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Tomi
Regular Visitor

Dynamic Format String Expression error

Couldn't load the data for this visual
CalculationProperty(measure xxx) (1,1) Calculation error in measure xxx/
Invalid FormatStringDefinition expression of measure xxx. FormatStringDefinition must have a DAX expression which is of type String.

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Measure xxx uses a dynamic format string expression by referencing [MeasureABC] which returns type string.  A simplified expression is shown below.

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[MeasureABC] = "#,0"

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Note - issue only occurs after a new unrelated and unused calculation group was added to the model. Workaround fix - can be resolved by a) simply deleting the calculation group or b) by simply copying the "#,0" directly into the measure xxx formatstringexpression and for all other measures instead of referencing [MeasureABC]. Why is the existence of a calc group cause this error to happen when it works fine before? This issue can be re-produced.

3 REPLIES 3
FGutier2963
New Member

Did you ever find a solution to this? I'm encountering the same issue and no support online for it.

Good news! I just found a workaround for this problem. As you probably know, Power BI recently introducted user-defined functions as a preview feature. If you use a function instead of a measure for your format definition, it won't cause this problem. I haven't tried putting a measure inside the function, but at the very least, if the function is self-contained, it will work. You can always pass any measure results into the function as either a predetermined value or an expression to be evaluated at runtime.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dax/best-practices/dax-user-defined-functions

Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi @Tomi ,

Based on the knowledge, dynamic format strings can be used with calculation groups.

vjiewumsft_0-1714381815997.png

 

You can view the following document to learn more about how to create a dynamic format string.

Create dynamic format strings for measures in Power BI Desktop - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

 

Best Regards,

Wisdom Wu

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

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