5 Essential Power BI Tips Every Developer Should Know

As Power BI developers, we constantly seek ways to improve our reports and provide users with the best possible experience to help them gain insights from their data.

This article will reveal five straightforward Power BI tips that are easy to apply but will significantly enhance your reports.

1) Adding additional columns to your dataset

If you need to add an additional column to your dataset is best practice to add it as far upstream (closest to source) as possible. For example, if you have a SQL data source add it there before you consider Power BI.

This is not always possible for a variety of reasons so the next question is do I create a custom column in Power Query or a calculated column using DAX?

The solution is Power Query. This is because adding a column in Power Query allows you to benefit from the compression done by the Vertipaq engine before the data is loaded into the model. This is particularly important when working with large datasets, as an extra column can affect your model's performance.

2) Avoid using 3D Visuals

At first glance, 3D visuals might seem harmless, but they have significant drawbacks. They complicate the user's ability to make comparisons and can distort the interpretation of data.

These types of visuals have the following drawbacks:

Perspective Bias - Angles and depth can make certain elements appear larger or smaller than they actually are. This can mislead the user into thinking one data point is more significant than another.

Distorted Scale Perception - Depth effects can exaggerate differences in magnitude. A bar in the foreground may seem larger than a bar in the background, even if they represent equal values.

Difficult Comparisons - When bars, slices, or lines are positioned in a 3D space, they often overlap or obscure parts of the data, making it harder to compare values accurately.

Limited Readability - Labels, legends, and gridlines may be harder to read due to perspective distortions, reducing clarity and usability.

Unnecessary Complexity - While 3D visuals may look stylish, they often introduce cognitive load, forcing the viewer to process additional visual elements that don’t actually enhance understanding.

Rather opt for flat visuals like bar charts, scatter plots, and line graphs as they offer better precision and readability.

3) Mark Date Dimension as Date Table

Marking your Date Dimension as the Date table is important as it aids with time intelligence functions and ensures accurate time based analysis.

To designate your table as the date table, first ensure that the date column is free of nulls or duplicates and that the dates are continuous.

Then, Go to the Model View > Select your table > Right click on the table and select "Mark as Date Table".

It will then prompt you to select the column you want to use as your Date column.

 4) Disable the Auto Date/Time option in Power BI Desktop

Power BI automatically creates hidden date tables for every date field when Auto Date/Time is enabled. These hidden tables can slow down performance, especially in large datasets that contain many date columns.

You can disable this option by doing the following:

Navigate to File > Options and settings > Global/Current file > Data Load > Time intelligence and untick the Auto Date/Time box.

5) Steer clear of many to many relationships

Many to many relationships that exist in your model can can cause major headaches as Power Bi may struggle to determine how filters should flow between tables which can lead to unexpected or incorrect results.

Instead of using this type of relationship, you can do the following:

Use a Bridge Table

Create a table that maps the many-to-many relationship using unique keys.

Example: If Products and Customers have a many-to-many relationship, create a ProductCustomer Bridge table with ProductID and CustomerID.

Use DAX to Handle Complex Relationships

Functions like TREATAS, CALCULATE, and FILTER can be used to simulate relationships without creating them in the model.

Normalize Your Data

Break down complex tables into simpler dimension and fact tables by following a star schema design.

I hope you find these tips helpful and that you can integrate them into your development process along the way.

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Happy developing!

References

• Power BI Documentation

• Microsoft Copilot