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rnola16's avatar
rnola16
Advocate II
1 year ago
Solved

Dynamic M query with arbitrary values

Hi all,

 

I tried to recreate the code from Chris webbs blog. In my case, I'm using a custom sql as my query with parameters on birth_dt and ssn.

 

Parameter 1: birthdate

Parameter 2: s_s_n

https://blog.crossjoin.co.uk/2023/01/29/passing-any-arbitrary-value-from-a-power-bi-report-to-a-dynamic-m-parameter/

 

let

 Source = Teradata.Database("MYPROD", [Query = " SELECT

A.NAME AS FNAME,

A.BIRTH_DT AS BDATE,

A.SSN AS SSN

FROM

EMPLOYEE A

WHERE 

A.BIRTH_DT ='"&birthdate&"' AND A.SSN = '"&s_s_n&"' " ] ),

FilterList = if Type.Is(Value.Type(s_s_n),List.Type) then s_s_n else {SSN},

FilteredRows = Table.SelectRows( Source,each List.Contains( FilterList,[SSN]))

in

FilteredRows

 

Can't figure out where I did wrong.

 

Thanks.

  • Hi rnola16,
    Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

    You're on the right path using dynamic M query parameters in DirectQuery mode. Since you're passing values like birth_dt and ssn, here are a few ideas that might help troubleshoot:

    • Make sure both parameters are correctly linked to slicers using dummy dimension tables. This is essential for dynamic input from the report UI.
    • Double-check that the names of the parameters you're using throughout the query are consistent mismatched names can cause unexpected behaviour.
    • Confirm that Power BI can fold the filters back to the source system. If the filtering isn't being pushed down to the database, the dynamic behaviour may not work as expected.
    • It's generally recommended to avoid directly embedding parameter values into custom SQL strings for both security and performance reasons. Power BI handles parameters more effectively when they’re passed and processed using native filtering.

    If this information is helpful, please “Accept as solution” and give a "kudos" to assist other community members in resolving similar issues more efficiently.

    Thank you.

17 Replies

  • Deku's avatar
    Deku
    Super User

    Just checking have you created the dummy dimensions for both parameters?

  • Modified that to include s_s_n.

     

    Updated:

    let

     Source = Teradata.Database("MYPROD", [Query = " SELECT

    A.NAME AS FNAME,

    A.BIRTH_DT AS BDATE,

    A.SSN AS SSN

    FROM

    EMPLOYEE A

    WHERE 

    A.BIRTH_DT ='"&birthdate&"' AND A.SSN = '"&s_s_n&"' " ] ),

    FilterList = if Type.Is(Value.Type(s_s_n),List.Type) then s_s_n else {s_s_n},

    FilteredRows = Table.SelectRows( Source,each List.Contains( FilterList,[SSN]))

    in

    FilteredRows

     

    Get warning, "This step results in a query that is not supported in DirectQuery mode" on 

    FilteredRows = Table.SelectRows( Source,each List.Contains( FilterList,[SSN]))

     

    Is it that the function is not recognized by the Teradata ?

     

    • Deku's avatar
      Deku
      Super User

      Question. You are already injecting a filter into native query, although assuming only a single SSN is supplied.The other steps are just filtering again, but allow for a lookup from a list.

      Which one should be used?

      • rnola16's avatar
        rnola16
        Advocate II

        I'm looking to generate results with ssn as parameter  ( can be single entry or multi-value ). The ssn parameter is left blank so users can enter arbitrary values and find their own records.

         

        Eg; Select * from Employee where ssn in '"&paramter&"'

    • rnola16's avatar
      rnola16
      Advocate II

      When I do this, I get a warning " This step results in a query that is not supported in DirectQuery mode."

       

      Is this feature not meant for custom SQL query in directquery mode ?

       

      Really having a hard time to deal with PBI for a simple task.

       

      Thanks.

  • In the M code from Chris webb, what is the difference between (SalesOrderNumber) , SalesOrderNumber, {SalesOrderNumber} and [SalesOrderNumber] 

     

    Thanks.

     

    let
      Source = Sql.Database(
        "localhost",
        "AdventureWorksDW2017"
      ),
      dbo_FactInternetSales = Source
        {
          [
            Schema = "dbo",
            Item   = "FactInternetSales"
          ]
        }
        [Data],
      #"Removed Other Columns"
        = Table.SelectColumns(
        dbo_FactInternetSales,
        {
          "OrderDateKey",
          "SalesOrderNumber",
          "SalesOrderLineNumber",
          "SalesAmount"
        }
      ),
      FilterList = if Type.Is( Value.Type(SalesOrderNumber), List.Type)
        then SalesOrderNumber else {SalesOrderNumber},
      #"Filtered Rows" = Table.SelectRows( #"Removed Other Columns", each List.Contains( FilterList, [SalesOrderNumber]
        )
      )
    in
      #"Filtered Rows"

     

  • Deku's avatar
    Deku
    Super User

    This section relates to his blank dummy dimensions 

     

    FilterList = if Type.Is( Value.Type(SalesOrderNumber), List.Type)

        then SalesOrderNumber else {SalesOrderNumber},

     

    If checks if it is a list, if yes return it. If a single value it casts it as a list. These are the values passed through from the report, when user provides values

     

    Then filters his table from SQL server, where [SalesOrderNumber] exists in the list from above

     

     #"Filtered Rows" = Table.SelectRows( #"Removed Other Columns", each List.Contains( FilterList, [SalesOrderNumber]

        )

    • rnola16's avatar
      rnola16
      Advocate II

      The parameter name and the column name are defined with same name and its confusing what is the colum and what is the parameter in here.

  • v-ssriganesh's avatar
    v-ssriganesh
    Community Support

    Hi rnola16,
    Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

    You're on the right path using dynamic M query parameters in DirectQuery mode. Since you're passing values like birth_dt and ssn, here are a few ideas that might help troubleshoot:

    • Make sure both parameters are correctly linked to slicers using dummy dimension tables. This is essential for dynamic input from the report UI.
    • Double-check that the names of the parameters you're using throughout the query are consistent mismatched names can cause unexpected behaviour.
    • Confirm that Power BI can fold the filters back to the source system. If the filtering isn't being pushed down to the database, the dynamic behaviour may not work as expected.
    • It's generally recommended to avoid directly embedding parameter values into custom SQL strings for both security and performance reasons. Power BI handles parameters more effectively when they’re passed and processed using native filtering.

    If this information is helpful, please “Accept as solution” and give a "kudos" to assist other community members in resolving similar issues more efficiently.

    Thank you.

    • v-ssriganesh's avatar
      v-ssriganesh
      Community Support

      Hi rnola16,
      I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you'd like to discuss this further. If this answers your question, please accept it as a solution and give it a 'Kudos' so other community members with similar problems can find a solution faster.
      Thank you.

  • v-ssriganesh's avatar
    v-ssriganesh
    Community Support

    Hi rnola16,
    I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If my response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.
    Thank you.

  • v-ssriganesh's avatar
    v-ssriganesh
    Community Support

    Hi rnola16,

    May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

    Thank you.