresholds

How It Filters Data¶

Parameter Output¶

When you select a time range, the visual outputs a text string:

"2025-04-20|2025-04-30"

This string format consists of:

Start date (ISO 8601 format)
Pipe separator (|)
End date (ISO 8601 format)

Integration with Dynamic M Query Parameters¶

flowchart LR
    A[User drags brush] --> B[Visual outputs parameter]
    B --> C[Power Query receives parameter]
    C --> D[KQL query constructed with date filter]
    D --> E[All visuals update]

The parameter is used as a Dynamic M Query Parameter in Power BI, which:

Is parsed by Power Query functions
Generates appropriate KQL date filters
Ensures all visuals show only data from the selected period

Installation¶

The Time Series Brush Slicer is included in both solution variants as a custom visual. No separate installation is required when using the provided .pbip files.

Manual Installation¶

If you need to install the visual separately:

Download the .pbiviz file from the GitHub repository
In Power BI Desktop, go to Visualizations pane
Click the ... menu and select Import a visual from a file
Select the downloaded .pbiviz file

Best Practices¶

Performance¶

Optimize Brush Slicer Performance

Use appropriate aggregation in the data feeding the slicer
Limit the number of series displayed in the brush
Consider using a separate query for brush data vs. detail data

User Experience¶

Improve User Experience

Place the brush slicer prominently at the top of the report
Use clear labeling to indicate the time range
Consider adding a "Reset" button to return to the initial range
Show the selected time range in a text visual for clarity

Visual Design¶

Visual Design Recommendations

Choose colors that contrast well with the brush overlay
Ensure sufficient height for the slicer (at least 150px)
Keep the brush slicer simple - save detail for other visuals

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Issue	Solution
Brush doesn't respond	Ensure the visual has valid data bindings
Parameter not updating	Check Dynamic M Query Parameter configuration
Performance is slow	Reduce data points or increase aggregation
Visual appears blank	Verify data source connectivity and permissions

Getting Help¶

Check the GitHub Issues for known problems
Review the visual's documentation for configuration details
Test with sample data to isolate the issue

Source Code¶

The Time Series Brush Slicer is open source. Visit the GitHub repository for:

Source code
Detailed documentation
Issue tracking
Contribution guidelines

Time-Series-Brush-Slicer on GitHub