Relationship Functions

[Windynite]

Hello,

I am learning about relationship functions including CROSSFILTER, RELATED, RELATEDTABLE, USERELATIONSHIP and I would like to learn more about them. As I know, an optimal data model can be useful and good performance for Power BI dashboards and reports. It means that relationships amongs tables need to be set up appropriately. Creating measures and calculated columns also contribute for an optimal model. There are some data model samples including inactive and active relationships. I would like to know why we have to use these relationship types, and why we need to use those relationship functions. 

Thank you,

WindyNite

[lbendlin · Accepted solution]

Your data model has to follow the business problem.  That sometimes means you need to adjust your data model.  For example you may have a fact table with ticket information including Opened Date and Closed Date.  Now you want to know for each month how many tickets were opened in that month and how many were closed.  You can't answer that with a regular data model, you need to employ USERELATIONSHIP to temporarily modify the link between the calendar table and the fact table.

Kudos for trying to learn about these, but true learning comes from needing to apply these functions in your business scenario.