Will Thompson on 04 May 2017 01:27:49
In May 2017 Power BI Desktop started supporting creation of DAX measures when working in live connect mode to an external SSAS model: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/power-bi-desktop-may-feature-summary/
Vote on this idea if you want support for calculated columns in this mode as well!
- Comments (35)
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
This is definitely needed for both Tabular and Multidimensional. The lack of this is one of the key arguments for investing in other solutions than PowerBI.
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
I would also like to be able to combine data sources when one of them is a live connection to SSAS. For example, combine fields from an Excel spreadsheet with a related SSAS data source. There is probably a separate suggestion out there already for this but I haven't found it yet... If anyone can point me to one please do so I can vote on it rather than duplicating!
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
This is not a practical request. A DAX Measure is metadata, and can be passed in at query time. This allows you to creat DAX measures in Power BI and execute them in Analysis Services. A calculated column is a materialized data element evaluated at model process time. Adding the ability for users to add these in Power BI is dangerous because you are essentially adding model development. Calculated columns are generally An anti pattern in enterprise models, because they consume memory and logic that uses them is almost always better placed in ETL or a measure definition.
Do NOT do this.
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
'Definitely a requirement. Part of a leading manufacturing/automation organization, being agile on our feet with data is extremely important.
+100 from my end.
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
Yes we need it and will surely do much help rather going back to cubes.
Thanks.
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
This feature is really needed by my client, using Power BI online. They hold back-office transport data that will be stored in SSAS Cubes, and accessed securely by their customers, as a live connection. Admittedly it's my error for not doing due diligence, but if we'd known this functionality wasn't available we would probably not have gone the Power BI route. So yes please, on Desktop and Online!
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
This would make life so easy and make PowerBi a differentiate PowerBI from the Competition. Here's a scenario it would help me with, i am trying to setup different visuals and we prefer using a cube that way we have a powerful machine processing the cube the way we want it. Then i come across suggestions on the forum on using a calculated column to achieve a scenario X in power Bi, guess what i have to do right now? Deploy a new model :(. With this i would be able to do it out of the box!
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
To be able to use the new measure in the live connect mode would be fantastic
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
Yes it is helpful.
RE: Create calculated columns when using SSAS live connect
This would solve a lot of problems for us... including making hyperlinks within SSAS models work in a table/matrix.