MICROSOFT EXCEL:

INTRO TO POWER QUERY,

POWER PIVOT & DAX
GETTING STARTED
 COURSE STRUCTURE

100+ Downloadable PDF Slides to serve as helpful reference guides when

you’re offline or on the go (or just need a refresher!)

Interactive, hands-on demos to keep you engaged, with downloadable

project files that you can use to explore and learn at your own pace

Course Quizzes and Homework Exercises to test and reinforce key

concepts throughout the course
 COURSE OUTLINE

1 The “Power” Excel Landscape

• Power Query/Power Pivot workflow and key benefits vs. “traditional” Excel

2 Power Query
• Types of data connectors, query editing tools, loading options, etc.

3 Data Modeling 101

• Excel Data Model interface, normalization, table relationships, hierarchies, etc.

4 Power Pivot & DAX

• Power Pivots vs. “normal” pivots, calculated columns vs. measures, row & filter context, etc.

5 Common DAX Functions

• Basic syntax, math & stats functions, filter functions, time intelligence tools, etc.

6 Final Project
• VanArsdel sales data (2000-2010)
 VERSIONS & COMPATIBILITY

IMPORTANT NOTE: Power Pivot is currently not available for Mac,

and is only available in certain versions of Excel for Windows/PC

For a full, current list of compatible versions, visit support.office.com (or Google “Where is Power Pivot?”):
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Where-is-Power-Pivot-aa64e217-4b6e-410b-8337-20b87e1c2a4b (or use: bit.ly/2yd80rd)

Other considerations:
• Power Pivot works best with 64-bit Excel, which can access more processing power and memory (not critical)
• Note: make sure you’re running a 64-bit operating system and that you’ve updated Office to the 64-bit version

• Power Pivot menus, features and tools have evolved over time; what you see on your screen may differ from
what you see on mine, but the fundamental skills and concepts covered are universally applicable
• Even if you have a compatible version of Excel, you may need to enable the Power Pivot or Power Query
plug-ins to access the tools in this course (File > Options > Add-Ins > Manage: COM Add-Ins)
 GETTING TO KNOW THE FOODMART DATABASE

• Throughout the course, we’ll be using sample data from a fictitious super market chain
called “FoodMart”*
• In addition to daily transactional records from 1997-1998, our data set includes
information about products, customers, stores, and regions
• All files are available for download in the course resources section of your course
dashboard (Course Dashboard > Course Content > All Resources)

Transactions Returns Customer Lookup Calendar Lookup Product Lookup Store Lookup Region Lookup
-transaction_date -return_date customer_id date product_id store_id region_id
-stock_date -product_id customer_acct_num month_num product_brand region_id sales_district
-product_id -store_id first_name quarter product_name store_type sales_region
-customer_id -quantity last_name year product_sku store_name
-store_id customer_address weekday_num product_retail_price store_street_address
-quantity etc.. etc… etc… etc…

“Data” Tables “Lookup” Tables

*This data is provided by Microsoft for informational purposes only as an aid to illustrate a concept. These samples are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. The example companies, organizations, products, domain names,
e-mail addresses, people, places, and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mail address, person, place, or event is intended or should be inferred.
 SETTING EXPECTATIONS

1 I’m using Excel 2016 for PC (365 ProPlus, 64-bit)

• Power Pivot is currently not available for Mac
• What you see on your screen will not always match what you see on mine (especially for Excel 2010 or 2013)

2 This course is designed to get you up & running with Excel’s BI tools
• The goal is to provide a solid foundational understanding of Power Query, Power Pivot and DAX; we may
simplify some concepts to make them easier to grasp, and will not cover some of the more advanced tools

3 These tools are incredibly powerful, but still a little “buggy”

• Power Pivot uses a lot of processing power, so it helps to close other workbooks and applications
• Save new versions early and often; if you do crash, make sure you have a recent version to work from!

4 When things get challenging, remember that I’m here to help

• If you feel stuck, remember that you can pause the videos and rewatch them as many times as you’d like!
• Still need support? Post to the course Q&A section or message me directly and I’d be happy to lend a hand
LET’S DO THIS.
INTRO TO “POWER EXCEL”
 THE “POWER EXCEL” WORKFLOW

These are Excel’s Business Intelligence tools, all of which are available directly in Excel
(provided you have a compatible version); no additional software is required!

RAW DATA POWER QUERY DATA MODEL POWER PIVOT & DAX
Flat files (csv, txt), Excel tables, (aka “Get & Transform”) Explore and analyze the entire
Create table relationships, add
databases (SQL, Azure), folders, Connect to sources, import calculated columns, define data model, and create powerful
streaming sources, web data, etc. data, and apply shaping and hierarchies and perspectives, etc. measures using Data Analysis
transformation tools (ETL) Expressions (DAX)
 “THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO EXCEL IN 20 YEARS”

• Import and analyze MILLIONS of rows of data in Excel

• Access data from virtually anywhere (database tables, flat files, cloud services, folders, etc.)

• Quickly build models to blend and analyze data across sources

• Instantly connect sources and analyze holistic performance across your entire data model

• Create fully automated data shaping and loading procedures

• Connect to databases and watch data flow through your model with the click of a button

• Define calculated measures using Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)

• No more redundant A1-style “grid” formulas; DAX expressions are flexible, powerful and portable

*Quote by Bill Jelen (aka “Mr. Excel”)

 #1: IMPORT & ANALYZE MILLIONS OF ROWS

When was the last time you loaded

25,000,000 rows of data into Excel?
When you connect to data with Power Query
and load it to Excel’s Data Model, the data is
compressed and stored in memory, NOT in
worksheets (no more 1,048,576 row limit!)
#2: BUILD DATA MODELS TO BLEND SOURCES

This is an example of a Data Model in

“Diagram View”, which allows you to
create connections between tables

Instead of manually stitching tables

together with cell formulas, you
create relationships to blend data
based on common fields
#3: AUTOMATE YOUR DATA PROCESSING

With Power Query, you can

filter, shape and transform
your raw data before loading
it into the data model

Each step is automatically

recorded and saved with the
query, and applied
whenever the source data is
refreshed – like a macro!
#4: CREATE POWERFUL MEASURES WITH DAX

Measures are flexible and powerful

calculations defined using Data
Analysis Expressions (DAX)

In this case we’re using a DAX time

intelligence formula to calculate a
10-day rolling average
 WHEN TO USE POWER QUERY & POWER PIVOT

Use Power Query and Power Pivot when you want to…

Analyze more data than can fit into a worksheet

Create connections to databases or external sources

Blend data across multiple large tables

Automate the process of loading and shaping your data

Unleash the full business intelligence capabilities of Excel

POWER QUERY
 MEET POWER QUERY

Power Query (aka “Get & Transform”) allows you to:

• Connect to data across a wide range of sources
• Filter, shape, append and transform raw data for further analysis and modeling
• Create stored procedures to automate your data prep (like a macro!)

