Get Into Evaluation Context with DAX

The Language of PowerPivot

Reeves Smith
Linchpin People
Objective

 Introduce Evaluation Context

 Functions work with Evaluation Context
Who am I

Reeves Smith

Teammate with Linchpin People and Principal Architect at Macer Consulting

living in Denver Colorado with over 18 years of SQL Server experience.
Focused on Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing with SQL Server
stack for the past 12 years. Worked in industries like banking, DoD, energy,
entertainment, gaming, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, oil and gas,
retail, travel, and telecommunication.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional in SQL Server, Microsoft Certified

Master of SQL Server 2008 and a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert in
Business Intelligence and Data Platform.

reeves.smith@macerconsulting.com or linchpinpeople.com
@SQLReeves
http://reevessmith.wordpress.com
www.linkedin.com/in/reevessmithiii
Who are you

 Who has worked with Excel?

 Who has worked with Tabular/PowerPivot?
 Who has worked with Analysis Services?
 Has anyone written DAX…
 Has anyone been to the Moon?
Agenda

 Introduction
 Measures vs. Calculated Columns
 Evaluation Context
 Multi-Table Evaluation Context
 Questions
 References
DAX Introduction
 What is DAX?
 Data Analysis eXpressions

 Where can I use DAX?

 PowerPivot
 Tabular

 Where do I write DAX Expressions?

 Calculated Columns
 Measures/Calculated Fields
 DAX Queries
DAX Comparison
 Excel Expressions vs. DAX Expressions
 Excel Expressions
 Cells – A1, B3
 Ranges – A1:B3

 DAX Expressions
 Columns – [SalesAmount] or InternetSales[SalesAmount]
 Tables – InternetSales

 MDX vs. DAX Expressions

 MDX understands position, DAX does not*
 [Date].[Date].Parent
* You can use MDX against a tabular model, but position functions will not work
DAX – Basic Syntax

 DAX Syntax
 =[ColumnName] or =[Measure]
 Recommend Best Practice for naming Measures/Calculated Fields

 =TableName[ColumnName]
 Recommend Best Practice for naming Calculated Columns

 ='Table Name'[ColumnName]
 =[TableName].[ColumnName] Not MDX
 Column names must always be enclosed in brackets
 Table names cannot be enclosed in brackets
Calculated Columns vs. Measures

 Calculated Columns
 Table Column Calculated
Columns
Calculated
Columns

 Evaluated at process time

Calculated Calculated
 Requires storage space Columns Columns

 Measures/Calculated Fields Calculated

Columns
Calculated Columns
Measures
Measures

 Used to aggregate data

 Evaluated at run time
 Does not require storage space

 Where can they be used within a Pivot Table

Using Calculated Columns vs. Measures

 Calculated Columns
 Need to use in Slicer or on Rows and Columns
 Expression that is strictly bound to current row
 Categorize/Discretization

 Measures/Calculated Fields
 Calculate Percentages
 Calculate Ratios
 Save Storage Space
Evaluation Context
“To get the best from DAX, you need to understand the evaluation
context.”
Alberto Ferrari, Marco Russo or Chris Webb
SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services the BISM Tabular Model

What is Evaluation Context?

 Dictionary - determines the conditions and circumstances that are
relevant to an event
 Evaluation Context is the environment in which a DAX formula is
calculated
 Every DAX expression is evaluated within a context
What Does the Below Value Return?

=SUM( FactInternetSales[SalesAmount] )

It depends…
Evaluation Context Types

 Types of Evaluation Contexts in DAX?

