If you just need SUM, then no need to create measure in DAX?

Question

Is there any reason for using DAX measure such as SUM(Column1) instead of dropping the Column to table visual and then configuring the aggregation method in the table visual? Column1 contains numeric values only. I can see in Performance Analyzer that calculations take the same amount of time. Is there any scenario when DAX measure would be superior than using a numeric column directly? I have tested it on a larger model, using slicers and filters, and I consistently got the same duration for both methods.

When I copy DAX query code to DAX Studio I can see the drop Column method is expanded to CALCULATE(SUM. So it seems that if you just need SUM, then no need to create measure in DAX.

One possible scenario I can think of is if you try to use tabular editor for dynamic string formatting on the SUM through calculation group, it will not work. Tabular Editor only works with explicit measures. — smpa01

Alexis Olson Alexis Olson · Accepted Answer · 2021-08-24T16:54:31

The difference here is explicit vs implicit measures. Explicit measures are the ones you define. Implicit measures are the ones automatically defined by Power BI.

In terms of performance, there is no difference. The engine is doing the same thing in both cases.

However, it's generally considered best practice not to use any implicit measures for a variety of reasons such as:

Explicit measures are reusable (useful as building blocks for more complex measures) and can be organized into display folders.
Implicit measures won't show up in external programs like Analyze in Excel.

See these articles for further information:

Explicit Vs Implicit DAX Measures in Power BI

Understanding Explicit vs Implicit measures in Power BI

If you just need SUM, then no need to create measure in DAX?

1 Answers