The Power Query tools live in the Data tab, under

the “Get & Transform” section (Excel 2016)
 TYPES OF DATA CONNECTIONS

From File From Database FromAzure From Online Services From Other Sources
 THE QUERY EDITOR

Query
Editing
Tools
Formula Bar
(this is “M” code)

Name your
table!
Data
Preview Applied
Steps

Access the Query Editor by creating a new query and choosing the “Edit” option, or by launching
the Workbook Queries pane (Data > Show Queries) and right-clicking an existing query to edit
 QUERY EDITOR TOOLS
The HOME tab includes general settings and common table transformation tools

The TRANSFORM tab includes tools to modify existing columns (splitting/grouping, transposing, extracting text, etc.

The ADD COLUMN tools create new columns based on conditional rules, text operations, calculations, dates, etc.
DATA LOADING OPTIONS

When you load data from Power Query, you have several options:
• Table
• Stores the data in a new or existing worksheet
• Requires relatively small data sets (<1mm rows)

• Connection Only
• Saves the data connection settings and applied steps
• Data does not load to a worksheet

• Add to Data Model

• Compresses and loads data to Excel’s Data Model
• Makes data accessible to Power Pivot for further analysis
 BASIC TABLE TRANSFORMATIONS
Sort values Change data types Promote header row
(A-Z, Low-High, etc.) (date, $, %, text, etc.)

Duplicate, move &

rename columns
Keep or remove columns
Tip: Right-click the
Tip: use the “Remove Other column header to
Columns” option if you always access common tools
want a specific set
Keep or remove rows
Tip: use the “Remove Duplicates”
option to create a new lookup
table from scratch
 TEXT-SPECIFIC TOOLS

Extract characters from a text

column using a fixed length,
first or last, or a defined range
Split a text column based on Tip: Select two or more columns to
either a specific delimiter or merge or concatenate fields
a number of characters

HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!

You can access many of these tools in both the
“Transform” and “Add Column” menus -- the Format a text column to upper, lower or
difference is whether you want to add a new proper case, or add a prefix or suffix
column or modify an existing one Tip: Use “Trim” to eliminate leading & trailing spaces,
or “Clean” to remove non-printable characters
 NUMBER-SPECIFIC TOOLS

Information tools allow

you to define binary flags
(TRUE/FALSE or 1/0) to
Standard Scientific Trigonometry mark each row in a
Statistics functions allow you to column as even, odd,
evaluate basic stats for the selected Standard, Scientific and Trigonometry tools allow you
positive or negative
column (sum, min/max, average, to apply standard operations (addition, multiplication,
count, countdistinct, etc) division, etc.) or more advanced calculations (power,
logarithm, sine, tangent, etc) to each value in a column
Note: These tools return a SINGLE value,
and are commonly used to explore a table Note: Unlike the Statistics options, these tools are applied to
rather than prepare it for loading each individual row in the table
 DATE-SPECIFIC TOOLS

Date & Time tools are relatively straight-forward, and include the following options:
• Age: Difference between the current time and the date in each row
• Date Only: Removes the time component of a date/time field
• Year/Month/Quarter/Week/Day: Extracts individual components from a date field
(Time-specific options include Hour, Minute, Second, etc.)
• Earliest/Latest: Evaluates the earliest or latest date from a column as a single value (can
only be accessed from the “Transform” menu)

Note: You will almost always want to perform these operations from the “Add Column” menu to
build out new fields, rather than transforming an individual date/time column

PRO TIP:
Load up a table containing a single date column and use Date tools to build out an entire calendar table
 CREATING A BASIC CALENDAR TABLE

Use pre-defined Date options

in the “Add Column” menu to
quickly build out a calendar
table from a list of dates
 PRO TIP: CREATING A ROLLING CALENDAR

1) Create a new, blank query (Data > New Query > From Other Sources > Blank Query)

2) In the formula bar, generate a starting date by entering a “literal” (1/1/2013 shown below):

3) Click the fX icon to add a new custom step, and enter the following formula exactly as shown:

4) Convert the resulting list into a Table (List Tools > To Table) and format the column as a Date

5) Add calculated Date columns (Year, Month, Week, etc.) as necessary using the Add Column tools
 ADDING AN INDEX COLUMN

Index Columns contain a list of

sequential values that can be used to
identify each unique row in a table
(typically starting from 0 or 1)

These columns are often used to

create unique IDs that can be used to
form relationships between tables
(more on that later!)
 ADDING A CONDITIONAL COLUMN

Conditional Columns allow you to define new fields based

on logical rules and conditions (IF/THEN statements)

In this case we’re creating a new conditional column

called “Order Size”, which depends on the values in the
“quantity” column, as follows:
• If quantity >5, Order Size = “Large”
• If quantity is from 2-5, Order Size = “Medium”
• If quantity =1, Order Size = “Small”
• Otherwise Order Size = “Other”
GROUPING & AGGREGATING DATA

Group By allows you to aggregate your data at a different level

(i.e. transform daily data into monthly, roll up transaction-level data by store, etc.)

In this case we’re transforming a daily, transaction-level table into

a summary of “quantity” by “product_id”

Note that we lose any field not specified in the Group By settings
 PIVOTING & UNPIVOTING

“Pivoting” is a fancy way to describe the process of turning distinct row

values into columns (“pivoting”) or turning columns into rows (“unpivoting”)

Imagine that the table is on a hinge; pivoting is like rotating

it from a vertical to a horizontal layout, and unpivoting is
like rotating it from horizontal to vertical

NOTE: Transpose works very similarly, but doesn’t recognize

unique values; instead, the entire table is transformed so
that each row becomes a column and vice versa
MODIFYING WORKBOOK QUERIES

Click on Show Queries to launch the Workbook

Queries pane

Right-click any individual query to access

common options and tools:
• Edit (launches the Query Editor)
• Delete
• Rename
• Refresh
• Duplicate
• Merge
• Append
MERGING QUERIES

• Merging queries allows you to join tables

based on a common column (like VLOOKUP)

• In this case we’re merging the

FoodMart_Transactions_1997 table with
the Product_Lookup table, which share a
“product_id” column

TIP: Merging adds columns to an existing table

HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Just because you can merge tables,
doesn’t mean you should.
In general, it’s better to keep tables
separate and define relationships
between them (more on that later!)
 APPENDING QUERIES

• Appending queries allows you to combine (or

stack) tables that share a common structure and
set of columns

• In this case we’re appending the

FoodMart_Transactions_1998 table to the
FoodMart_Transactions_1997 table, since they
contain the same set of columns and data types

TIP: Appending adds rows to an existing table

PRO TIP:
Use the “From Folder” query option to automatically append all files from within the same folder
 POWER QUERY BEST PRACTICES

