How to extract a text in a column in Direct Query mode

[viveksasi94]

Hi All,

I have a column with a TEXT data type. I need to extract a string after a delimiter from this column in DIRECT QUERY mode. As FIND and SEARCH is not supported in direct query mode for calculated columns, kindly suggest a workaround for this.

🙂

[Anonymous]

HI @viveksasi94,

AFAIK, most of dax functions not work on calculated column when you works on direct query mode.

In my opinion, I'd like to suggest you to use measure to instead.(notice: turn on 'allow unrestricted measures in directquery mode' option to use more dax functions in measure)

Regards,

Xiaoxin Sheng

[LivioLanzo]

Hi @viveksasi94

try adding this column with Power Query. Or create a view in your database with this column added

[markus_zhang]

Hi @LivioLanzo I'm late to the party.

Just curious, is it good idea to pre-popularize the needed calculated columns with SQL query when loading the data into Power BI? I'm still scratching my head to find the positive/negative of using SQL/M to query SQL Server databases.

[LivioLanzo]

@markus_zhang

Sometimes the calculated column can be totally reduntant (like for instance when you already have a Quantity and a Price column and you add a new one with Price * Quantity) or it can be helpful and necessary to speed up your measure (for instance a Workday indicator column in the calendar table). 

The best place to add it would be in a view within Sql server, but some people may not have the rights to create views so the second best place is within Power Query, making sure that query folding is taking place

[markus_zhang]

Got it, thanks @LivioLanzo so using view if I have the permission (I don't, alas), or Power Query.