No More DAX? Power BI’s NEW Feature Explained (File Included)

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through Power BI's new feature, Visual Calculations, which simplifies the process of creating calculations in your reports. With Visual Calculations, you can minimize your reliance on DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) and streamline your reporting process. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user overwhelmed by DAX, this feature can enhance your productivity and make report creation more intuitive.

Step 1: Accessing Visual Calculations

• Open Power BI Desktop.
• Ensure you have the latest version to access the Visual Calculations feature.
• Navigate to the report canvas where you want to create your visuals.

Step 2: Creating Your First Visual Calculation

• Select a visual (e.g., a chart or table) that you want to work with.
• In the Fields pane, click and drag the desired field into the Values area of the selected visual.
• Instead of writing a DAX measure, look for the option to create a Visual Calculation directly in the visual.

Step 3: Utilizing the Visual Calculation Feature

• When you drop a field into the Values area, a small icon or button will appear next to it, indicating that you can apply calculations.
• Click on this icon to explore different calculations available, such as sums, averages, or counts, without writing DAX code.
• Select the calculation you want to apply. It will automatically adjust your visual based on the chosen calculation.

Step 4: Customizing Your Visual Calculation

• After applying a calculation, you can further customize it by:
  • Adjusting the aggregation type (e.g., from sum to average).
  • Adding additional fields to the visual for a more comprehensive analysis.
• Use the formatting options to enhance the presentation of your visual, ensuring it aligns with your reporting goals.

Step 5: Exploring Additional Features

• Experiment with different visuals and fields to see how Visual Calculations adapt.
• Check out filters and slicers to see how they interact with your visual calculations, allowing for dynamic data exploration.

Conclusion

With the introduction of Visual Calculations in Power BI, creating calculations for your reports has never been easier. By following these steps, you can leverage this feature to minimize the need for DAX while maximizing your efficiency. Explore more visuals and calculations to fully utilize this tool in your reporting. For further learning, consider enrolling in a Power BI course or downloading example files to practice your skills.