Give your queries clear and intuitive names, before loading the data
• Define names immediately; updating query & table names later can be a headache,
especially if you’ve already referenced them in calculated measures
• Don’t use spaces in table names (otherwise you have surround them with single quotes)

Do as much shaping as possible at the source of the data

• Shaping data at the source (i.e. SQL, Access) minimizes the need for complex procedures in
Power Query, and allows you to create new models without replicating the same process

When working with large tables, only load the data you need
• Don’t include hourly data when you only need daily, or product-level transactions when
you only care about store-level performance; extra data will only slow you down
DATA MODELING 101
 MEET EXCEL’S DATA MODEL

The Data Model provides simple and intuitive tools for building
relational databases directly in Excel. With the data model you can:
• Manage massive datasets that can’t fit into worksheets
• Create table relationships to blend data across multiple sources
• Define custom hierarchies and perspectives

Access the Data Model through the

Power Pivot tab or the Data tab
(Note: you may need to enable the Power Pivot tab via
File > Options > Add-Ins > Manage COM Add-Ins)
THE DATA MODEL WINDOW

The Data Model opens in a separate Excel window, where you can view
your data tables, calculate new measures, and define table relationships
Note: Closing the Data Model window does NOT close your Excel workbook
 DATA VIEW VS. DIAGRAM VIEW
DATA VIEW DIAGRAM VIEW

Tables organized in tabs Tables organized as objects

 DATABASE NORMALIZATION

Normalization is the process of organizing the tables and columns in a relational database to reduce
redundancy and preserve data integrity. It is commonly used to:
• Eliminate redundant data to decrease table sizes and improve processing speed & efficiency
• Minimize errors and anomalies from data modifications (inserting, updating or deleting records)
• Simplify queries and structure the database for meaningful analysis

In a normalized database, each table should serve a distinct and specific purpose (i.e. product information, calendar
fields, transaction records, customer attributes, etc.)

When you don’t normalize, you end up with tables like

this; all of the duplicate product records could be
eliminated with a lookup table based on product_id

This may not seem critical now, but minor inefficiencies

can become major problems as databases scale in size
 DATA TABLES VS. LOOKUP TABLES
Models generally contain two types of tables: data (or “fact”) tables, and lookup (or “dimension”) tables
• Data tables contain numbers or values, typically at the most granular level possible, with ID or “key” columns
that can be used to connect to each lookup table
• Lookup tables provide descriptive, often text-based attributes about each dimension in a table

This Calendar Lookup table provides additional attributes about each date (month, year, weekday, quarter, etc.)

This Product Lookup table provides additional attributes about each product (brand, product name, sku, price, etc.)

This Data Table contains “quantity” values, and connects

to lookup tables via the “date” and “product_id” columns
 PRIMARY & FOREIGN KEYS

These columns are primary keys; they uniquely identify each

These columns are foreign keys; they row of a table, and match the foreign keys in related data tables
contain multiple instances of each
value, and are used to match the
primary keys in related lookup tables
 RELATIONSHIPS VS. MERGED TABLES
Can’t I just merge queries or use LOOKUP or RELATED functions to pull those
attributes into the fact table itself, so that I have everything in one place??
-Anonymous confused man

Original Fact Table fields Attributes from Calendar Lookup table Attributes from Product Lookup table

Sure, but it’s extremely inefficient.

• Merging data in this way creates redundant data and utilizes significantly more memory and
processing power than creating relationships between multiple small tables
 CREATING TABLE RELATIONSHIPS

Option 1: Click and drag relationships in Diagram View Option 2: Use “Create Relationship” in the Design tab

Tip: Always drag relationships from the Data table to the Lookup tables

*Note: In Excel 2010/2013 the diagram view looks a bit different, and arrows point in the opposite direction by default
CONNECTING LOOKUPS TO LOOKUPS

PRO TIP:
Models with multiple related lookup tables
are called “snowflake” schemas
Models with a single table for each lookup
or dimension are called “star” schemas

This Transactions data table can connect to Store_Lookup using store_id,

but does not contain a region_id to connect to the Region_Lookup table

By creating a relationship between Store_Lookup and Region_Lookup

(using region_id), we have essentially connected Transactions with
Region_Lookup; filter context will now flow all the way down the chain
 MODIFYING TABLE RELATIONSHIPS

The Manage Relationships window

allows you to create, edit or delete
any connection in the data model
• Use this to see all table
relationships, as well as table
names, cardinality and filter
direction
• Note: double-click a single
connection in diagram view to
edit an individual relationship
ACTIVE VS. INACTIVE RELATIONSHIPS

We can connect the Calendar_Lookup and FoodMart_Transactions tables on both

transaction_date and stock_date; however, only one can be active at a time

To make a connection active or inactive, double-click the connection and check the box, or
right-click the relationship line itself (Note: must deactivate one before activating another!)
 RELATIONSHIP CARDINALITY

Cardinality refers to the uniqueness of values in a column

In Power Pivot, all relationships in a data model should
follow a “one-to-many” cardinality
• Each column (or “key”) used to join tables can only have one
instance of each unique value in the lookup table (these are the
primary keys), but may have many instances of each unique
value in the data table (these are the foreign keys)

In this case we’re joining the Calendar_Lookup table to the FoodMart_Transactions data table
using the date column as our key

There is only one instance of each date in the lookup table (noted by the “1”), but many instances of
each date in the data table (noted by the asterisk “*”), since multiple transactions occur each day

*Note: In Excel 2010/2013 the diagram view looks a bit different, and arrows point in the opposite direction by default
 BAD CARDINALITY: MANY-TO-MANY

• If we try to connect these tables using the product_id field, we’ll have a many-to-many relationship
since there are multiple instances of each ID in both tables
• Even if we could create this relationship in Power Pivot, how would you know which product was
actually sold on each date – Cream Soda or Diet Cream Soda?
 BAD CARDINALITY: ONE-TO-ONE

• In this case, connecting the tables above using the product_id field creates a one-to-one
relationship, since each ID only appears once in each table
• Unlike many-to-many, there is nothing illegal about this relationship; it’s just inefficient

To eliminate the inefficiency, you could simply

merge the two tables into a single, valid lookup

Note: this still respects the laws of normalization, since all

rows are unique and directly related to the primary key
 CONNECTING MULTIPLE DATA TABLES

Here we’ve loaded a second data table

named Returns, containing records of
returns by date, product and store
• This table connects to each lookup
exactly like the Transactions table did,
except that there is no way to connect
the Returns table to Customer_Lookup
• This allows us to analyze data across
both tables in the same pivot, as long as
we only filter or segment the data using
lookups that are common to both
• In other words, we know which product
was returned, which store it was
HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT! returned to, and which date the return
NEVER try to connect data tables directly to each other; occurred, but NOT which customer was
ALWAYS connect them indirectly via shared lookup tables! responsible
 FILTER DIRECTION IS IMPORTANT

This model includes two data tables (Transactions and Returns),

both connected to the Calendar_Lookup
Note the filter directions (shown as arrows) in each relationship;
in Power Pivot (2016) these will always point from the “one” side
of the relationship (lookups) to the “many” side (data tables)*
• Filtering a table will impact any tables “downstream” of it, as
defined by the filter relationship (i.e the direction of the arrow)
• Let’s say we’re analyzing both Transactions and Returns in the
same PivotTable; filtering by the Calendar_Lookup date field will
return correctly filtered data from both data tables, but filtering
PRO TIP: by the Transactions date field will yield unfiltered Returns values
Arrange your lookup tables above your
data tables in diagram view to remind you
that filters always flow “downstream”

*Note: In Excel 2010/2013 the diagram view looks a bit different, and arrows point in the opposite direction by default
FILTER DIRECTION IS IMPORTANT (CONT.)

