Create multiple calculation items of similar format using a table input?

Hi masplin​,

Yes, you can simplify the pattern, but there is one limitation: DAX can't take a measure name stored as text in a table and then dynamically evaluate that measure.

You could use one calculation item with a SWITCH, for example:

SWITCH(
SELECTEDVALUE(ABV[ABV]),
"Actual", [FTE Purchased per Client (Bill ex Canc)],
"Budget", [Budget FTE per Client],
[vs Budget FTE per Client]
)

The problem is that you'd still have to specify the three measures for each calculation item, so with 30+ measures it doesn't completely solve the maintenance issue.

Your disconnected ABV table is a perfectly reasonable approach. Unfortunately, there isn't a simple DAX equivalent of "look up the measure name from this table and evaluate it".

If you have a lot of these and they're following exactly the same pattern, I'd probably look at restructuring the calculation group rather than creating 30 separate calculation items. That could make it much easier to maintain going forward.

Hello masplin​,

Yes, SWITCH can replace the nested IF here:

SWITCH(
    SELECTEDVALUE(ABV[ABV]),
    "Actual", [FTE Purchased per Client (Bill ex Canc)],
    "Budget", [Budget FTE per Client],
    [vs Budget FTE per Client]
)

The three measure references would still need to be specified for each calculation item.

You could also look at SELECTEDMEASURE() if the calculation group can be structured so the same logic applies to the measure in context.

Hi masplin​,

The SWITCH suggestions above are valid, but there is a newer option that could make this much easier to maintain.

Since June 2026, Power BI supports DAX user-defined functions as a GA feature. They let you package repeated parameterized DAX logic once and then call it from measures/calculation items.

For example, you could define something along these lines:

FUNCTION PickABV = (     ActualValue,     BudgetValue,     VarianceValue ) =>     SWITCH(         SELECTEDVALUE(ABV[ABV]),         "Actual", ActualValue,         "Budget", BudgetValue,         VarianceValue     )

Then each calculation item becomes much smaller:

PickABV(     [FTE Purchased per Client (Bill exc Canc)],     [Budget FTE per Client],     [vs Budget FTE per Client] )

and similarly for Utilisation, Margin, etc.

You would still need to specify the three actual measure references for each calculation item. A disconnected table can't dynamically turn a measure name stored as text into a model measure reference.

For the other part of the problem, creating 30 calculation items, I would look at TMDL view rather than creating them manually. Microsoft supports creating and editing calculation groups through TMDL, so you can script the calculation-group metadata and generate the item definitions from your mapping rather than maintaining 30 items through the UI.

So I would separate it into:

• UDF = remove the repeated Actual/Budget/Variance logic
• TMDL = automate/generate the 30 calculation-item definitions

That still keeps explicit measure references, but it should make the model considerably easier to maintain.

AI-assisted drafting: AI was used to help structure and phrase this response. I reviewed and validated the technical content before posting.

Hi masplin​ 

As suggested by ShivekMaharaj​  explore UDF.

Another option worth exploring is calculation group.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/transform-model/desktop-user-defined-functions-overview

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/analysis-services/tabular-models/calculation-groups?view=sql-analysis-services-2025

Please give kudos or mark it as solution once confirmed.

Thanks and Regards,

Praful