Zero and empty values in filters and suppression

Zero and empty values represent different data states.

Zero values

A zero value or 0, is a real number. It means that a result exists and the value is zero.

You can use zero values in calculations such as sums or averages.

An example of using empty values is when a product has 0 sales in a month. It indicates that the product has not been sold in that month, which is a valid data.

Empty values

An empty value or null means that data is missing or is not defined.

Empty values are not used in calculations. Depending on a function, empty values are ignored or can cause errors.

An example of using empty values is when a product has no data for a month. It indicates that the product was not maintained or tracked in that month.

Empty cells presentation

The Presentation of empty cells application setting controls how empty cells are displayed in Application Studio.

Filtering and suppression

Filters treat zero and empty values differently.

Filtering out zero values removes data points with a value of 0. It also removes empty values.

Filtering out empty values removes cells with no data. It does not remove cells with a value of 0.

Filtering for 0 includes only cells with a value of 0. It does not include empty values.

Summary of filtering and suppression methods

This table shows how to filter for zero and empty values in lists and slices in Application Studio:


Context	Filter for 0 values	Suppress empty values	Filter out 0 and empty values
List	In the List Designer, set the condition to Value equals 0.	In the List Designer, filter by value and set the condition to Value does not equal null.	In the List Designer, set the condition to Value does not equal 0.
Slice list	In the Slice Designer, add a value filter and set the condition to Value equals 0.	In the Slice Designer, add a value filter and set the condition to Value does not equal null.	In the Slice Designer, add a value filter and set the condition to Value does not equal 0.
Slice axis	Add a value filter to the slice axis and set the condition to Value equals 0.	On the slice axis, set suppression to Empty or set the condition to Value does not equal null.	On the slice axis, set suppression to Zero and Empty.
Variable slice list	Use `FILTER(..., value = 0)` in MDX.	Use `FILTER(..., value ≠ null)` in MDX.	Use `FILTER(..., value ≠ 0)` in MDX.
Variable slice axis	Not available.	Set suppression to "null" in the CREATESLICEAXIS function.	Set suppression to "zero" in the CREATESLICEAXIS function.