Category: Quick Tips

Business Intelligence - BI, Excel, Power BI, Power BI Desktop, Power Query, Quick Tips, Self-Service BI, T-SQL

Quick Tips: How to Filter a Column by another Column from a Different Query in Power Query

Filter a Column by a Column from a Different Query in Power Query

A while ago I was visiting a customer that asked if they can filter a query data by a column from another query in Power BI. And I said of course you can. In this post I explain how that can be achieved in Power Query. The key point is to know how to reference a query and how to reference a column of that query in Power Query. This is useful when you have a lookup table that can be sourced from every supported data source in Power Query and you want to filter the results of another query by relevant column in the lookup query. In that case, you’ll have a sort of dynamic filtering. So, whenever you refresh your model if new records have been changed in or added to the source of the lookup query, your table will automatically include the new values in the filter step in Power Query.

Referencing a Query

It is quite simple, you just need to use the name of the query. If the query name contains special characters like space, then you need to wrap it with number sign and double quotes like #”QUERY_NAME”. So, if I want to reference another query, in a new blank query, then the Power Query (M) scripts would look like below:

let
    Source = Product
in
    Source

Or something like 

let
    Source = #"Product Category"
in
    Source

Referencing a Column

Referencing a column is also quite simple. When you reference a column you need to mention the referencing query name, explained above, along with the column name in brackets. So, the format will look like #”QUERY_NAME”[COLUMN_NAME]. The result is a list of values of that particular column.

let
    Source = #"Product Category"[Product Category Name]
in
    Source
Referencing a Column from Another Query in Power Query
Continue reading “Quick Tips: How to Filter a Column by another Column from a Different Query in Power Query” →
Azure Analysis Services, BISM Tabular, Business Intelligence - BI, Data Warehousing - DW, DAX, Excel, Power BI, Power BI Desktop, Power Pivot, Power Query, Quick Tips, SQL Server, SQL Server Analysis Services - SSAS, T-SQL

Quick Tips: Time Dimension with Granularity of Seconds in Power BI and Analysis Services Tabular Models

Quick Tips: Time Dimension with Granularity of Seconds in Power BI and Analysis Services Tabular Models
Photo by Markus Spiske

In an article I posted a while back I showed different methods of creating Time dimension in Power BI and Tabular models. The Time dimension I explained was in Minutes. In this post I show you simple way to create Time dimension supporting Seconds. As this is a quick tip, I only show you how to get the Time and ID columns in the Time dimension. If you need to add time bands (time buckets) check this out for more details.

Time Dimension in Seconds Grain with Power Query (M):

Copy/paste the code below in Advanced Editor to generate Time dimension in Power Query:

let
Source = Table.FromList({1..86400}, Splitter.SplitByNothing()),
#"Renamed Columns" = Table.RenameColumns(Source,{{"Column1", "ID"}}),
#"Time Column Added" = Table.AddColumn(#"Renamed Columns", "Time", each Time.From(#datetime(1970,1,1,0,0,0)+#duration(0,0,0,[ID]))),
#"Changed Type" = Table.TransformColumnTypes(#"Time Column Added",{{"ID", Int64.Type}, {"Time", type time}})
in
#"Changed Type"
Time Dimension in Power Query

Time Dimension in Seconds Grain with DAX:

Run the DAX expression below in a new calculated Table in Power BI or SSAS Tabular model:

Time in DAX = ADDCOLUMNS(
                       GENERATESERIES(1, 86400, 1)
                        , "Time", TIME(0, 0, 0) + [Value]/86400
                        )
Time Dimension in Seconds Level with DAX
Continue reading “Quick Tips: Time Dimension with Granularity of Seconds in Power BI and Analysis Services Tabular Models” →
BISM Tabular, Business Intelligence - BI, Dynamic Management Views (DMV), Power BI, Quick Tips, SQL Server

Quick Tips: Boolean Conditions when Querying SSAS DMVs

Boolean Comparison in SSAS DMVs, Error: A Boolean expression is not allowed in the context

If you are querying SSAS DMVs you may want to add some conditions in the query.

Something like getting all active relationships, perhaps like below:

select * from $SYSTEM.TMSCHEMA_RELATIONSHIPS where IsActive = 'true'

Running the above query on an instance of SSAS Tabular gives you the following error message:

Error: A Boolean expression is not allowed in the context …

Fixing this is quite easy, run the below query to get active relationships:

select * from $SYSTEM.TMSCHEMA_RELATIONSHIPS where IsActive

Boolean Comparison in SSAS DMVs

And to get inactive relationships run this one:

select * from $SYSTEM.TMSCHEMA_RELATIONSHIPS where not IsActive

Boolean Comparison in SSAS DMVs

Business Intelligence - BI, DAX, Power BI, Power BI Desktop, Quick Tips

Quick Tips: Keyboard Shortcuts/Hotkeys When Writing DAX in Power BI Desktop

DAX Keyboard Shortcuts in Power BI Desktop

Keyboard shortcuts is an interesting topic for developes that can really improve your report development in Power BI Desktop. In this post I show you some keyboard shortcuts/hotkeys when writing DAX in Power BI Desktop.

 

  • Indend right: Ctrl + ]
  • Indent left: Ctrl + [

Mini-tip: You can also indent your code to ther right by pressing TAB or indent left by pressing Shift + TAB. But, the difference is that if your cursor is in the middle of a line, when you press TAB it divides your code to two pieces and indends the characters to the right from the position that cursor is in.

  • New line keep indent: Shift + Enter
  • New line starting from first of line: Alt + Enter
  • Activate Intellicence: Ctrl + Space
  • Comment multiple lines: Ctrl + KC or Ctrl + /
  • Uncomment multiple lines: Ctrl + KU or Ctrl + /
  • Move the current line up/down: Alt + Up/Down Arrow Key
  • Enter multiple lines of code at once: Ctrl + Alt + Up/Down Arrow Key
  • Find and replace a word: Ctrl + D to highlight the current word, Ctrl + D again to find/highligh the same next word. Continue pressing Ctrl + D to find/highlight all same words, then start typing to replace all words at once
  • Find and replace all of a kind at once: Ctrl + Shift + L to highlight a part of your DAX expression then start typing to replace the highlighted words at once

Continue reading “Quick Tips: Keyboard Shortcuts/Hotkeys When Writing DAX in Power BI Desktop” →