Module 2 · DAX and the numbers that matter Lesson 4 of 15
Measures versus calculated columns
A calculated column is stored once per row and grows with the table; a measure is computed at the moment you look at it. Totals and percentages almost always belong in a measure.
Worked example
A "profit margin" calculated column gives you the average of the per-row margins, which is not the margin. As a measure — total profit divided by total sales — it gives the number a manager expects.
Your practice task
Build one of each for the same figure, put them on a card side by side, and find the difference in a filtered view.
Do this before moving on. Reading a solution teaches the shape of it; typing it teaches you.
Key takeaway
A calculated column is stored once per row and grows with the table; a measure is computed at the moment you look at it. Totals and percentages almost always belong in a measure.
Keep your place in this course
A free account saves which lessons you have finished and unlocks the certificate. The lesson itself stays free to read.
Create free account or sign inCourse complete
You finished every lesson.
Your certificate is ready, and the projects you built are the proof to attach to an application.
Almost there
15 lessons left of 15
Finish every lesson to unlock the certificate. Each one ends in a practice task — do them and the final project brief writes itself.