Calendar_Lookup filters flow Filtering by date in the Transactions

“down” to both the Transactions table yields incorrect, unfiltered
and Returns tables, so we can filter values from the Returns table, since
or segment those metrics using any filter context cannot flow
field from the Calendar table “upstream” to the Calendar table
 HIDING FIELDS FROM CLIENT TOOLS

When you hide a field from Client Tools,

you make it invisible to tools outside of
the data model (i.e. Power Pivot)
This can be used to prevent users from
filtering or segmenting on invalid fields,
or to hide irrelevant metrics from view

PRO TIP:
Always hide the foreign key columns in your data tables to prevent users from accidentally filtering on them!
 DEFINING HIERARCHIES

Hierarchies are groups of nested columns that reflect multiple levels of granularity
• For example, a “Geography” hierarchy might include Country, State, and City columns
• Each hierarchy is treated as a single item in PivotTables and PivotCharts, allowing users to “drill up”
and “drill down” through different levels of the hierarchy in a meaningful way

Drag fields to create a hierarchy

Right-click a field to see the hierarchy options

Hierarchies appear in Power Pivot
 DATA MODEL BEST PRACTICES

Normalize your data model before you do anything else

• Make sure that each table in your model serves a single, distinct purpose
• Use relationships vs. merged tables; long & narrow tables are better than short & wide

Organize lookup tables above data tables in the diagram view

• This serves as a visual reminder that filters always flow “downstream”

Hide fields from client tools to prevent invalid filter context

• All foreign key columns should be hidden from data tables, so that users are only able to
use valid fields for filtering and segmentation
POWER PIVOT & DAX 101
 MEET POWER PIVOT

A “Power” Pivot is just like a normal PivotTable, except it sits on top of an

entire data model rather than a single table or range. This allows you to:
• Explore massive datasets consisting of multiple sources and tables, using
familiar, user-friendly PivotTable tools and options
• Create powerful and flexible calculations using Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)

The Power Pivot tab includes

tools to manage the data model
and define new measures

(Note: you may need to enable this tab by selecting

File > Options > Add-Ins > Manage COM Add-Ins)
 CREATING A “POWER” PIVOT TABLE

Option #1: From the Data Model Option #2: From the Insert > PivotTable dialog box
 “NORMAL” PIVOTS VS. “POWER” PIVOTS

NORMAL PIVOT POWER PIVOT

• Can analyze data from one table at a time; • Can analyze an entire data model, consisting
multiple tables must be flattened or of multiple tables connected via relationships
“stitched” together with cell functions rather than cell functions

• Restricted to the data capacity of a single • Virtually unlimited data capacity as tables are
Excel worksheet (1,048,576 rows) compressed outside of normal worksheets

• Limited to relatively basic calculated fields, • Performs complex calculations using Data
using a sub-set of Excel functions Analysis Expressions (DAX)

NOTE: It’s not the PivotTable itself that’s different; it’s the data behind it
 “NORMAL” PIVOTS VS. “POWER” PIVOTS

Normal Pivot Power Pivot

More Tables!
 NO MORE “CALCULATED FIELDS”

Oh rats, where are my calculated fields??

One of the key Power Pivot features is the ability

to create much more robust calculated fields,
known as measures*
Because these measures interact directly with the
data model (including tables stored in memory),
traditional cell formulas won’t do the trick
• Instead, we’ll use a new (but familiar) formula
language called Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)

*Note: Depending on the version of Excel you’re using, you might see these referred to as either “Measures” (Excel 2010, 2016) or “Calculated Fields” (Excel 2013)
 DATA ANALYSIS EXPRESSIONS (DAX)

Data Analysis Expressions, commonly known as DAX, is the formula

language that drives Power Pivot. With DAX, you can:
• Add calculated columns and measures to your model, using intuitive syntax
• Go beyond the capabilities of traditional “grid-style” formulas, with powerful
functions built specifically to work with relational data

Two places to use DAX:

2) Adding Measures

1) Adding Calculated Columns

 CALCULATED COLUMNS

Calculated columns allow you to add new, formula-based columns to tables

• No “A1-style” references; calculated columns refer to HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!
entire tables or columns As a rule of thumb, ONLY use
calculated columns if you want to
• Calculated columns are computed at the row-level, and “stamp” static, fixed values to each
values are stored with the table (this eats up memory) row in a table (or use Power Query!)
DO NOT use calculated columns for
• Calculated columns understand row context; they’re great aggregation formulas, or to calculate
for defining new properties based on information in each fields for the “Values” area of a
row, but generally useless for aggregation (SUM, AVERAGE, pivot (use measures instead)
COUNT, etc.)

PRO TIP:
Calculated columns are typically placed in the Filters, Slicers, Rows or Columns areas of a pivot
CREATING CALCULATED COLUMNS

Step 1: In the data model “Data View”,

choose a table and then select any cell in
the “Add Column” section

Step 2: Enter a DAX function in

the formula bar (we’ll cover specific
functions in the next section)

Step 3: Press “Enter”, and all cells

in the column will update
 CALCULATED COLUMNS: GOOD & BAD

In this case we’ve added a calculated column called

price_category, which equals “High” if the retail price is >$2,
and “Low” otherwise (just like you would write in Excel!)
• Since calculated columns understand row context, a new
value is calculated in each row based on that row’s price
• This is a valid use of calculated columns; it creates a new row
“property” that we can now use to filter or segment any
related data within the model

Here we’re using an aggregation function (SUM) to

calculate a new column named total_revenue
• Since calculated columns do not understand filter
context, the same grand total is returned in every
single row of the table
• This is not a valid use of calculated columns;
these values are statically “stamped” onto the
table and can’t be filtered, sliced, subdivided, etc.
 DAX MEASURES

Measures are DAX formulas used to generate dynamic values within a PivotTable
• Like calculated columns, measures reference entire tables
or columns (no A1-style or “grid” references) HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!
As a rule of thumb, use measures
• Unlike calculated columns, measures don’t actually live in (vs. calculated columns) when a
the table; they get placed in the values area of a PivotTable single row can’t give you the
and dynamically calculated in each individual cell answer (i.e. requires aggregation)
Measures can ONLY be placed in
• Measures are evaluated based on the filter context of each the values area of a PivotTable
cell, which is determined by the PivotTable layout (filters,
slicers, rows and columns)

PRO TIP:
Use measures to create values that users can explore with a pivot (Power Pivot version of a “Calculated Field”)
CREATING IMPLICIT MEASURES

STEP 1: Check the box next to a value field in a data table,

or manually drag it into the “Values” box

STEP 2: Pat yourself on the back, you just created a measure!

HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Before you pop the champagne, there’s a catch. When you drag a raw data field
into the values section of a pivot, you create what’s called an implicit measure.
While there’s nothing wrong with implicit measures, they are extremely limited.
Explicit measures (defined using DAX) will give us much more flexibility, as well
as the ability to reuse measures in multiple places (measure trees!)

FROM NOW ON, JUST SAY “NO” TO IMPLICIT MEASURES

 CREATING EXPLICIT MEASURES (AUTOSUM)

AutoSum is a shortcut for creating

simple DAX formulas (Sum, Average,
Count, Distinct Count, Max and Min)
To use AutoSum:
• Click on a cell in the Measures
Pane (see below), within the
column you want to evaluate
• Select the AutoSum menu and
choose an option from the list

The Measures Pane sits beneath the data

in the “Data View” of the model

PRO TIP:
AutoSum is a nice way to get comfortable with basic DAX and quickly add measures;
just don’t rely on them when things start to get more complicated!
 CREATING EXPLICIT MEASURES (POWER PIVOT)

The Measure Dialog Box

Each measure is
The Formula pane assigned to a table and
contains the actual DAX given a measure name
code, as well as options (as well as an optional
to browse the formula description)
library or check syntax

Note: just start typing, and

“Intellisense” will kick in to
help you auto-populate
formula names and tables
Use the Formatting
Options to specify a
format for each
PRO TIP: measure
Ctrl+scroll adjusts
formula text size
 UNDERSTANDING FILTER CONTEXT

Measures are calculated based on filter context, which is the set of filters (or “coordinates”)
determined by the PivotTable layout (filters, slicers, row labels and column labels)

HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Each measure cell in the pivot calculates independently, based on its coordinates (think of each cell as an island)
When you change the pivot layout (by updating filters/slicers, row labels or column labels), each measure cell
detects its new coordinates and then recalculates its value

The coordinate for this measure cell is Customer_Lookup[customer_city] = “Hidalgo”

• Given this coordinate, Excel filters down to the “Hidalgo” rows in the Customer_Lookup table, filters all
related tables (based on the relationships in data model), then evaluates the arithmetic in the table defined
by the measure (in this case Total Quantity equals the sum of quantity from the transactions data table)

This cell does NOT add up the values above it (it’s an island, remember?)
• Total rows represent a lack of filters; since this cell does not have a customer_city coordinate, it
evaluates the Total Quantity measure across the entire, unfiltered Customer_Lookup table
 FILTER CONTEXT EXAMPLES

Cell coordinates:
• Calendar_Lookup[Year] = 1997
• Customer_Lookup[customer_country] = “USA”
• Customer_Lookup[customer_city] = “Altadena”

Cell coordinates: Cell coordinates:

• Calendar_Lookup[Year] = 1997 • Store_Lookup[store_country] = “Canada”
• Customer_Lookup[customer_country] = “USA” • Store_Lookup[store_city] = “Vancouver”
• Product_Lookup[product_brand] = “Akron”

Cell coordinates:
• Calendar_Lookup[Year] = 1998 Cell coordinates:
• Calendar_Lookup[Quarter] = 1 • Store_Lookup[store_country] = “Canada”
• Customer_Lookup[customer_country] = “USA” • Product_Lookup[product_brand] = “Amigo”

Cell coordinates:
• Customer_Lookup[customer_country] = “USA”
 STEP-BY-STEP MEASURE CALCULATION

How exactly is this measure calculated?

• REMEMBER: This all happens instantly behind the scenes, every time a measure cell calculates

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

Detect pivot coordinates Carry filters “downstream” & Evaluate the measure formula
& apply filter context apply to all related tables against the filtered table

Store_Lookup Table USA

Store_Lookup[store_country] = “USA” 1 1

FoodMart_Transactions
Store_Lookup Table USA *
*
FoodMart Returns
USA
USA Sum of Transactions[quantity]
when store_country = “USA” = 555,899
 RECAP: CALCULATED COLUMNS VS. MEASURES

CALCULATED COLUMNS MEASURES

• Evaluated in the context of each row of the table to • Evaluated in the context of each cell of the PivotTable
which it belongs (has row context) in which it is displayed (has filter context)
• Appends static values to each row in a table and • Does not create new data in the tables themselves,
stores them in the model, increasing file size and does not increase file size
• Only recalculated on data source refresh or changes • Recalculated in response to any change in the
to component columns PivotTable view
• Primarily used as rows, columns, slicers or filters • Can only be used as PivotTable values

Calculated columns “live” in tables Measures “live” in PivotTables

*

*Note: Calculated columns CAN be placed in the values area of a pivot, but you can (and should) use a measure instead
 POWER PIVOT BEST PRACTICES

Avoid using implicit measures whenever possible

• Implicit measures are limited in functionality and restricted to the pivot in which
they were created; explicit measures are more portable and powerful

Don’t use a calculated column when a measure will do the trick

• Only use calculated columns to “stamp” static, fixed values to each row in a table
• Use measures when aggregation is necessary, or to create dynamic values in a pivot

Know your data model inside and out!

• It’s easy to produce incorrect results in Power Pivot if you don’t respect the model’s
table relationships, and errors are often difficult to spot without a thorough QA
COMMON DAX FUNCTIONS
 DAX SYNTAX
MEASURE NAME
Referenced Referenced
• Note: Measures are always surrounded
in brackets (i.e. [Total Quantity]) when TABLE NAME COLUMN NAME
referenced in formulas, so spaces are OK

Total Quantity: =SUM(Transactions[quantity])

This is a “fully qualified” column, since it’s preceeded by the table name
FUNCTION NAME Note: Table names with spaces must be surrounded by single quotes:
• Calculated columns don’t always use functions, but • Without a space: Transactions[quantity]
measures do: • With a space: ‘Transactions Table’[quantity]
• In a calculated column, =Transactions[quantity]
returns the value from the quantity column in
each row (since it evaluates for each row)
PRO TIP:
• In a measure, =Transactions[quantity] will For column references, use the fully qualified name (i.e. Table[Column])
return an error since Excel doesn’t know how to For measure references, just use the measure name (i.e. [Measure])
evaluate that as a single value in a pivot (you
need some sort of aggregation)
 DAX OPERATORS
Arithmetic Comparison
Meaning Example Meaning Example
Operator Operator
+ Addition 2+7 = Equal to [City]=“Boston”

- Subtraction 5–3 > Greater than [Quantity]>10

* Multiplication 2*6 < Less than [Quantity]<10

/ Division 4/2 >= Greater than or equal to [Unit_Price]>=2.5

^ Exponent 2^5 <= Less than or equal to [Unit_Price]<=2.5

<> Not equal to [Country]<>”Mexico”

Hey! Pay attention to these!

