Power BI DAX Deep Dive: ALL vs ALLSELECTED vs ALLEXCEPT Simplified ⚡

Let's look at how these three DAX functions work using a simple example with Product and Total Units Sold.

Below is the table when no filters are applied:

Below is the table when filters are applied:

ALL

What it does: Removes all filters from the specified table or column(s).
Effect: Ignores any slicers, filters, or row context for that column/table.

Example:

AllSales = CALCULATE(SUM(Orders[Units Sold]), ALL(Orders[Product]))

This gives total sales for all products, no matter what filters are applied (as shown in the second image).

When to use: You want a grand total that ignores all filtering.

ALLSELECTED

What it does: Removes filters inside a visual or selection, but keeps outer context filters (like slicers or page filters).
Effect: Respects what the user has selected in visuals, but ignores row-level context.

Example:

AllSelected = CALCULATE(SUM(Orders[Units Sold]), ALLSELECTED(Orders[Product]))

If you select a few products in a slicer, it uses only those selections but ignores row-level filters in the visual. In other words, it shows the total sales for all the selected products (as shown in the second image).

When to use: You want totals based on user selections.

ALLEXCEPT

What it does: Removes all filters except the specified column(s).
Effect: Keeps filters on certain columns while ignoring the rest.

Example:

AllExcept = CALCULATE(SUM(Orders[Units Sold]), ALLEXCEPT(Orders,Orders[Product]))

This calculates total sales per product, ignoring filters on other columns like customer ID or region.

When to use: You want totals based on specific columns while ignoring all other filters.

📌 Quick Comparison Table

Function	Removes Filters	Keeps Filters	Typical Use Case
ALL	All	None	Total values, ignoring slicers
ALLSELECTED	Row context	Outer selections	Percent of selected items in visuals
ALLEXCEPT	All except specified columns	Specified columns	Totals per group, ignoring other filters