 Row Context – The current row within a table
 Filter Context – The set of active rows in a
calculation

 Query Context* – The subset of data implicitly

retrieved within formula

* Query context only referenced by Microsoft and I have not seen it used in any other
documents.
Row Context
 Defined by Calculated Column
Row Context Functions

 AVERAGEX()
 COUNTX()
 MINX()
 MAXX()
 SUMX()
 EARLIER()
 FILTER()
SUMX() Function

 Returns the sum of a expression evaluated for

each row in a table
SUMX( table, expression )

 Measures/Calculated Fields do not contain a

row context
Filter Context
 Defined by Report, Column, Row, Slicers
Filter Context Functions

 CALCULATE()
 CALCULATETABLE()
 FILTER()
 ALL()
 ALLEXCEPT()
 ALLSELECTED()
 VALUES()
FILTER() Function

 Returns a table that represents a subset of another table

or expression
 Function is able to replace filter context

FILTER( table, filter )

CALCULATE() Function

 Evaluates an expression in a context that is modified by

the specified filters
 Is the only function that is able to modify filter context

CALCULATE( expression, filter1, filter2…)

 Two types of conditions

 Boolean Conditions, that work on a single column
 List of Values, presented as table
CALCULATE() vs. FILTER()

 CALCULATE looks at a column scope

CALCULATE() vs. FILTER()

 FILTER looks at the table scope

ALL() Function

 Clears any filters from a table or individual columns

ALL( table | column1 [,column2 …] )
Testing Evaluation Context

 Excel 2010/2013
 PowerPivot Window – Table Filters
Testing Evaluation Context

 SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)

 Table Filters
Testing Evaluation Context

 SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

 DAX Queries
Demo – Row and Filter Context
EARLIER() Function
EARLIER() Function
Row Context – Multiple Tables

 Row Context Does Not Propagate over Table

Relationships
 Working on the Many Side of a One–to–Many

RELATED(Products[ListPrice])

1
Products
∞Orders
Row Context – Multiple Tables

 Row Context Does Not Propagate over Table

Relationships
 Working on the Many Side of a One–to–Many
 Working on the One Side of a One–to–Many
RELATEDTABLE(Orders)

1
Products
∞Orders
Filter Context – Multiple Tables

 Filter Context Does Propagate over Table

Relationships
 Apply Filter on the One Side of a One–to–Many

1
Products
∞
Orders
Filter Context – Multiple Tables

 Filter Context Does Propagate over Table

Relationships
 Apply Filter on the One Side of a One–to–Many
 Apply Filter on the Many Side of a One–to–Many

1
Products
∞
Orders
Model Comparisons

1
Products
∞
Orders
Demo – Multi-Table Row and Filter Context
Questions

 How do I get started?

 Excel 2013 and PowerPivot
PowerPivot is only available with volume licenses*
http://blogs.technet.com/b/the_microsoft_excel_support_team_blog/archive/2013/02
/27/unable-to-use-excel-2010-powerpivot-workbooks-in-excel-2013.aspx

http://www.powerpivotpro.com/2013/02/guest-post-from-ken-puls-how-to-buy-
powerpivot-2013-including-the-30-volume-licensing-workaround/

* As of August 2013 can purchase Excel 2013 stand-

alone version that works PowerPivot
http://www.powerpivotblog.nl/power-pivot-and-power-view-now-available-in-excel-
stand-alone/
References – Books
DAX Excel Server
References - Blogs
 SQLBI - Marco Russo & Alberto Ferrari
http://www.sqlbi.com/
 Marco Russo
http://sqlblog.com/blogs/marco_russo/default.aspx
 Alberto Ferrari
http://sqlblog.com/blogs/alberto_ferrari/default.aspx
 Chris Webb
http://cwebbbi.wordpress.com/
 PowerPivotPro - Rob Collie
http://www.powerpivotpro.com/
 Javier Guillén
http://javierguillen.wordpress.com/
 Gerhard Brueckl
http://gbrueckl.wordpress.com/
 Stairway to DAX
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/stairway/75426/
References - Tools
 BIDS Helper
http://bidshelper.codeplex.com/
 DAX Studio
http://daxstudio.codeplex.com/
Thanks

reeves.smith@macerconsulting.com or linchpinpeople.com
@sqlreeves
http://reevessmith.wordpress.com
www.linkedin.com/in/reevessmithiii