Power BI – DAX Essentials

Course Description

Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) is the formula language used in Microsoft Power BI to create calculations, analyse data and develop meaningful business reports. This practical one-day course introduces participants to DAX, focusing on creating measures, understanding calculation contexts and using DAX to analyse business performance. Participants will learn how to develop calculations for totals, percentages, comparisons, rankings and time-based reporting. Through hands-on exercises, participants will build DAX formulas, troubleshoot common errors and apply their learning to practical business reporting scenarios.
1 Day
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Prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience using Power BI Desktop, including importing data, creating relationships and building reports. Familiarity with Excel formulas is beneficial, but previous DAX experience is not required.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for Power BI users who already have experience creating reports and wish to extend their skills by developing calculations and analytical measures. It is particularly suitable for business analysts, finance professionals, management reporting teams and other Power BI users responsible for analysing and presenting business data.

Learning Objectives

Understand the role of DAX in Power BI reporting.
Distinguish between measures, calculated columns and visual calculations.
Create and manage DAX measures using common functions.
Understand row context and filter context and how they affect calculations.
Apply filtering, conditional logic and variables in DAX formulas.
Calculate percentages, rankings and performance indicators.
Create time-based calculations and period comparisons.
Test, troubleshoot and improve DAX expressions.

Introduction to DAX

What DAX is and how it is used in Power BI
Understanding the relationship between data models and DAX
Differences between Excel formulas and DAX
Calculated columns, measures and visual calculations
Understanding DAX syntax and data types

Creating Measures and Calculations

Creating and managing measures
Working with SUM, AVERAGE, COUNTROWS and DISTINCTCOUNT
Using DIVIDE for safe calculations
Applying conditional logic using IF and SWITCH
Using variables (VAR and RETURN) to simplify formulas
Formatting and organising measures

Understanding Calculation Context

Understanding row context and filter context
How relationships and report filters affect calculations
Introducing CALCULATE
Modifying filter context with ALL and REMOVEFILTERS
Using FILTER for conditional calculations
Introduction to context transition

Practical Business Calculations

Calculating percentages of totals
Creating profit, margin and performance measures
Comparing results against targets
Ranking products, customers or departments using RANKX
Applying multiple conditions to measures
Developing reusable calculations

Time Intelligence with DAX

Understanding date tables and their importance
Creating a basic date table
Calculating month-to-date and year-to-date totals
Comparing current and previous periods
Calculating year-on-year growth
Rolling totals and moving averages
Introduction to calendar-based time intelligence

Developing and Troubleshooting DAX

Common DAX errors and how to resolve them
Testing measures using DAX Query View
Improving formula readability and maintainability
Introduction to AI-assisted DAX formula development
Overview of visual calculations and reusable DAX functions

Practical Workshop

Creating total sales and profitability measures
Calculating percentage contribution by product or department
Comparing actual results against targets
Developing year-to-date and year-on-year comparisons
Applying DAX calculations to an integrated Power BI report
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