Last Updated: November 21, 2025
Power BI
Microsoft business analytics platform
Core Components
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
Power Query
|
Data transformation and ETL |
Data Model
|
Relationships and schema |
DAX
|
Data Analysis Expressions language |
Visualizations
|
Charts and graphs |
Report
|
Interactive data views |
Dashboard
|
Collection of pinned visuals |
Common DAX Functions
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
CALCULATE
|
Modify filter context |
SUMX
|
Iterate and sum |
FILTER
|
Return filtered table |
RELATED
|
Get value from related table |
RANKX
|
Rank values |
SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR
|
Time intelligence |
DAX Example
Total Sales = SUM(Sales[Amount])
Sales YoY Growth =
VAR CurrentYear = [Total Sales]
VAR LastYear = CALCULATE(
[Total Sales],
SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR(Calendar[Date])
)
RETURN
DIVIDE(CurrentYear - LastYear, LastYear)Best Practices
- Use star schema for data modeling
- Create measures instead of calculated columns when possible
- Use variables in DAX for better performance
- Apply row-level security for data access control
💡 Pro Tips
Quick Reference
Use Power Query M language for complex transformations