Enable Viewing of Measure Definitions in Live-Connected Reports

[avisingh]

🔎 Problem: Report creators are unable to see measure definitions in connected datasets

When someone opens Power BI Desktop and connects to a dataset that’s already published to PowerBI.com, they can build a report using the available fields and measures—but they can’t see the DAX behind those measures.

That’s a real limitation. Most models have a lot of measures, and without knowing how they’re defined, it’s hard to understand what they’re doing. Even if the report creator built the model themselves, they might forget. And when someone else built it, they’re left guessing, searching for documentation (if it exists), or constantly reaching out to the model owner for clarification.

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💡 Suggestion: Let report creators view the DAX—just view, not edit

It would be incredibly helpful to have a simple way to view the DAX definition of a measure when building a report on top of a connected dataset. Not to edit—just to view.

Perhaps, the dataset owner should be able to control this option and can turn it on or off.

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🙌 Impact: Report creators can work more independently, and model owners save time

This would help report creators move faster, build more accurate reports, and reduce confusion—especially for those who are comfortable working with DAX.

Model owners would spend less time answering repeated questions about measure logic. In the end, this leads to smoother collaboration and a better self-service BI experience for everyone.