Power BI

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DAX calculations at visual level of reports

Vote (2124)

Marco Russo on 22 May 2020 15:48:20

Provide a simple way to write formulas that work with the data displayed in a visual. For example, the running total of a measure in a table or in a chart according to the sort order of the visual should be something like this:

Running Total = ReportData[Sales] + PREVIOUS ( ReportData[Running Total] )

Where ReportData is the content of the current visual, Sales and Running Total are the names of the columns in the current visual. The user is not expected to know the model content, the calculation can be executed on top of any data currently being displayed.

More details about a proposal for visual calculations in DAX here:
https://www.sqlbi.com/articles/a-proposal-for-visual-calculations-in-dax/

Comments (56)

Comments (56)

de78bfd8 95c3-4601-9312-aa0fad6a5220 on 06 Jul 2020 00:16:08

RE: DAX calculations at visual level of reports

I'll vote for anything that makes live easier!!

af0019aa 9a7e-4776-9021-7b1171cd13bc on 06 Jul 2020 00:15:54

RE: DAX calculations at visual level of reports

It would be brilliant if this could work for web browser report editing as well as in the Report View of Power BI Desktop.

That would be the "gateway calc" that gets users hooked on DAX, craving for more.

defb5240 197d-4ad3-bf75-c119b57c2fdd on 06 Jul 2020 00:15:14

RE: DAX calculations at visual level of reports

Great idea

e05fbf96 6f1e-4f53-b2c1-687c2a1f6ec9 on 06 Jul 2020 00:15:06

RE: DAX calculations at visual level of reports

I would be nice if users (who dont know DAX) could connect to a dataset and use this visual calculation language to create their reports!

cede1236 8c2b-4e6b-96ad-35aa4904f118 on 06 Jul 2020 00:15:06

RE: DAX calculations at visual level of reports

I agree that there needs to be something different and easier on the front end to create calculations. I don't know if "visual calculations in DAX" is the answer but I think it's a step in the right direction. Not that it is any easier, but I think the way you build an SSRS report is a much better process: you build a dataset and then you use that data in a visual where you let the visual manage calculations and any further aggregations of it.

Like you mention in your article, the user doesn't really get a chance to interact with the data and calculations in a visual way; they have to 1) use DAX which is really difficult to learn for most people and 2) try to picture in their head what is happening and all the different contexts that could be created. All that just to build a simple matrix or bar chart they want for their report.

I would like to see a standard visual by Microsoft that let's you specify what data you want for the visual (that might still be dragging fields from the data model) but then let's you do calculations and further aggregations right in the visual and hide anything you don't want displayed because you only needed it for the calculations.

The average person will not learn DAX nor will they ever learn anything else about Power BI like data modeling. They just can't do it. Let's stop pretending that they will so we can move on and provide features like this.