What NOT TO DO in DAX
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
In this session you will learn what things should not be done in DAX to avoid performance issues and incorrect calcuations
Session Details
DAX is a hard language. Tabular is a very fast engine but bad DAX practices can turn its performance into bad. Understanding how to avoid known pitfalls will reduce this risk. In this session the most dangerous practices will be examined, reasons for the bad perfomance explained and alternatives provided so to take the best out of Tabular and DAX in Power BI, Power Pivot and Analysis Services.
3 things you'll get out of this session
- identify bad practices in DAX
- understand the reason why they are bad practices
- find alternative ways to get to target avoiding the bad practices
Speakers
Francesco Bergamaschi's other proposed sessions for 2026
Calendar-based Time Intelligence in Power BI - 2026
Understanding CALCULATE, the queen of all DAX functions - 2026
Understanding DAX Pillars - 2026
User-Defined Functions (UDFs) in Power BI: overview and applications - 2026
Table Functions in DAX - 2026
Visual Calculation vs Measures in Power BI: which to choose, when and why - 2026