This course is a deep dive into calculation groups in DAX. The first part is an introduction to the calculation groups. Although you might already be familiar with calculation groups, it is worth reading the introduction to acquire the correct terminology and get used to the main concepts before going deeper into the following sections.

In the following part, we will go much deeper, and a solid foundation is required to appreciate the subtle nuances described. The introduction covers how to create calculation groups and their main uses. We then describe in depth the complexity of using multiple calculation groups in the same model and how to correctly handle calculation group precedence. Later, we discuss sideways recursion, the limitations of using calculation groups in composite models, and the main limitations of calculation groups. Once the theory is well established, we discuss best practices and provide a rich set of examples of uses of calculation groups.

The content is organized into the following modules:

  • Introduction
  • Introduction to calculation groups
    • Creating calculation groups
    • Custom format strings
    • Creating multiple calculation groups
    • Replacing the selected measure
  • Calculation group precedence
    • SELECTEDMEASURE
  • Calculation groups and DAX
    • Calculation groups and sideways recursion
    • Calculation groups in composite models
    • Limitations of calculation groups
  • Using dynamic format strings
  • When to use calculation groups
  • Calculation groups: best practices
    • Filtering calculation items and computing calculation items
    • Using calculation groups in DAX code
  • Calculation group examples
    • Simple grouping with calculated columns
    • Creating sets of calculation items and measures
    • Comparing different time periods
    • Parent-child hierarchies
    • Using calculation groups to apply global filters
    • Like-for-like comparison
    • Currency conversion