Power BI Blog: Model Explorer in Preview Part 2

Welcome back to
this week’s edition of the Power BI blog series.  This week, we look at how to add new
calculation items to calculation groups and create relationships with the Model
explorer now in Preview.

The Model explorer has
recently been made available for public Preview in the Model view.  You can see all your dataset semantic
modelling objects in one place and easily navigate between them. 

An additional Properties
pane now shows for the dataset semantic model.

Last time, we
looked at how to create calculation groups:

Once the calculation
group has been created, you are landed directly in the first calculation item
to define the DAX expression you want to apply to your existing
measures.

You can alter this DAX expression in the DAX Formula bar.  Optionally, you may also add a dynamic format
string to the calculation item from the Properties pane.

New calculation
items can be created from the context menu (right-click) of the ‘Calculation
items’ node or the calculation group, and in the Properties pane of the ‘Calculation
items’ node.

Controlling the
order of the calculation items may be defined in the ‘Calculation items’ node Properties
pane or using the context menu (right-click) of the calculation items
themselves.

Another option also
now available from the Model explorer is the ability to create relationships in
the Properties pane.  Just like ‘Edit
relationships’ in the Properties pane, this allows you to simply change table
and columns without previewing data or validating until you click ‘Apply change’.  This experience is now available to create
relationships too: simply choose a new relationship from the Model explorer ‘Relationships’
node.

This will show an
empty relationship Properties pane to fill out and then apply when ready.

The Model explorer
does show you other modelling features that do not yet have authoring paths in Power
BI Desktop.  These features are
perspectives and cultures.  These will
still need to be authored outside of Desktop throughout XMLA write external
tools or through XMLA directly.

These features are
available in the latest version of Power BI Desktop.  To use them, switch on the Model explorer
public Preview switch: go to File -> Options and settings -> Options
-> Preview features in the GLOBAL section.

In the meantime, please remember we offer training in Power BI which you can find out more about here.  If you wish to catch up on past articles, you can find all of our past Power BI blogs here.