Chapter 3. Introduction to DAX

Now that you have seen some examples of Microsoft SQL Server PowerPivot for Excel worksheets, it is time to learn the fundamentals of PowerPivot expressions. PowerPivot has its own syntax for defining calculation expressions. It is conceptually similar to an Excel expression, but it has specific functions that allow you to create more advanced calculation on data stored in multiple tables. The PowerPivot language is called Data Analysis Expressions, but we always use the shorter DAX acronym.

In this chapter, you learn the basics of DAX and also discover how to use it to solve some typical problems in business scenarios.

Understanding Calculation in DAX

Just as it does in Excel, any calculation in DAX begins with the ...

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