SQLBits 2024

Upgrade to First Class with Calculation Groups for Power BI

Learn how to create Calculation Groups in Power BI Desktop and Tabular Editor. Know how they work and what to watch out for as you create multiple Calculation Groups.
You make a great semantic data model in Power BI. It has calculations that are essential to the business. So much so that you get requests to create multiple versions of those measures such as Month to Date, Quarter to Date, and Year to Date. With the multiple variations of each measure in the model it has increased the complexity. Do you need a way to reduce the measures you are packing into your model?
One solution to this problem is Calculation Groups. Calculation Groups in Power BI allow you to separate out the MTD, YTD, and QTD logic and reuse the measures your users are already using. Calculation Groups’ primary goal is to make the DAX code less complicated. It allows users to display the variations for each measure in a report.
We will cover how to create Calculation Groups in Power BI and cover best practices. After attending this session, you will know how to:
• Create calculation groups using Power BI Desktop and Tabular Editor
• Use multiple Calculation Groups in the same model
• Employ best practices when using Calculation Groups
After employing Calculation Groups your model may fit into the overhead compartment.