Take a concise approach to learning how DAX, the function language of
Power BI and PowerPivot, works. This book focuses on explaining the core
concepts of DAX so that ordinary folks can gain the skills required to
tackle complex data analysis problems. But make no mistake, this is in
no way an introductory book on DAX. A number of the topics you will
learn, such as the concepts of context transition and table expansion,
are considered advanced and challenging areas of DAX.
While there are numerous resources on DAX, most are written with
developers in mind, making learning DAX appear an overwhelming
challenge, especially for those who are coming from an Excel background
or with limited coding experience. The reality is, to hit the ground
running with DAX, it's not necessary to wade through copious pages on
rarified DAX functions and the technical aspects of the language. There
are just a few mandatory concepts that must be fully understood before
DAX can be mastered. Knowledge of everything else in DAX is built on top
of these mandatory aspects.
Author Alison Box has been teaching and working with DAX for over eight
years, starting with DAX for PowerPivot, the Excel add-in, before moving
into the Power BI platform. The guide you hold in your hands is an
outcome of these years of experience explaining difficult concepts in a
way that people can understand. Over the years she has refined her
approach, distilling down the truth of DAX which is "you can take people
through as many functions as you like, but it's to no avail if they
don't truly understand how it all works."
You will learn to use DAX to gain powerful insights into your data by
generating complex and challenging business intelligence calculations
including, but not limited to:
-
Calculations to control the filtering of information to gain better
insight into the data that matters to you
-
Calculations across dates such as comparing data for the same period
last year or the previous period
-
Finding rolling averages and rolling totals
-
Comparing data against targets and KPIs or against average and maximum
values
-
Using basket analysis, such as "of customers who bought product X who
also bought product Y"
-
Using "what if" analysis and scenarios
-
Finding "like for like" sales
-
Dynamically showing TopN/BottomN percent of customers or products by
sales
-
Finding new and returning customers or sales regions in each month or
each year
Who This Book Is For
Excel users and non-technical users of varying levels of ability or
anyone who wants to learn DAX for Power BI but lacks the confidence to
do so
