Basic DAX in Power BI is a course in writing DAX formulas in Power BI, from measures, variables and date, text and logical functions to RELATED, iterator functions, basic CALCULATE and time intelligence, all practised on business questions. It suits data analysts, data scientists, digital marketers and Excel users who are starting to build reports in Power BI.
Once you can build reports in Power BI, the next questions are usually about figures that do not exist in the data directly, such as profit per line, year-to-date sales, a comparison with last year or a product ranking. The answer is DAX (Data Analysis Expressions), the formula language of Power BI, which creates new values from the data in your model. Choosing the right functions and writing them with correct syntax from the start keeps reports accurate, readable and easy to extend.
This course builds a solid DAX foundation step by step through business questions on a single sales model: the difference between measures and calculated columns, basic measures, variables, and date, text and logical functions, then looking up values across tables, iterator (X) functions, everyday use of CALCULATE with FILTER and ALL, ranking, time intelligence and visual calculations, which make running totals and period comparisons simpler.
Course Details
This course is the 2026 edition of Basic DAX in Power BI Desktop, rewritten for the current Power BI Desktop. It runs for 2 days, 6 hours per day (12 hours in total, 09:00-16:00), as lectures with labs on a single sales model throughout. Beginner to Intermediate level. Day one lays the foundation: measures, variables, a date table, and date, text and logical functions. Day two practises looking up values across tables, X functions, basic CALCULATE, ranking, time intelligence and visual calculations. The course is the foundation for Advanced DAX in Power BI. Learners take home the Power BI files, DAX exercises with answers and a DAX writing checklist.
Section 1: DAX and the Data Model in Power BI
Section 2: Lab: Basic Measures and Managing Measures
Section 3: Lab: Variables and Readable Formulas
Section 4: Lab: The Date Table and Date and Time Functions
Section 5: Lab: Text, Logical and Information Functions
Section 6: Lab: Looking Up Values Across Tables
Section 7: Lab: X Functions and Ranking
Section 8: Lab: CALCULATE, FILTER and ALL Basics
Section 9: Lab: Time Intelligence
Section 10: Workshop: Visual Calculations and a Sales Summary Report
No public rounds are open right now. Join the waiting list and we will contact you first when the next round opens, or ask us on LINE. Or call 02-570-8449 or 088-807-9770
DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is the formula language in Power BI for creating new values from data in your model. A calculated column is evaluated row by row and stored in the table at refresh, which suits values used for grouping or filtering, such as age bands. A measure is recalculated each time according to the filters on the report and does not add to file size, which suits totals and ratios. For most work, start with a measure.
First make sure you have a date table with continuous dates, marked as a date table. Create a base total measure, then a year-to-date measure with TOTALYTD, or CALCULATE with DATESYTD on the date column. For the same period last year, use CALCULATE with SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR, or DATEADD going back one year, then use DIVIDE for % growth. If you only need a running total on one chart or table, a visual calculation such as RUNNINGSUM does it without adding a measure.
SUM adds up a single existing column directly. SUMX is an iterator, one of the X functions, which evaluates an expression for each row of a table and then adds up the results, for example multiplying quantity by unit cost on each row of a sales table, so you do not need an extra calculated column. AVERAGEX, MINX, MAXX and COUNTX work in the same way.
Yes. Current Microsoft guidance is to store the current row's value in a VAR and compare against it inside FILTER, rather than using EARLIER, which is harder to read. Variables also make a repeated expression evaluate only once and make intermediate values easier to check, so this course practises VAR and RETURN from the first day.
It suits data analysts, data scientists, digital marketers and Excel users who build reports in Power BI and want to write their own calculations. You should be comfortable with a computer and have Excel experience; having built a few visuals in Power BI Desktop helps you move faster. If you already write DAX and want to understand context transition or calculation groups, take Advanced DAX in Power BI instead.
Yes. It can be run in-house for your team, with examples adapted to your own work, such as writing measures for the reports your team uses regularly. You can request a quotation from this page, or contact us on LINE @itgenius or by phone on 02-570-8449.
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