‘Power BI DAX Essentials’ Overview
This 2-day course is designed to lay solid foundations before diving deep into complex DAX functions. This is achieved by focusing on 2 key elements i.e. engagement, and practicality. Participants will be spending their time writing hands-on DAX functions, looking at the result, discussing what works, and especially what does not work and WHY? Additionally, all the modules and concepts are reinforced by real-life, scenario-based examples to solidify the learnings.
After this course, participants should be able to write DAX expressions to address their specific business needs, leverage available resources to tackle complex problems, debug and optimize using available tools and the right techniques. Moreover, the entire course walks through a single data set so participants can concentrate on mastering the concepts rather than worrying about the specifics of the dataset.
Course Code: PBIDAX
Duration: 2 Days
‘Power BI DAX Essentials’ Audience
This course is for business users (Finance, Marketing, Operations etc.) or SQL Server report creators who want to take their reports and dashboards to a next level by writing custom calculations using DAX functions to address specific business requirements.
‘Power BI DAX Essentials’ Prerequisites
This DAX course is suitable for people who have either completed the Power BI Essentials course or have a reasonable understanding of data modeling concepts. To benefit most from this course, participants must have some expertise in using excel functions or SQL.
'Power BI DAX Essentials' Modules
Module 1: Getting to know Data Analysis Expression (DAX) Language
- What is DAX?
- Understanding the Data types in DAX
- Understanding DAX Type Handling
- Understanding DAX Operator Overloading
- Learning DAX as Formula Language
- Vertipaq Engine in DAX
- Difference between DAX, EXCEL Functions and M
- Do’s, Dont’s and Best Practices in DAX
Module 2: Data Modelling Recap
- Fact vs Dimensions
- Understanding Schemas in Data Model
- Understanding Filter Propagation
- Understanding Data Denormalization
- Understanding Relationship Characteristics
Module 3: Calculated Columns and Measures
- Calculated Column and its Use Case
- When do Calculated Columns Fail
- Calculated Measure and its Use Case
- When to use Calculated Column vs Calculated Measure
Module 4: Basic DAX Functions
- Understanding Two Broad Categories of Functions in DAX
- Using SUM()
- Using DIVIDE()
- Using COUNT()
- Using DISTINCTCOUNT ()
- Finding Min, Max and Average
- Counting Rows
- Counting Blank Values
Module 5: Evaluation Contexts in DAX
- What are the Two Evaluation Contexts in DAX?
- What is Initial or Incoming Filter Context
- What is Row Context
- Filter Context vs Row Context
- Rules of Evaluation
Module 6: Table Functions
- Creating a Calculated Table
- Exploring Table Joins
- The Inner Join
- The Outer Join
- The Cross Join
- A Join on Unrelated Tables – TREATAS()
- Using GENERATE() for Joins
- Creating Summary Table for the Tequested Totals Using SUMMARIZE()
- Creating Summary Table Over a Set of Groups Using SUMMARIZECOLOUMNS()
- Improving TREATAS() using SUMMARIZE()
- Getting Top N rows of the Specified Table Using TOPN()
- Using VALUES()
- Using FILTER() as a Table Function
- Understanding Virtual Table Lineage
Module 7: Creating Date Table
- Creating Calendar Table using DAX
- Optimising Calendar Table using DAX
- Adding Date Columns
- Working with Fiscal Years
- Setting Sorting Options
Module 8: Basic Iterators
- Iterators vs. Normal Functions
- Using SUMX()
- Using COUNTX()
- Using AVERAGEX()
- Using MINX()
- Using MAXX()
Module 9: Variables in DAX
- Creating Variables
- Features of a Variable
- Location of Variable Evaluation
- Conditional Computations using Variables
- Increasing Code Readability
- Writing single and multi-line comments
Module 10: Advance Filtering in DAX
- Modification of Filter context using CALCULATE()
- Modification of multiple Filter using with CALCULATE()
- Mixing Filtering
- Using LOOKUPVALUE()
- Specifying the cross-filtering direction using CROSSFILTER()
- Activating Relationships with USERELATIONSHIP()
- Return all the rows in a table using All()
- Using ALLSELECTED()
- Using ALLEXCEPT()
- Modify how filters are applied using KEEPFILTERS()
- Using SELECTEDVALUE()
- Using CONCATENATEX()
Module 11: Context Transition
- Understanding Implicit Calculate in Measures
- Understanding Row to Filter Context transition
- Using CALCULATE() and CALCULATETABLE()
- Using EARIER() vs EARLIEST()
Module 12: Time Intellegence in DAX
- What is Time Intelligence
- Understanding Date table properties for Time Intelligence
- Aggregations Over Time
- Understanding Total Year till Date
- Understanding Month Till Date
- Understanding Quarter till Date
- Handling Fiscal Year
- Same Period Last Year
- Calculating Running Total
- Using Date Modifier DATESBETWEEN
- Shifting Forward/Backward in time using DATEADD()
- Using DATESINPERIOD()
- Using MAX or LASTDATE()
- Using FIRSTNONBLANK() and LASTNONBLANK()
- Working with Total Sales Rolling 90 Days
Module 13: Conditionals in DAX
- Using IF() statements
- Switching between Cases using SWITCH()
- Finding your Text
- What to do if your Text had One Value
- Concatenating Labels
- Using COALESCE()
Module 14: Hierarchies In DAX
- What are Hierarchies
- Understanding Parent-child Hierarchies
- Using Path Functions
Module 15: Other Functions
- Using RANKX()
- Understanding Dynamically controlling units
- Using COUNTA()
- Using MINA()
- Using MINAX()
Module 16: DAX Tools and Other Resources
- Understanding Common Errors and Causes
- Working with Error Debugging
- Understanding DAX Formatter
- Getting started with DAX Studio
- Downloading and Installing DAX Studio
- Connecting DAX Studio with Power BI
- Calculating Performance using Data Studio
- Understanding Power BI Helper
- Clearing the Cache
- Other DAX References
Related Courses…
Course Inclusions…
Certified Trainers
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We feel that it is important that all of the trainers and instructors can take their real-world experiences into the classroom, in order to ensure that they are well equipped to respond to any queries and questions which may be put their way, as well as give accurate and relevant guidance in the most appropriate methods to leverage the technology which SharePoint and its related tools provide.
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Get Hands-on Experience
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Although we allow a maximum of only 10 attendees on our public courses, the average is around 5 students, therefore each participant will leave the course feeling like they received the personal attention they deserve.
DAX Essentials FAQs
What is Power Query?
Power Query is a data connection technology that enables you to discover, connect, combine, and refine data across a wide variety of sources.
What is DAX?
DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is a formula language used in Power BI for creating custom calculations in your data models.
What types of visualizations can I create in Power BI?
You can create various visualizations including bar charts, line charts, pie charts, maps, and more. The course covers how to customize these visuals to best represent your data.
Can I share my reports and dashboards with others?
Yes, Power BI allows you to publish and share your reports and dashboards with colleagues and stakeholders through Power BI Service.
What is data modeling in Power BI?
Data modeling involves creating relationships between different data tables and using DAX to create calculated columns and measures. This helps in organizing and structuring your data for better analysis.
