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DAX Training Course

Two days (09:30 to 16:30 UK time each day)

This course is available in the following formats (all prices exclude VAT):

 

You can book a place on this course either online through this website, by phone, by email or by filling in our enquiry form.

You should be familiar with Excel pivot tables.  This course also requires a high degree of numeracy!  You can get an idea of what the course is like by having a look at our series of articles on DAX on the excellent Simple Talk website.

Course schedule

Here are our next few DAX for Power BI course dates:

Dates Times Venue Price (excl. VAT)
19-20 Dec 09:30-16:30 Online £950 Book
13-14 Jan 09:30-16:30 Online £950 Book
03-04 Feb 09:30-16:30 Manchester £1,095 Book
13-14 Feb 09:30-16:30 Online £950 Book
03-04 Mar 09:30-16:30 Manchester £1,095 Book
Show full list of dates

Got a handful of like-minded people in your organisation? You could consider booking your own customised onsite course, whereby you get to pick the dates and venue!

Course Contents - PDF

DAX for Power BI training course contents

If you've been on our Introduction to Power BI course (or you've taught yourself how to create Power BI reports), you'll be asking yourself questions like this:

  • My financial year ends in March - how can I show this in my reports?

  • How can I compare total figures for this month with the same period last year?

  • When I drill-down to show figures for a particular region, how can I show the region name as a page title?

  • How can I show figures for each group as a percentage of the total for all groups?

Unfortunately while learning Power BI was relatively easy, you now need to understand how to create calculated columns and especially measures, which is less straightforward.  This two-day course includes:

  • What row context and filter context are, and why they are so important to understanding DAX

  • The best way to create measures and calculated columns using DAX

  • How to use the CALCULATE function to modify your filter context (and what this means)

  • Creating and using a separate calendar table to work with dates (including strategies for coping with multiple date fields)

  • Using the built in DAX date functions like TOTALYTD, SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR (and many more like this)

You should avoid this course if you're don't consider to be good with numbers!

The contents of this course are as follows:

Data model basics

  • Importing data
  • Creating a data model

Writing DAX

  • Basic DAX syntax
  • Referring to columns
  • Commenting code
  • Code layout

Calculated columns in DAX

  • Creating calculated columns
  • IF and SWITCH
  • Showing RELATED data
  • Dealing with blanks

Basic measures

  • Creating measures
  • Understanding filter context
  • Using a measures table

AggregateX Functions

  • Iterator functions
  • Aggregating expressions

The CALCULATE function

  • Manipulating filter context
  • Adding filters
  • Removing and replacing filters

Variables

  • Declaring variables
  • Returning a result
  • Debugging with variables

The FILTER function

  • Calculating a table
  • Adding filters
  • FILTER vs. CALCULATE

Filters and relationships   if time

  • Cross filter direction
  • Filter propagation
  • The CROSSFILTER function

Context transition

  • Context transition in calculated columns
  • Context transition in measures
  • Implicit context transition

Time intelligence

  • Automatic calendars
  • Time intelligence functions

Custom calendars

  • Creating custom calendars
  • Financial years
  • Multiple relationships

Dynamic measures

  • Dynamic titles
  • The SELECTEDVALUE function
  • Disconnected slicers
Please see further up this page for what you should know beforehand (if anything) in order to attend this course.

Why Choose Us?

Here are some reasons to choose Wise Owl courses:

In addition, here are some benefits unique to classroom training:

And some benefits specific to online training:

  • Courseware manual posted to you in advance
  • Free half-hour pre-course check-up included
  • Our clever system means you can use our laptops (and we can see them)

What other people have said

Our thanks to everyone who agreed to share their thoughts. All of the following reviews are from the last 3 calendar years:

"Absolutely loved the course. Fab and really engaging trainer. The pace was good and the way the courses are set up makes it really easy to follow along with the exercises. I have attended a Wise Owl course previously and found the trainer really engaging and the course really useful, so I was hopeful that I would have just as good an experience with this course - which I did :)"

Amanda Wilding (ReAssure UK Services Limited)

"This was perfect for what I needed. Content just right. I was slightly worried that it might be very dull, but it wasn't at all. Our trainer did an excellent job of making it interesting and engaging, keeping us all involved and answering various difficult questions. Felt both well prepared AND responsive. Pacing good too."

Matt Page (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health)

"Another helpful course – thank you!! An excellent trainer – very patient and friendly, and adapted the course to the audience’s needs. I love the small class size – just three this time, two last time – facilitates a much more engaging & interactive couple of days. Once I’ve got a bit more used to DAX, I plan to attend one of your Advanced Power BI courses. See you again soon!"

Faye Cowley (The Outward Bound Trust)

"I knew a little bit of DAX already but this course has given me just what I needed to continue developing my Power BI skills."

Irina Diaz (Look Ahead Care and Support)

"Our trainer ensured that we all stayed with him throughout and his pace and willingness to make DAX less like a foreign language made it a very enjoyable course. I cannot wait to put what we learnt into practice. Thank you! We had previously done the Intro to SQL and PBI courses which were also very well received - so it was a no-brainer to come back!"

Anthony Swales (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman)

There are lots more where these came from (or just refresh this page to change the quotes shown).

How our training courses work

Below are some notes on how Wise Owl courses work, to help you decide whether they're for you or not.

What you'll need

If you book on a classroom course, the only thing you need to bring to the course is ... yourself! We even provide a notepad and a suprisingly nice pen for you to take notes with.

For online training you'll need two things:

  1. A good internet connection (otherwise you'll have a frustrating time); and
  2. A second screen (a requirement, not a nice-to-have!)

You can see full details of our online course requirements here.

When you book a place

If you book a place on one of our courses:

  • For classroom courses we will send out a joining email. That's it!
  • For online courses we will get in touch to organise a half-hour pre-course check to iron out any connection problems before the course (rather than during it).

Whatever type of course you book, we will also send you out a reminder a few days before the course is due to take place - not that (we hope) you'll have forgotten!

What you won't need

For classroom training, you won't need a computer - we (obviously) will provide that. However, you're welcome to use your own laptop if you prefer, providing that you have the correct software installed.

For online training you will need a computer, but you won't need to have any software installed.  This is because you'll use Windows Remote Desktop to connect to our computers, and these will have all of the necessary files and software installed.

The start of the course

For online courses you will be able to join up to half an hour before the course begins. This will give you time to:

  • familiarise yourself with the set-up;
  • meet your trainer; and
  • get to know the other delegates!

For classroom training it's always nice if people arrive a bit early too, to give people time to meet each other (and drink coffee).

You'll be given a full colour courseware manual, an exercise booklet to go with the course and a USB stick for taking course files away (we'll post all this to you for online courses).

After the course

After the course finishes you'll receive a digital certificate proving your attendance (we will gladly send a paper copy on request also).

We don't have any formal arrangement for answering questions after the course, but if you get stuck on something and email your trainer they should (and nearly always do!) respond as quickly as their training schedule allows.

Related Courses

You might like to consider these related courses:

Advanced Power BI Reports

Advanced

2 day course

Advanced Power BI Data

Advanced

2 day course

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