Join us at FabCon Atlanta from March 16 - 20, 2026, for the ultimate Fabric, Power BI, AI and SQL community-led event. Save $200 with code FABCOMM.
Register now!The Power BI Data Visualization World Championships is back! Get ahead of the game and start preparing now! Learn more
Hi, I have a question about writing DAX and using it in reports.
When you write a dax measure, but not reference it in the report you're building, slow the report?
Or do DAX measures take a hit on resources only if they're referenced in the report itself?
I want to build a series of reusable dax measures as templates, drop them in the report so that can be used and reused by others. Wondering if this causes the report to slow or a resource hit occurs?
Is it better that I remove all dax code that isn't used in the report?
Solved! Go to Solution.
Hi @Anonymous
DAX measures are calculated only if referenced. However, always clean your file and reports and keep only relevant data and measures. I've seen files with tens and sometimes hundreds of measures, cannot describe how ugly and confusing that is. You can create calculation groups to reduce the number of measures.
Thanks for the response. I suspected that was the case but I wanted to confirm that.
Appreciate!
Hi @Anonymous
DAX measures are calculated only if referenced. However, always clean your file and reports and keep only relevant data and measures. I've seen files with tens and sometimes hundreds of measures, cannot describe how ugly and confusing that is. You can create calculation groups to reduce the number of measures.
Check out the November 2025 Power BI update to learn about new features.
Advance your Data & AI career with 50 days of live learning, contests, hands-on challenges, study groups & certifications and more!
| User | Count |
|---|---|
| 20 | |
| 11 | |
| 9 | |
| 4 | |
| 4 |
| User | Count |
|---|---|
| 31 | |
| 29 | |
| 21 | |
| 12 | |
| 12 |