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101Mathew's avatar
101Mathew
Advocate V
3 months ago
Solved

Direct Lake Model - Calculated Column/Tables

Hi all,

The latest April ’26 update highlighted a major item for anyone working with Direct Lake models — the ability to create calculated columns and calculated tables that reference Direct Lake fields/tables.

 

We’ve tested this on our side and noticed that the feature appears to be in a phased rollout. However, there was no mention of this in the associated YouTube update.

 

Does anyone have insight into the expected timeline for full rollout, or confirmation on whether this is still gradually deploying?

Thanks.

Mathew Westwood

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  • v-achippa's avatar
    v-achippa
    3 months ago

    Hi 101Mathew,

     

    Yes, currently this feature is only available in power bi desktop(preview) and is not supported for editing in the service yet.

    So any calculated columns/tables for Direct Lake need to be created in desktop and then published, there is no live edit option in the service now. Since it is still rolling out in preview, this behaviour can be expected.

    Please refer below documentation:

    https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/power-bi-april-2026-feature-summary/

     

    Thanks and regards,

    Anjan Kumar Chippa

13 Replies

    • Lodha_Jaydeep's avatar
      Lodha_Jaydeep
      Solution Sage
      3 months ago

      Hope this helps,
      Please give some kudos and mark as accepted solution if it helps.

  • v-achippa's avatar
    v-achippa
    Community Support
    3 months ago

    Hi 101Mathew,

     

    Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community.

     

    Thank you Lodha_Jaydeep for the prompt response.

     

    As we haven’t heard back from you, we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution provided by the user for the issue worked? or let us know if you need any further assistance.

     

    Thanks and regards,

    Anjan Kumar Chippa

    • 101Mathew's avatar
      101Mathew
      Advocate V
      3 months ago

      Hi v-achippa ,

      This appears to be a bit of an issue with comms/Direct Lake models - it's unclear if this type of edit is doable via live edit in the service or within the desktop app only

      I'm waiting for IT to obtain a better update policy, a member of the senior team was able to confirm the option is present within Desktop app only (no sign of setting in the service/tennat)

      Regards,

      Mathew

      • v-achippa's avatar
        v-achippa
        Community Support
        3 months ago

        Hi 101Mathew,

         

        Yes, currently this feature is only available in power bi desktop(preview) and is not supported for editing in the service yet.

        So any calculated columns/tables for Direct Lake need to be created in desktop and then published, there is no live edit option in the service now. Since it is still rolling out in preview, this behaviour can be expected.

        Please refer below documentation:

        https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/power-bi-april-2026-feature-summary/

         

        Thanks and regards,

        Anjan Kumar Chippa

  • Harrisontpowell's avatar
    Harrisontpowell
    New Member
    3 months ago

    We have updated our PBI, enabled preview feature and tried to create column in desktop, BUT are still getting an error saying we are unable to create columns in directlanke model.

    Thoughts? 

    • v-achippa's avatar
      v-achippa
      Community Support
      3 months ago

      Hi Harrisontpowell,

       

      Even after enabling the preview feature, this is still not fully available for all Direct Lake models or tables yet, that is why you are seeing this error. The rollout is currently phased and limited.

      Please make sure:

      • You are on the latest Power BI Desktop (April 2026 or later)
      • The preview feature is enabled

      If both are already in place and the issue still occurs, then it is likely due to the current preview limitations, as full support is still being rolled out.

       

      Thanks and regards,

      Anjan Kumar Chippa

      • 101Mathew's avatar
        101Mathew
        Advocate V
        2 months ago

        Hi v-achippa ,

        I'm on the May-26 version now - I cannot see the preview feature for calculated columns/tables on Direct Lake model tables.

        Should this be raise with MS support?

        Regards,

        Mathew

  • reggenberger's avatar
    reggenberger
    Regular Visitor
    2 months ago

    I downloaded the latest PowerBI Desktop release, but the option to enable the preview feature still isn't there! Anyone experiencing the same?

    • v-achippa's avatar
      v-achippa
      Community Support
      2 months ago

      Hi reggenberger,

       

      This feature is still in a phased service side rollout. Even with the latest desktop installed, the preview option won't be appear until the rollout reaches your tenant. I request you to please wait for the rollout to reach your environment

       

      Thanks and regards,

      Anjan Kumar Chippa

       

  • acodato's avatar
    acodato
    New Member
    1 month ago

    I don't think this is a Power BI desktop feature to enable. It has to be enabled somewhere else, because I can create calculated columns in Tabular Editor 3 pointing to a Fabric Semantic Model but when saving it error out saying remove column. So it must be enabled at the model level.