Hi, I'm Tom Blessing. I'm an expert at helping small to mid-sized companies adopt Power BI. I'm also a recovering investment banker, with deep experience applying technology to otherwise manual data problems. I have dual degrees in Finance and Technology Management from Indiana University.

Resources to help build your fundamentals: Learning Power BI? Data fundamentals are critical for this process to be easier. I've assembled a few DataCamp courses to help. I earn a small commission if you click and purchase.

Introduction to Power BI course: Master Power BI basics and learn to build impactful reports.

Exploratory Data Analysis in Power BI course: Learn about Power BI's Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) and enhance your reports.

Introduction to SQL course: Learn how to create and query relational databases using SQL in just two hours.

Introduction to DAX course: Learn the fundamentals of Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) such as calculated columns, tables, and measures.

Database Design course: Learn to design databases in SQL to process, store, and organize data in a more efficient way.

One cool feature in Power BI that can enhance the user experience is the "Arrange Layer" option for slicers.

In this blog post, I'll show you how making sure your slicer is always the top layer can streamline data exploration and improve report interactivity.

Understanding Power BI Slicers

Slicers in Power BI are interactive visual controls that allow users to filter and segment data within a report or dashboard. They provide an intuitive way to narrow down data subsets, making it easier to analyze specific aspects of the dataset. Slicers can be based on various fields, such as dates, categories, or regions, depending on the nature of the data being presented.

The "Always On Top" Slicer Option

The "Always On Top" option, while not called that in Power BI, is a valuable feature in Power BI that allows slicers to remain visible and accessible to users, even as they click on other visualizations. By enabling the setting I'll walk you through, slicers are always the top layer, ensuring that users can filter data at any point in their exploration without having to move visualizations around. With this setting enabled, usually the user only has to ESC out of the selected visualization to see the slicer again.

Benefits of Configuring Layers for Slicers

1. Enhanced User Experience: creates a seamless and user-friendly experience. Users can apply filters or explore data without interruption, increasing overall engagement.

2. Efficient Data Exploration: Users can effortlessly access slicers regardless of their position in the report, making it easier to switch between different data views and drill down into specific details.

3. Improved Interactivity: encourages more interactive data exploration, as users are more likely to experiment with different filter options when the controls are readily available.

4. Reduced Scrolling: Users can avoid the hassle of moving slicers around, especially in long and complex reports. This improves efficiency and reduces frustration.

How to Arrange Slicers in Power BI

Here's how you can work with slicer layers in Power BI. 

1. Open Power BI Desktop: Launch Power BI Desktop and open the report or dashboard where you want to bring the slicer to the front layer. 

2. Add or Select a Slicer: If you haven't already added a slicer, you can do so by clicking on the "Slicer" visual from the Visualizations pane. Alternatively, select an existing slicer that you want to edit.

3. Bring Forward: With the slicer selected, navigate to the Format pane. Under in the Arrange section of the ribbon, select the "Bring Forward" drop down and click on 'Bring to Front'. 

4. Adjust Slicer Position: You can now reposition the slicer to your preferred location on the report canvas. It will stay as the top layer in the report. If you click on an overlapping visualization, the active visualization will come forward temporarily, but if you Escape or exit the visualization, the Slicer will return to the forefront.

Conclusion

Working with slicer layers in Power BI is a simple yet effective way to enhance the user experience and encourage more interactive data exploration.