Number Type in power query not persisting to report level

[E_K_]

Hi

I have an ID column in by dataset that is number type. I trim the column, replace any blanks with 0 (although there are no blanks anyways), trim and clean before converting to whole number. The column shows as number in power query. There are no steps that override that:

Data view treats the column as a number as expected:

When I load to model, the Data section in the report view does not treat this column as a number - it seems to be treating like any type. The annoying thing is that I can't do any default summarisations on the visual as a result. I can't drag ID into the X axis and summarise as distinct count as powerbi doesn't let me, it will only let me drag into small multiples. This shouldn't be happening but I can't figure out why.

Worth noting - the ID column is in relationships with other tables where there is a matching ID, which are also number type. This actually can't be part of the issue as I have made a copy of the ID column in my home table that is in no relationships and that column is not being treated as a number either as in the above screenshot

[E_K_]

It's headscratcher for sure, your suggestion is what I'm trying for now. 

I'll leave the question for a while longer, perhaps its either a bug in the version (which is the most up to date) or some weird setting in desktop that's causing it.

[Jonvoge · Accepted solution]

Hi E_K

I am not sure why the column does not provide you with any default aggregations (also referred to as implicit measures).

However, you could treat this as a blessing in disguise. Best practice for Power BI development is to not use implicit measures, and always use explicit measures: Explicit Vs Implicit DAX Measures in Power BI - RADACAD

In fact, people goes through many hoops trying to completely eliminate implicit measures in their models, by leveraging external tools like Tabular Editor.

My suggestion:

Take is as an opportunity to create the necessary Calculated Measures (explicit measures) related to your column.

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