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!Get Fabric Certified for FREE during Fabric Data Days. Don't miss your chance! Request now
In the thread linked here I managed to create a waterfall chart that looked at a value for the current month vs the previous month, breaking out a few separate increments that resulted in the increase or decrease. This was done using an external table I used to create an index which I referenced in another column .
https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Desktop/Waterfall-Chart-Current-vs-Prior/m-p/3004726#M1025091
Essentially I have a cost per unit, three elements of that cost broken out to detail the movement up or down, and then the total cost of the current month. It looks like this:
I now need to replicate this in direct query mode with a live data source and it's giving me trouble. I think if I knew of a way to create a lookup table within direct query, perhaps as a measure, (rather than linking to a real table since that isn't possible in direct query mode), I could do it but I don't know how.
Essentially, if I could create a column for "Breakdown" that would include the measures I've built for the three "Current vs. Prior" increments that separate the Current vs Prior cost per unit, I'd have what I need.
I know this is a very specific request but any help would be very useful. Basically, I want a lookup table that I can reference to display the appropriate measures relating to incremental spend. Basically the below but embedded as a measure.
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!