Forum Discussion
Memorable MemberCalculation groups vs field parameters for time intelligence switching: what has worked for you?
Used both, here's what I've seen.
- Performance: about the same, both end up running the same DAX. The base measures matter more.
- Format strings: work fine now. SELECTEDMEASUREFORMATSTRING() for YTD so it keeps the currency format, and a fixed % for YoY.
- Precedence: this is the tricky part with a currency conversion group. Test both orders with numbers you already know before going live.
- Self-service: field parameters win here. Users understand "Sales YTD" in the field list, calc groups confuse them.
So for me, calc groups when reports are mostly built by the BI team, field parameters when lots of business users build their own.
Memorable MemberHi ShafiUllah-bc,
Thanks, this is the practical comparison I was looking for, especially the point that the split really comes down to who builds the reports.
One follow-up: have you tried combining the two? I.e. keep the time logic in a calculation group, but expose it to business users through a field parameter of a few "friendly" measures defined on top of it, like this:
Sales YTD = CALCULATE ( [Sales], 'Time Calc'[Name] = "YTD" )
Sales YoY % = CALCULATE ( [Sales], 'Time Calc'[Name] = "YoY %" )That would keep the logic in one place while still giving self-service users simple names in the field list. Curious whether that held up for you, or whether it just adds another layer to maintain.