Data engineering and IT
DAX
Short for data analysis expressions.
- Data engineering and IT
Definition
Short for data analysis expressions. The formula language used to create measures and calculations in Power BI.
Example
A Power BI report needs a sales total that responds to selections for month and product.
See how it works
Total Sales = SUM(Sales[Amount])It totals the Amount field for the current filter context.
Illustrative DAX measure; table and column names vary by model.
Check your understanding
Common mistake: DAX is not SQL. A measure responds to filters in a report.
Why might this measure change when a month is selected?
Show explanation
The selected month changes the filter context used to evaluate the measure.
For your role
Choose your role to see what this term means in your work.
Why it matters
Measures like year-to-date sales or margin percentage in Power BI are written in DAX.
Where it is used
Power BI reports and BI analyst job descriptions.