Text/Logical Operator Meaning Example

& Concatenates two values to produce one text string [City] & “ “ & [State]

&& Create an AND condition between two logical expressions ([State]=“MA”) && ([Quantity]>10)

|| (double pipe) Create an OR condition between two logical expressions ([State]=“MA”) || ([State]=“CT”)

IN Creates a logical OR condition based on a given list (using curly brackets) ‘Store Lookup’[State] IN { “MA”, “CT”, “NY” }

*Head to www.msdn.microsoft.com for more information about DAX syntax, operators, troubleshooting, etc.
 COMMON FUNCTION CATEGORIES

MATH & STATS LOGICAL TEXT FILTER DATE & TIME

Functions Functions Functions Functions Functions
Basic aggregation Functions for returning Functions to manipulate Lookup functions based Basic date and time
functions as well as information about values text strings or control on related tables and functions as well as
“iterators” evaluated at in a given conditional formats for dates, times filtering functions for advanced time
the row-level expression or numbers dynamic calculations intelligence operations

Common Examples: Common Examples: Common Examples: Common Examples: Common Examples:
• SUM • IF • CONCATENATE • CALCULATE • DATEDIFF
• AVERAGE • IFERROR • FORMAT • FILTER • YEARFRAC
• MAX/MIN • AND • LEFT/MID/RIGHT • ALL • YEAR/MONTH/DAY
• DIVIDE • OR • UPPER/LOWER • ALLEXCEPT • HOUR/MINUTE/SECOND
• COUNT/COUNTA • NOT • PROPER • RELATED • TODAY/NOW
• COUNTROWS • SWITCH • LEN • RELATEDTABLE • WEEKDAY/WEEKNUM
• DISTINCTCOUNT • TRUE • SEARCH/FIND • DISTINCT
• FALSE • REPLACE • VALUES Time Intelligence Functions:
Iterator Functions: • REPT • EARLIER/EARLIEST • DATESYTD
• SUBSTITUTE • HASONEVALUE DATESQTD
• SUMX •
• TRIM • HASONEFILTER DATESMTD
• AVERAGEX •
• UNICHAR • ISFILTERED DATEADD
• MAXX/MINX •
• USERELATIONSHIP DATESINPERIOD
• RANKX •
• COUNTX

*Note: This is NOT a comprehensive list (does not include trigonometry functions, parent/child functions, information functions, or other less common functions)
 BASIC MATH & STATS FUNCTIONS

SUM() Evaluates the sum of a column =SUM(<column>)

Returns the average (arithmetic

AVERAGE() mean) of all the numbers in a column
=AVERAGE(<column>)

Returns the largest value in a column

MAX() or between two scalar expressions
=MAX(<column>) or =MAX(<exp1>, <exp2>)

Returns the smallest value in a column

MIN() or between two scalar expressions
=MIN(<column>) or =MIN(<exp1>, <exp2>)

Performs division and returns the

DIVIDE() alternate result (or blank) if div/0
=DIVIDE(<numerator>, <denominator>, <other>)
 BASIC MATH & STATS FUNCTIONS (EXAMPLES)

Sum of quantity from the Transactions table Average of product_retail_price Quantity Returned divided by Total Quantity

PRO TIP:
Even though it might seem unnecessary, creating measures for even simple calculations (like the sum of a column)
allows you to use those measures within other calculations, anywhere in the workbook
 COUNT, COUNTA, DISTINCTCOUNT & COUNTROWS

Counts the number of rows in the specified

COUNTROWS() table, or a table defined by an expression =COUNTROWS(<table>)

Counts the number of cells in a column that

COUNT() contain numbers =COUNT(<column>)

Counts the number of non-empty cells in a

COUNTA() column (numerical and non-numerical) =COUNTA(<column>)

Counts the number of different cells in a

DISTINCTCOUNT() column of numbers =DISTINCTCOUNT(<column>)
 COUNT FUNCTIONS (EXAMPLES)

Count of all rows in the Transactions table Count of non-empty cells in the recyclable column

Count of unique values in the product_id column

 BASIC LOGICAL FUNCTIONS (IF/AND/OR)

Checks if a given condition is met, and

IF() returns one value if the condition is TRUE, =IF(<logical test>, <value_if_true>, <value_if_false>)
and another if the condition is FALSE

Evaluates an expression and returns a

IFERROR() specified value if the expression returns an =IFERROR(value, value_if_error)
error, otherwise returns the expression itself

Checks whether both arguments are TRUE,

AND() and returns TRUE if both arguments are =AND(<logical1>, <logical2>)
TRUE, otherwise returns FALSE Note: Use the && and
|| operators if you
want to include more
Checks whether one of the arguments is than two conditions!
OR() TRUE to return TRUE, and returns FALSE if =OR (<logical1>, <logical2>)
both arguments are FALSE
 BASIC LOGICAL FUNCTIONS (EXAMPLES)
Education level equals “Grad” if customer has a bachelors degree or a graduate degree, otherwise “Non-Grad”

Supermarket_size equals “Large” if sq ft >30,000, otherwise “Small”

 SWITCH & SWITCH(TRUE)

SWITCH() Evaluates an expression against a list of values and returns one of multiple possible result expressions

=SWITCH(<expression>, <value1>, <result1>, <value2>, <result2>, … <else>)

Any DAX expression that returns a List of values produced by the expression, each paired Value returned if
single scalar value, evaluated multiple with a result to return for rows/cases that match the expression
times (for each row/constant) doesn’t match any
Examples: value argument
Examples:
• Calendar_Lookup[month_num]
=SWITCH(Calendar_Lookup[month_num],
• Product_Lookup[product_brand] 1, “January”,
2, “February”,
etc…
PRO TIP: =SWITCH(TRUE(),
Use the SWITCH(TRUE() combo to [retail_price]<5, “Low Price”,
generate results based on Boolean AND([retail_price>=5, [retail_price]<20), “Med Price”,
(True/False) expressions (instead of
AND([retail_price>=20, [retail_price]<50), “High Price”
those pesky nested IF statements!)
“Premium Price”)
 SWITCH & SWITCH(TRUE) (EXAMPLES)
Switch quarter 1 with “Q1”, quarter 2 with “Q2”, quarter 3 = “Q3”, else “Q4”

Set product_price_category to “High” if retail price > $3, “Medium”

if price is between $2 and $3, “Low” if price is <=$2, else “Other”
 TEXT FUNCTIONS
Note: Use the & operator as a shortcut,
LEN() Returns the number of characters in a string =LEN(<text>) or to combine more than two strings!

