DAX for Humans: The No CALCULATE Guide that Makes DAX Easy

Greg Deckler

Sep 2025 · Packt Publishing Ltd

Ebook

594

Pages

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About this ebook

Level up your Power BI skills by learning DAX in an easy, fun, and practical way using one core pattern that can be used to solve most problemsKey Features

Learn simple through advanced DAX in a clear, concise way using real-world examples
Explore powerful techniques for debugging DAX and increasing efficiency
Use artificial intelligence to write, refine, and troubleshoot your DAX formulas
Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Book DescriptionAlthough DAX has been around for over a decade, many struggle to master the language primarily because DAX is often taught through the CALCULATE function, which is the most complex and unintuitive function in all of DAX. But what if DAX could be taught without CALCULATE? The result would be an incredibly intuitive and easy way to learn DAX. DAX for Humans stands the traditional approach to learning DAX on its head, foregoing the traditional, legacy methods of learning DAX for a more modern approach that focuses on core DAX concepts and not any specific function. Even if you know nothing about DAX, from the very first chapter you will learn the essentials of the DAX language, as well as a single pattern to solve the majority of DAX problems. From that point forward, you’ll explore how to work with the basic building blocks of the DAX language and apply what you learn to real-world business scenarios across customers, human resources, projects, finance, operations, and more. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to apply your DAX skills to simple, complex, and advanced scenarios; understand how to optimize and debug your DAX code; and even know how to efficiently apply artificial intelligence to help you write and debug your DAX code.What you will learn

Master techniques to solve common DAX calculations
Apply DAX to real-word, practical business scenarios
Explore advanced techniques for tackling unusual DAX scenarios
Discover new ideas, tricks, and time-saving techniques for better calculations
Find out how to optimize and debug DAX effectively
Leverage AI to assist in writing, troubleshooting, and improving DAX

Who this book is for

If you use Power BI but struggle with DAX or if you know DAX but want to improve and expand your skills, then this book is for you. Even if you have never used Power BI or DAX before, you will find this book helpful as you progress from the basics to mastery of the DAX language using real-world scenarios as your guide.

About the author

Greg Deckler is a seven-time Microsoft MVP for Data Platform and an active member of the Columbus Ohio IT community, having founded the Columbus Azure ML and Power BI User Group (CAMLPUG) and presented at many conferences and events throughout the country. An active blogger and community member interested in helping new users of Power BI, Greg actively participates in the Power BI community, having authored over 200 Power BI Quick Measures Gallery submissions and over 7,500 authored solutions to community questions. Greg is also vice president at a global consulting firm.

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