What does this formula mean?

OPS-MLTSD Looks like a column formula, yes? It's really pretty atrocious DAX in my opinion.

 

The CLIENT_IND variable is calculating the sum of the Targets achieved to date (#) column in the table Table1 filtered to where the CATEGORY column is "Number of Clients" and the PROCESSLOGID is equal to the "current" value of PROCESSLOGID (EARLIER). The current row's value in other words. The next variable, CLIENT_SURVEY is saying that if the maximum value in Table2 of the column Report Submission #, assuming a related table is "Activity Report#1" and the maximum value of the type column in Table3 is "5C" then return the sum of the INTAKE column in Table4, otherwise it is set to BLANK() (null). The final return statement is if the number of rows in Table1 that have a CATEGORY of "Number of Clients" and where the PROCESSLOGID is equal to the current row's PROCESSLOGID is not BLANK() (null or empty) then return the CLIENT_IND variable value, otherwise if it is blank, return the CLIENT_SURVEY variable value.

OPS-MLTSD EARLIER is a function that was created before VAR/RETURN was added to DAX. In many ways you can think of it is "current" value in the row. The name comes from the fact that it is returning the "earlier" context. So, in your CALCULATE you have the context created by the filtering parameters so the EARLIER function returns the value of that item prior to that context, which ends up being the row context of the current row. Instead of using EARLIER, you could instead use an additional prior VAR like:

 

VAR __ProcessLogID = Table1'[PROCESSLOGID]

 

Now, there are some instances where EARLIER is much more convenient, etc. In Defense of EARLIER - Microsoft Power BI Community

 

Also, that code seems to overuse CALCULATE, etc. Anyway, I wouldn't have written that code that way I don't think but hard to know for sure without knowing your data better.

 

Hi, OPS-MLTSD ;

You could try to modify it.

Clients =
VAR CLIENT_IND =
    CALCULATE (
        SUM ( 'Table1'[Targets achieved to date (#)] ),
        FILTER (
            ALLEXCEPT ( 'Table1', 'Table1'[PROCESSLOGID] ),
            'Table1'[CATEGORY] = "Number of Clients"
        )
    )
VAR CLIENT_SURVEY =
    CALCULATE (
        SUM ( Table4[INTAKE] ),
        FILTER (
            'Table1',
            AND ( 'Table2'[Report Submission#] = "Activity Report#1", Table3[type] = "5C" )
        )
    )
RETURN
    IF (
        ISBLANK (
            CALCULATE (
                COUNTROWS ( 'Table1' ),
                FILTER (
                    ALLEXCEPT ( 'Table1', 'Table1'[PROCESSLOGID] ),
                    'Table1'[CATEGORY] = "Number of Clients"
                )
            )
        ),
        CLIENT_SURVEY,
        CLIENT_IND
    )

If not solve your problem,can you share simple data and the output what you what? 

Best Regards,
Community Support Team_ Yalan Wu
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