Forum Discussion
Microsoft EmployeeDate Dimension Table that Dynamically Pulls Start and End dates from a Column of Dates
As is typical in these types of challenges, I spent a while scouring the internet and trying to get a solution before I posted my question here, only to arrive at one a few minutes later...
Anyway, here is the revised code that can be used:
let CreateDateTable = () as table => let StartDate = List.Min(Table.Column(Invoices,"OrderDate")), EndDate = List.Max(Table.Column(Invoices,"OrderDate")), DayCount = Duration.Days(Duration.From(EndDate - StartDate)), Source = List.Dates(StartDate,DayCount,#duration(1,0,0,0)), TableFromList = Table.FromList(Source, Splitter.SplitByNothing()), ChangedType = Table.TransformColumnTypes(TableFromList,{{"Column1", type date}}), RenamedColumns = Table.RenameColumns(ChangedType,{{"Column1", "Date"}}), InsertYear = Table.AddColumn(RenamedColumns, "Year", each Date.Year([Date])), InsertQuarter = Table.AddColumn(InsertYear, "QuarterOfYear", each Date.QuarterOfYear([Date])), InsertMonth = Table.AddColumn(InsertQuarter, "MonthOfYear", each Date.Month([Date])), InsertDay = Table.AddColumn(InsertMonth, "DayOfMonth", each Date.Day([Date])), InsertDayInt = Table.AddColumn(InsertDay, "DateInt", each [Year] * 10000 + [MonthOfYear] * 100 + [DayOfMonth]), InsertMonthName = Table.AddColumn(InsertDayInt, "MonthName", each Date.ToText([Date], "MMMM"), type text), InsertCalendarMonth = Table.AddColumn(InsertMonthName, "MonthInCalendar", each (try(Text.Range([MonthName],0,3)) otherwise [MonthName]) & " " & Number.ToText([Year])), InsertCalendarQtr = Table.AddColumn(InsertCalendarMonth, "QuarterInCalendar", each "Q" & Number.ToText([QuarterOfYear]) & " " & Number.ToText([Year])), InsertDayWeek = Table.AddColumn(InsertCalendarQtr, "DayInWeek", each Date.DayOfWeek([Date])), InsertDayName = Table.AddColumn(InsertDayWeek, "DayOfWeekName", each Date.ToText([Date], "dddd"), type text), InsertWeekEnding = Table.AddColumn(InsertDayName, "WeekEnding", each Date.EndOfWeek([Date]), type date) in InsertWeekEnding in CreateDateTableThe red text is what you would need to customize, where, in my example, the table name is "Invoices" and the invoice date column is "OrderDate"
This is route I ended up using since I wanted the table updated when I did a refresh
I found this from another post, so I can't take any credit here
DateTable =
ADDCOLUMNS (
CALENDAR (MINX(HR_HEADCOUNT,[Date]), NOW()),
"Year", YEAR ( [Date] ),
"QuarterOfYear", FORMAT ( [Date], "Q" ),
"MonthOfYear", FORMAT ( [Date], "MM" ),
"DateInt", FORMAT ( [Date], "YYYYMMDD" ),
"MonthName", FORMAT ( [Date], "mmmm" ),
"MonthInCalendar", FORMAT ( [Date], "mmm YYYY" ),
"QuarterInCalendar", "Q" & FORMAT ( [Date], "Q" ) & " " & FORMAT ( [Date], "YYYY" ),
"DayInWeek", WEEKDAY ( [Date] ),
"DayOfWeekName", FORMAT ( [Date], "dddd" ),
"DayOfWeekShort", FORMAT ( [Date], "ddd" ),
"YearMonthShort", FORMAT ( [Date], "YYYY/mmm" ),
"MonthNameShort", FORMAT ( [Date], "mmm" )
Microsoft EmployeeYes this dynamically updates. Notice near the beginning of the code we have two declarations:
StartDate = List.Min(Table.Column(Invoices,"OrderDate"))
EndDate = List.Max(Table.Column(Invoices,"OrderDate"))
To set this up with your own data, after connecting to your data, open the query editor. Create a new blank table. Select the table from the list of queries and go to Advanced Editor. Replace the existing code with the code from this post and it should become a function. Then, to invoke, simply select the function and look for the button "invoke".
Super UserGot it, so you have to invoke the function each time you want it updated
Appreciate the response
- dkay84_PowerBI
I haven't had a chance to trouble shoot this (i.e. start from scratch to make sure no errors are thrown) but try this as a way to not have to manually invoke this function after refresh (which would produce a new table, lose any data types and formatting, and would require you to re-establish a relationship between your dimDates table and Sales table).
After creating the function given in my original post, do the following:
- Create table from function
- Connect to new data source - "Blank Query"
- Enter anything (i.e "1", it really doesn't matter)
- Convert to table
- Add Column -> Invoke Custom Function
- Remove the original column from table, leaving only column with function name and value of Table
- Expand the column with the double arrow button on header
- Uncheck "Use original column headers as prefix"
- Rename table as "dimDates"
- Configure table (set data types, rename fields if wanted, etc.)
- Close and Apply, then create relationship between dimDates table and relevant sales table using date field
- You will need to apply some manual sorting rules under "Modeling" tab in order to get text representation of dates (ie.e month and day name) to displayed in correct order when used as axis in charts. Accomplish this using the appropriate numeric equivalent column
You now have a date dimension table and, as your sales database grows over time, these new dates will be added to the dimDates table automatically on refresh.
I will also test this for functionality after a publish to PowerBI service and share the results.
- dkay84_PowerBI
Additionally, you can create a calculated table (under "modeling" tab), using the dax expression Calendar(start date, end date), where start and end date are calculated using dax (min and max of sales[dates] while ignoring filters). From here, you will have to build out the steps the M code above performed, and configure data types and formatting, and create the relationship between this dates table and the sales table.
This way seems much easier, not sure why I couldn't find this out earlier in my search. At the moment, I don't have the specific dax expression to calculate min and max while ignoring applied filters.
Something like below?
First Invoice Date = CALCULATE(MIN(Invoices[OrderDate]),ALL('Invoices')) Last Invoice Date = CALCULATE(MAX(Invoices[OrderDate]),ALL('Invoices'))