Scribd
Upload
17 views4 pages

Cloning and Calculating Tables

The document discusses the importance of cloning and calculated tables in Microsoft PowerBI for data analysts. It explains how cloned tables duplicate original data while calculated tables are created through transformations and aggregations, providing real-world applications such as profitability analysis and customer segmentation. Best practices for creating calculated tables using DAX are also highlighted, emphasizing optimization, readability, and validation.

Uploaded by

ebadmohdhusain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
17 views4 pages

Cloning and Calculating Tables

The document discusses the importance of cloning and calculated tables in Microsoft PowerBI for data analysts. It explains how cloned tables duplicate original data while calculated tables are created through transformations and aggregations, providing real-world applications such as profitability analysis and customer segmentation. Best practices for creating calculated tables using DAX are also highlighted, emphasizing optimization, readability, and validation.

Uploaded by

ebadmohdhusain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Cloning and calculating tables

Introduction
As data analysts, one of the most crucial tools in your arsenal is Microsoft PowerBI. It is a
powerful software that can transform raw data into meaningful insights. Data analysts must be
familiar with two fundamental concepts: cloning tables and using calculated tables.
Understanding these concepts can significantly improve your proficiency in data analysis and
visualization. In this article, you’ll review these concepts using real-world examples.

Scenario
Adventure Works collects vast amounts of data from various sources. The company wants to
gain insights from this data to target its marketing campaigns more efficiently, monitor the
performance of its sales teams, and establish greater inventory control. To achieve this, it must
clone the data tables from its central data warehouse and create new tables from the existing
data to answer specific business and analytical questions. Review the steps Adventure Works
can take to complete these actions.

Cloned and calculated tables


Cloned tables
Cloning a table means duplicating the original table. In other words, creating an exact copy. The
cloned table inherits all the original table's columns, data, and relationships. A cloned table is
useful if you want to perform manipulations or analysis on data while preserving the original
records.
Calculated tables
Calculated tables are not simple duplicates. Instead, they are created based on calculations,
transformations, or aggregations performed on existing data. For instance, you can create a
calculated table showing each bicycle model's total sales.

Real-World applications of calculated tables


There are many real-world applications of calculated tables. Here are some examples of how you
can make use of calculated tables.

Profitability Analysis
By creating a calculated table for profitability analysis, you can draw insights into gross margins,
net profits, and profit margins. This helps organizations identify their most profitable products,
categories, services, and customer segments.

Customer Segmentation
Understanding customer behavior is crucial for marketing efforts. You can create a calculated
table with DAX to facilitate customer segmentation based on transaction history. This helps
businesses to tailor their marketing strategies for each customer segment.

Time Intelligence Analysis


A date table is one of the most common tables that can be created using various methods in
Power BI. One method of creating a date table is using the DAX function CALENDER. For
example, a company can record several date columns in their dataset, like order date or shipping
date. The calculated table can then analyze the data using time intelligence built-in DAX
functions like TOTALYTD, year-to-date, month-to-date, and so on.
Budgeting and Forecasting
By defining a calculated table in DAX for budget allocation and integrating it with historical data,
you can perform variance analysis and make data-driven forecasts for future periods.

Best practices for creating calculated tables with


DAX
Here are a few best practices for creating calculated tables to ensure they’re optimized,
readable, and consistent.

Optimize DAX Formulas


Complex calculations slow down model performance, so optimize the formula according to your
needs.

Use Variables
Using variables is an excellent way to enhance formula readability. Variables are recommended
wherever you need to write a complex expression. By defining variables, you can avoid repeating
the same expression.

Take the following expression, which aims to calculate the sales growth of Adventure Works as
an annual percentage:

Sales YoY Growth % =


DIVIDE ((
[Sales] - CALCULATE ( [Sales],
PARALLELPERIOD ( 'Date'[Date], -12, MONTH ) )),
CALCULATE ( [Sales],
PARALLELPERIOD ( 'Date'[Date], -12, MONTH ) ))
The above formula uses the PARALLELPERIOD function to compute the year-over-year
growth rate of the company.

This formula repeats the expression same period last year. It can be made more efficient by
introducing a variable called SalesPriorYear as follows:

1
2
3
4
5
Sales YoY Growth % = VAR SalesPriorYear =
CALCULATE ( [Sales],
PARALLELPERIOD ( 'Date'[Date], -12, MONTH ) )
RETURN
DIVIDE ( ( [Sales] - SalesPriorYear ), SalesPriorYear )
Variables are useful to improve code readability, better performance, and easier debugging.
Format DAX syntax
Formatting DAX formulas and expressions is crucial for maintaining consistency and readability.
When working in a team, format your syntax to enhance comprehension and simplify
troubleshooting. For example, consider the following syntax:

Total Revenue = CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Revenue]),


FILTER
(Sales, Sales[OrderDate]=2018
&&
Sales[Product Color]="Blue"))
The above DAX expression calculates the total sales of blue-colored products for 2018.

The syntax is complex. It contains many arguments and is hard to comprehend. On formatting
the syntax, it looks like this:

Total Revenue =
CALCULATE
( SUM ( Sales[Revenue] ),
FILTER ( Sales, Sales[OrderDate] = 2018
&&
Sales[Product Color] = "Blue" ))
It became instantly readable, easy to follow along with each function, and the argument is broken
down into a new line. Using line breaks and tabs makes the syntax comprehensible and is
especially important when working in a team.

Test and Validate


Always test and validate your calculated tables to ensure they produce the desired results.

Conclusion
Powered by DAX in Power BI, calculated tables enhance data analysis by providing a flexible
and powerful tool for creating custom tables with calculated values.

They offer benefits like time intelligence functions, profitability assessment, and customer
segmentation. Use these benefits to generate real-world insights into the hidden values of the
datasets.

By mastering DAX, you can unleash the full potential of data and gain a competitive advantage in
today’s data-centric business landscape.

You might also like