CONCATENATE() Joins two text strings into one =CONCATENATE(<text1>, <text2>)

LEFT/MID/ Returns a number of characters from the =LEFT/RIGHT(<text>, <num_chars>)

RIGHT() start/middle/end of a text string
=MID(<text>, <start_num>, <num_chars>)

UPPER/LOWER/ Converts letters in a string to

PROPER() upper/lower/proper case =UPPER/LOWER/PROPER(<text>)

Replaces an instance of existing text with =SUBSTITUTE(<text>, <old_text>,

SUBSTITUTE() new text in a string
<new_text>, <instance>)

Returns the position where a specified string =SEARCH(<find_text>, <within_text>,

SEARCH() or character is found, reading left to right
<start_num>, <NotFoundValue>)
 TEXT FUNCTIONS (EXAMPLES)
Extract the left 3 characters from each value in the store_country column

Concatenate the values from the year and month columns

Extract characters from the left of the customer_address column, up to the space
 CALCULATE

CALCULATE() Evaluates a given expression or formula under a set of defined filters

=CALCULATE(<expression>, <filter1>, <filter2>,…)

Name of an existing measure or a List of simple Boolean (True/False) filter expressions

formula for a valid measure (note: these require simple, fixed values; you cannot
Examples:
create filters based on measures)
• [Total Transactions] Examples:
• SUM(Transactions[quantity]) • Store_Lookup[store_country]=“USA”
• Calendar[Year]=1998
• Transactions[quantity]>=5

PRO TIP:
CALCULATE works just like SUMIF or COUNTIF, except it can evaluate measures based on ANY sort of
calculation (not just a sum, count, etc); it may help to think of it like “CALCULATEIF”
 CALCULATE (EXAMPLE)

Why do we see the same repeating value when we add store_country to

rows? Shouldn’t these cells have filter contexts for Canada and Mexico?

HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!

The CALCULATE function modifies filters and overrules any
competing ones defined by the PivotTable coordinates!
In this example, the MEXICO cell has a filter context of
store_country= “MEXICO” (defined by the row label) AND
In this case we’ve defined a new measure named “USA story_country= “USA” (defined by the CALCULATE function)
Transactions”, which evaluates the “Total Transactions” Both cannot be true at the same time, so the MEXICO filter
measure when the store country equals “USA” is overwritten and CALCULATE takes priority
 CALCULATE CHANGES THE FILTER CONTEXT
CALCULATE
If the measure being evaluated contains a CALCULATE
Modify filters if measure
function, filter context is modified between Step 1 & Step 2
contains CALCULATE
Store_Lookup[store_country] = “USA”

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

Detect pivot coordinates Carry the filters across Evaluate the formula
& apply filter context all table relationships against the filtered table
Store_Lookup Table
USA
Store_Lookup Table

USA

Store_Lookup[store_country] = “MEXICO”
1 1
Store_Lookup Table

MEXICO *
Transactions

* USA
FoodMart Returns
USA
Total Transactions where
store_country = “USA” = 180,823
 FILTER

FILTER() Returns a table that represents a subset of another table or expression

=FILTER(<table>, <filter expression>) HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!

FILTER is used to add filter context on
top of what’s already defined by the
Table to be filtered A Boolean (True/False) filter expression PivotTable layout.

Examples:
to be evaluated for each row of the table Since FILTER returns a table (as opposed
to a scalar), it’s almost always used as an
• Store_Lookup Examples: input to other functions, like enabling
• Product_Lookup • Store_Lookup[store_country]=“USA” more complex filtering options within a
• Calendar[Year]=1998 CALCULATE function (or passing a
• [retail_price]>AVERAGE[retail_price] filtered table to an iterator like SUMX)

PRO TIP:
Since FILTER iterates through each row in a table, it can be slow and processor-intensive; never use FILTER
when a normal CALCULATE function will accomplish the same thing!
 PRO TIP: FILTERING WITH DISCONNECTED SLICERS (PART 1)

STEP 1: Create an Excel table containing a list STEP 3: Make sure that your table loaded, and is
of values to use as thresholds or parameters: NOT connected to any other table in the model:

STEP 2: Add the table to the Data Model

(from Power Pivot tab):
 PRO TIP: FILTERING WITH DISCONNECTED SLICERS (PART 2)

STEP 4: Place your new table on the pivot as a slicer:

STEP 5: Create a measure to capture the slicer selection,

then reference it in a FILTER statement within CALCULATE:

The Transactions Under Price Threshold measure calculates Total

Transactions when the product price is below the selected threshold
 FILTER (EXAMPLES)

Calculate Total Transactions only for cases where the product price is below a selected threshold Calculate Total Revenue, but only for USA stores
 ALL

ALL() Returns all rows in a table, or all values in a column, ignoring any filters that have been applied

=ALL(<table> or <column>, [column1], [column2],…)

The table or column that you List of columns that you want to clear filters on (optional)
want to clear filters on Notes:
Examples: • If your first parameter is a table, you can’t specify additional columns
• Transactions • All columns must include the table name, and come from the same table
• Product_Lookup[product_brand]
Examples:
• Customer_Lookup[customer_city], Customer_Lookup[customer_country]
• Product_Lookup[product_name]

PRO TIP:
ALL is like the opposite of FILTER; instead of adding filter context, ALL removes filter context. This is often used when
you need unfiltered values that won’t be skewed by the PivotTable layout (i.e. Category sales as % of Total)
 ALL (EXAMPLE)

• In this example, we use ALL to calculate total transactions across all rows in the
Transactions table, ignoring any filter context from the PivotTable
• By dividing the original [Total Transaction] measure (which responds to PivotTable filter context as
expected) by the new [All Transactions] measure, we can correctly calculate the percentage of the
total no matter how the PivotTable is filtered
 RELATED

RELATED() Returns related values in each row of a table using relationships with other tables

=RELATED(<column>)
HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!
RELATED works almost exactly like a VLOOKUP function – it uses
The column that contains the the relationship between tables (defined by primary and foreign
values you want to retrieve keys) to pull values from one table into a new column of another.

Examples: Since this function requires row context, it can only be used as a
• Product_Lookup[product_brand] calculated column or as part of an iterator function that cycles
• Store_Lookup[store_country] through all rows in a table (FILTER, SUMX, MAXX, etc.)

