Calculated Columns when connected to SQL Server Analysis Server (SSAS)?

[seth127]

Hello,

This might be a quick answer, but is it possible to create Calculated Columns in Power BI Desktop when you are connected with a live connection to a SSAS Tabular Model? There is no Data View icon on the left, and all the relevant buttons on the Modeling tab are greyed out.

If the answer is "no," does anyone have any recommendations for making quick counts of certain columns, etc.? For example, I have to do this exact thing: 

http://community.powerbi.com/t5/Desktop/CALCULATE-count-of-several-text-values/m-p/33870#M12107

I realize that I could just build these calculations into the underlying Analysis Server, but that seems wasteful and unnecessary to make new columns in the actual Tabular Model for such trivial calculations. Especially if there are a lot of them.

Thanks so much,

Seth

[Greg_Deckler]

Not currently, I know it is on the list of things to do or is in progress. Check out the Ideas section and filter to what has been started.

[seth127]

Bummer. That would be really nice. Any idea on a workaround solution? I don't need a whole new column, but just something like a card that shows a calculated measure (from a DAX query or something). I can't figure out how to do this without making a new column though.

Also, is that ideas page the best place to look to see if/when they implement this? Any vague idea how close it might be?

Thanks for the help!

[v-sihou-msft]

@seth127

In Power BI Desktop, all of the query and modeling features in Power BI Desktop are disabled when exploring live data. See:

Analysis Services Tabular data in Power BI Desktop

I don't think this will be supported in the future, because you are connecting source database directly, there's no data imported in Power BI Desktop, any modeling will cause structural changes in source database.

Regards,