Help with Formatting String in Power BI Calculation Groups to Include Thousands Separator and 'k'

[ashraf_martin]

Hello Power BI Community,

I am encountering an issue with formatting in Calculation Groups in Power BI. I'm trying to format numbers to display with a thousands separator, two decimal points, and a 'k' suffix to denote thousands.

Currently, I'm using the format string `"0,.0" & "k"` which converts the numbers to thousands but doesn’t include the thousands separator, resulting in outputs like `3370.3k`. My goal is to display these numbers as `3,370.3k` for better readability.

I attempted to use the format string `"#,##0.0,,\"k\""` based on suggestions, but it results in an error.

Could anyone help me correct the format string or provide guidance on how to achieve the desired formatting in Calculation Groups? Any insights or examples would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your support!

[OwenAuger · Accepted solution]

Hi @ashraf_martin 

Try this, which I think is about the simplest format string for

• Units of thousands
• Thousands separator
• 2 decimal places
• k suffix

",0,.00k"

The ordering of the elements of the format string unfortunately changes depending on whether decimal places are present.

Does the above work?

[ashraf_martin]

@OwenAuger you are a genius, it worked perfectly. 
Thanks for this note "The ordering of the elements of the format string unfortunately changes depending on whether decimal places are present." 

I feel so annoyed i wasted so much time trying to figure this out and you solved it so quickly.

Thanks again

[OwenAuger]

You're welcome!

To elaborate on the point about inconsistent ordering, see this Twitter thread:

https://x.com/insightsmachine/status/1313632903578877952

I have been meaning to write a blog post as much for my own benefit as anyone else's 🙂