Course description
Already using Power BI but starting to encounter the limitations of basic reporting? Do you need to calculate year-over-year changes, cumulative values, dynamically respond to user selections, or eliminate supporting tables and manual calculations?
This is where DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) comes in.
Over two days, we will gradually introduce you to the fundamentals of writing DAX expressions and, most importantly, show you how to use them in practice in Power BI. You will learn how to extract the information you need from your data, control calculations in visualizations, and work with filters, time-based calculations, and relationships between tables.
The goal is not to turn you into a programmer. Instead, you will learn to use DAX as a practical tool for creating faster, more accurate, and easier-to-maintain reports.
Required knowledge
Basic knowledge of Power BI Desktop is required.
Ideally, participants should have knowledge equivalent to our
beginner's course.
No previous programming knowledge is required.
Target audience
This course is designed for users who already work with Power BI Desktop and want to take their reports to the next level.
It is particularly suitable if you:
- repeatedly modify data manually before refreshing a report,
- maintain supporting Excel files and tables,
- need to create more advanced calculations,
- want to compare results across different time periods,
- need calculations to respond dynamically to filters and user actions,
- want to simplify your data model and make reports easier to maintain.
Materials
Participants will receive electronic study materials and practical examples that they can refer to when working independently in Power BI.
Objectives
After completing the course, you will be able to:
- understand and use basic DAX syntax,
- create basic calculations and measures,
- control calculation results using filters,
- work with CALCULATE and CALCULATETABLE,
- create cumulative, year-over-year, and month-over-month calculations,
- use DAX to create dynamic report behaviour,
- work with relationships between tables using DAX,
- reduce manual work and supporting calculations outside Power BI.
The result will be
clearer and more accurate reports that require less manual maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Time Intelligence in Power BI?
Time Intelligence is a set of DAX functions that let you analyze data over time — for example, comparing results between periods, calculating cumulative totals, or tracking how metrics evolve across days, months, quarters, and years. It relies on a dedicated calendar/date table linked to the rest of the data in the model.
What is the CALCULATE function used for in DAX?
CALCULATE is one of the most important functions in DAX — it lets you change the calculation context, meaning you can apply, modify, or remove filters that affect a given calculation. With it, you can calculate things like "revenue for a selected region only" or "revenue regardless of the currently applied date filter," without changing the structure of the report.
How do I compare data year-over-year (YoY) in Power BI?
Year-over-year comparisons in Power BI are handled using Time Intelligence functions combined with CALCULATE — typically a function like SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR, which returns the value for the same period in the previous year, is used and then compared against the current value. This requires a properly configured calendar table in the data model.
How can I speed up slow calculations in Power BI?
The main techniques include identifying inefficient DAX formulas and replacing them with faster alternatives, limiting the number of unnecessarily complex calculated columns and measures, working with virtual tables instead of physically storing data, and using iterators for more efficient aggregations. These optimization techniques are exactly what's covered in the course.
Courses with lecturer
