Introduction to DAX

What is DAX?

DAX stands for Data Analysis eXpressions, and it is the formula language used in
Power BI. DAX is also found in other offerings from Microsoft, such as Power Pivot and SSAS
Tabular.

DAX is a functional language, which means the full executed code is contained inside a
function.

There are two primary calculations you can create using DAX

 Calculated Columns
 Measures

DAX is a collection of Functions, Operators, and Constants that can be used in a

formula, or expression, to calculate and return one or more values. Stated more simply, DAX
helps you create new information from data already in your model.

DAX Table and Column Name syntax

Whether you're creating a New Column or Measure, it's important to know the general
format of table names in DAX.

'Table Name'[ColumnName]

If there are spaces in the table name (as shown above), the single quotes around the
table name are mandatory. If the table name has no spaces, the single quotes can be
omitted, so the syntax looks like the following. Column names must always include the square
brackets.

TableName[ColumnName]

Creating Calculated Columns

Calculated Columns are useful when you want a calculation for every row in your
table.

You can create Calculated Columns in Power BI Desktop by selecting New Column from
the Modeling tab. It's best to be in Data view (rather than Report or Relationships view), since
you can see the New Column created and the Formula Bar is populated and ready for your
DAX formula.
 Once you select the New Column button, the Formula Bar is populated with a basic
column name (which you change to suit your formula, of course) and the = operator, and the
new column appears in the data grid, as shown in the following image.

The required elements for a calculated column are the following

 A new column name

 At least one function or expression

Calculated Columns Examples

1. Load the Orders table into Power BI

2. Create the following Calculated Columns

a) Unit Price = Sales / Quantity

b) Cost Price = Sale – Profit
C) Quantity Type = IF (Orders [Quantity] = 1, "Single Item”, "Multiple Items")
d) State and Country = CONCATENATE (Orders [State], CONCATENATE (", ", Orders [Country]))
Creating Measures

Use a calculated measure when you are calculating percentages or ratios, or you need
complex aggregations. To create a measure using a DAX formula, select the New Measure
button from the Modeling tab. Again, it's best to be in the Data view of Power BI Desktop
since it shows the Formula Bar and makes it easy to write your DAX formula.

With measures, you see a new measure icon appear in the Fields pane with the name
of the measure. The Formula Bar is again populated with the name of your DAX formula (this
time, with your measure).

The required elements for a calculated measure are the same as they are for a calculated
column

 A new measure name

 At least one function or expression
Calculated Measures Examples

 Total Sales = SUM(Orders[Sales])

 Total Profit = SUM(Orders[Profit])
 Average Sales = AVERAGE(Orders[Sales])

Implicit Vs Explicit Measures

Implicit Measures are created when you drag raw numerical fields (like Sales, Profit,
Quantity) into the values field well of a visual and manually select the aggregation mode
(Sum, Average, Min/Max, etc.).

Explicit measures are created by actually entering DAX functions like below

 Sum Of Sales = SUM(Orders[Sales])

Implicit measures are only accessible within the specific visualization in which it was
created, and cannot be referenced elsewhere.

Explicit measures can be used anywhere in the report and referenced with other DAX
calculations.

 Sum Of Sales = SUM (Orders[Sales])

 % Sales = [Sum Of Sales]/CALCULATE([Sum Of Sales],ALL(Orders))

Calculated Columns / New Column Vs New Measures

Calculated Columns / New Column New Measures

To Calculate Aggregates and Percentages. (OR)

For Each Row when you need a Value
For Group of Rows if you need one Value

Values are calculated based on information from

Values are calculated based on information for
any filters in the report or the fields used in the
each row of a Table. Row Context.
visualizations. Filter Context.
Appends Static values to each row in a table
Does not create new data in the tables which
and stores them in the model which increases
doesn't increases the file size
the file size

Recalculate on data source refresh or when Recalculate in response to any change to filters
changes are made to component columns within the report or when we Add / Remove
which are used to derive Calculated Columns another dimension to the visualization.

New Column Name Should be unique at Table

Measure Name Should be unique thought the Model
Level
DAX Syntax & Operators

This formula includes the following syntax elements

A) The measure name Total Sales.

B) The equals sign operator (=) indicates the beginning of the formula. When calculated, it
will return a result.

C) The DAX function SUM adds up all of the numbers in the Sales [SalesAmount] column. You’ll

learn more about functions later.

D) Parenthesis () surround an expression containing one or more arguments. All functions

require at least one argument. An argument passes a value to a function.

E) The referenced table Sales.

F) The referenced column [SalesAmount] in the Sales table. With this argument, the SUM
function knows on which column to aggregate a SUM.

DAX Operators

The Data Analysis Expression (DAX) language uses operators to create expressions that
compare values, perform arithmetic calculations, or work with strings.

Types of Operators

There are four different types of operators  arithmetic, comparison, text

concatenation, and logical.

Arithmetic Operators
 To perform basic mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, or
multiplication, combine numbers, and produce numeric results, use the following arithmetic
operators.

Arithmetic operator Meaning Example

+ (plus sign) Addition 3+3
– (minus sign) Subtraction or sign 3–1
* (asterisk) Multiplication 3*3
/ (forward slash) Division 39/3
^ (caret) Exponentiation 16^4

Comparison Operators

You can compare two values with the following operators. When two values are
compared by using these operators, the result is a logical value, either TRUE or FALSE.

Comparison operator Meaning Example

= Equal to [Region] = "USA"
> Greater than [Sales Date] > "Jan 1 2009"
< Less than [Sales Date] < "Jan 1 2009"
>= Greater than or equal to [Amount] >= 20000
<= Less than or equal to [Amount] <= 100
<> Not equal to [Region] <> "USA"

Text Concatenation Operator

Use the ampersand (&) to join, or concatenate, two or more text strings to produce a
single piece of text.

Text operator Meaning Example

Connects, or concatenates, two
& (ampersand) values to produce one [State] & ", " & [Country]
continuous text value

EX: State and Country = CONCATENATE (Orders [State], CONCATENATE (", ", Orders
[Country]))

Or
State and Country = Orders [State] & ", " & Orders [Country]

Logical Operators

Use logical operators (&&) and (||) to combine expressions to produce a single result.

Logical operator Meaning Example

Creates an AND condition between two
expressions that each have a Boolean
&& (double result. If both expressions return TRUE, ([Region] = "France") &&
ampersand) the combination of the expressions also ([BikeBuyer] = "yes"))
returns TRUE; otherwise the combination
returns FALSE.
Creates an OR condition between two
logical expressions. If either expression
|| (double pipe (([Region] = "France") ||
returns TRUE, the result is TRUE; only
symbol) ([BikeBuyer] = "yes"))
when both expressions are FALSE is the
result FALSE.
Creates a logical OR condition between
each row being compared to a table. 'Product'[Color] IN { "Red", "Blue",
IN
Note: the table constructor syntax uses "Black" }
curly braces.