PRO TIP:
Avoid using RELATED to create redundant calculated columns unless you absolutely need them, since those
extra columns increase file size; instead, use RELATED within a measure like FILTER or SUMX
 RELATED (EXAMPLES)

Retrieve the retail price from the Product_Lookup table and append it to the Transactions table

Multiply the quantity in each row of the Transactions table with the
related retail price from the Product_Lookup table, and sum the results
 ITERATOR (“X”) FUNCTIONS

Iterator (or “X”) functions allow you to loop through the same calculation or expression on
each row of a table, and then apply some sort of aggregation to the results (SUM, MAX, etc.)

=SUMX(<table>, <expression>)
Aggregation to apply Table in which the Expression to be evaluated for
to calculated rows* expression will be evaluated each row of the given table
Examples: Examples: Examples:
• SUMX • Transactions • [Total Transactions]
• COUNTX • FILTER(Transactions, • Transactions[price] * Transactions[quantity]
• AVERAGEX RELATED(Store_Lookup[country])=“USA”)
• RANKX
• MAXX/MINX

PRO TIP:
Imagine the function adding a temporary new column to the table, calculating the value in each row
(based on the expression) and then applying the aggregation to that new column (like SUMPRODUCT)

*In this example we’re looking at SUMX, but all “X” functions follow a similar syntax
 ITERATOR (“X”) FUNCTIONS (EXAMPLES)

Multiply quantity and retail price for each row in the Transactions table, and sum the results Calculate the rank of each product brand, based on total revenue
 BASIC DATE & TIME FUNCTIONS

DAY/MONTH/ Returns the day of the month (1-31), month

of the year (1-12), or year of a given date =DAY/MONTH/YEAR(<date>)
YEAR()

HOUR/MINUTE/ Returns the hour (0-23), minute (0-59), or

second (0-59) of a given datetime value
=HOUR/MINUTE/SECOND(<datetime>)
SECOND()

TODAY/NOW() Returns the current date or exact time =TODAY/NOW()

WEEKDAY/ Returns a weekday number from 1 (Sunday)

to 7 (Sunday), or the week # of the year =WEEKDAY/WEEKNUM(<date>, <type>)
WEEKNUM()
Returns the date of the last day of the
EOMONTH() month, +/- a specified number of months =EOMONTH(<start_date>, <months>)

Returns the difference between two dates,

DATEDIFF() based on a selected interval =DATEDIFF(<start_date>, <end_date>, <interval>)
 BASIC DATE & TIME FUNCTIONS (EXAMPLES)
Calculate the time difference between the customer birthdate and current date, in years

Calculate the end date of the month, for each row in the Calendar_Lookup table
 TIME INTELLIGENCE FORMULAS

Time Intelligence functions allow you to easily calculate common time comparisons:

Performance =CALCULATE(<measure>, DATESYTD(Calendar[Date]))

To-Date Use DATESQTD for Quarters or DATESMTD for Months

Previous =CALCULATE(<measure>, DATEADD(Calendar[Date],-1,MONTH))

Period
Select an interval (DAY, MONTH, QUARTER, or YEAR) and the
# of intervals to compare (i.e. previous month, rolling 10-day)
Running =CALCULATE(<measure>,
Total DATESINPERIOD(Calendar[Date], MAX(Calendar[Date]),-10,DAY))

PRO TIP:
To calculate a moving average, use the running total calculation above and divide by the # of intervals!
 SPEED & PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS

Avoid using unnecessary slicers, or consider disabling cross-filtering

• When you use multiple slicers, they “cross-filter” by default; in other words, options in Slicer B are
automatically grayed out if they aren’t relevant given a selected value in Slicer A
• To disable, select Slicer Tools > Slicer Settings and uncheck “Visually indicate items with no data”

Eliminate redundant columns; keep data tables narrow

• Data tables should ideally only contain quantitative values and foreign keys; any extra descriptive
columns should live in a related lookup table

Imported columns are better than calculated columns

• When possible, create calculated columns at the source (i.e. in your raw database) or using Power
Query; this is more efficient than processing those calculations in the Data Model/Power Pivot

Minimize iterator functions (FILTER, SUMX, etc.)

• Functions that cycle through each row in a table are “expensive”, meaning that they take
time and consume processing power
 DAX BEST PRACTICES

Write measures for even the simplest calculations (i.e. Sum of Sales)
• Once you create a measure it can be used anywhere in the workbook and as an
input to other, more complex calculations

Break measures down into simple, component parts

• DAX is a difficult language to master; focus on practicing and understanding simple
components at first, then assemble them into more advanced formulas

Reference columns with the table name, and measures alone

• Using “fully qualified” column references (preceeded by the table name) helps make
formulas more readable and intuitive, and differentiates them from measure references
WRAPPING UP
 DATA VISUALIZATION OPTIONS

There are several options for building visuals and reports from a data model:

1 PivotCharts & Conditional Formatting

• Check out my Data Analysis with Excel PivotTables course for a deep dive

Available
within Excel
2 Spreadsheet-based dashboards built with CUBE functions
• Use CUBE functions to pull values from the data model for custom Excel reports (no pivots)

3 Power View, Power Map, etc.

• Excel plug-in with Power Pivot and other BI tools; recommend PowerBI as a better option

Standalone
4 Microsoft PowerBI
product
(desktop + online) • Brand new (free!) self-service BI product for loading, shaping, modeling, and visualizing data
 SNEAK PEEK: POWERBI

PowerBI is a standalone Microsoft business intelligence

product, which includes both desktop and web-based
applications for loading, modeling, and visualizing data

For info about plans & pricing: powerbi.microsoft.com

 “POWER EXCEL” VS. POWERBI

“POWER EXCEL” POWERBI

“Power Excel” and
PowerBI are built on top
PivotTables Drag & Drop Reports
& Dashboards
of the exact same engine!
Data Shaping
(Power Query) PowerBI takes the same
PivotCharts
data shaping, modeling
Data Modeling and analytics capabilities
Custom Visuals
(Power Pivot) (cards, maps, R, etc.) and adds new reporting
Power Map/ Calculated Measures and visualization tools
Power View (DAX)
Transitioning is easy; you
Cloud collaboration can import an entire data
CUBE Functions and publishing tools model directly from Excel!
 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS

Looking to become an absolute Excel ROCK STAR? Try the full stack:
• Microsoft Excel – Data Analysis with Excel PivotTables
• Microsoft Excel – Advanced Excel Formulas & Functions
• Microsoft Excel – Data Viz with Excel Charts & Graphs
• Microsoft PowerBI Essentials (COMING SOON!)

Check out these awesome resources for additional support:

• msdn.microsoft.com for DAX documentation and support
• powerpivotpro.com for blogs, articles, and additional Power Pivot resources
• Power Query & Power BI by Rob Collie (paperback, available on Amazon)

Ratings and reviews mean the world to me, so please share feedback!
• Feel free to post to the Q&A section or message me directly if you need any support, or if there’s
anything I can do to improve your course experience!