iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

A simple daily average can mask complexity that isn't immediately apparent. In this article and video, we explore several edge-case scenarios to meet different requirements, using AI to speed up development. www.sqlbi.com/articles/the-hidden-c… #powerbi

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I have a free online session about VertiPaq on Saturday, September 26, 10:00 UTC (11:00am GMT, 12:00pm CEST, 6:00am EST). If you think Direct Lake is the new kid in town, well, internally it's always VertiPaq after transcoding... so... no excuses! Agenda/registration at retrodata.live

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Good news, everyone. The meeting about protecting focus time was well attended. Do you need focus time to focus on your focus time? Wrong answers only!

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

If you teach/demo... Prepare a presentation for SQLBI Whiteboard: - Create a .wimport file with the text, code, and bitmap to include - Open it with SQLBI Whiteboard - Start the presentation, highlight and mark elements There is also an export to PDF/PPTX! whiteboard.sqlbi.com

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

A DAX calculation can produce good values at any level but not at the total; the issue could be the granularity. This article+video introduce four levels of granularity that should be identified before writing your DAX formula. www.sqlbi.com/articles/writing-dax-…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

CTRL+V: paste DAX code F6: Format it Highlight the code and teach. Also with SQL. Interested in other languages? SQLBI Whiteboard, free, open-source. whiteboard.sqlbi.com · Microsoft Store: apps.microsoft.com/detail/9NN5N0L2T… · GitHub: github.com/sql-bi/SQLBI-Whiteboard

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Do you think Direct Lake is the future? It's all about VertiPaq after transcoding! Join my free session on VertiPaq: Sept 26, 10:00 UTC. No excuses! Register now: retrodata.live #VertiPaq

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

SQLBI Whiteboard can capture any running app onto the canvas: this is a live Power BI report. Freeze the frame, annotate, teach. Free, MIT-licensed, boards are local files. whiteboard.sqlbi.com

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Update: Microsoft postponed the retirement of the standalone Whiteboard apps — new date: 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. After that date: installed apps "display a retirement experience instead of opening." So: one more month. The free, open-source replacement isn't going anywhere:

whiteboard.sqlbi.com

SQLBI Whiteboard

A native Windows 11 whiteboard for teaching DAX, SQL, and data modeling, with pen, touch, and live application capture.

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

"The standalone Windows, iOS, and Android apps retire on September 14, 2026." — Microsoft's own migration page, today. The replacement is already on the Microsoft Store: free, open source, native Windows 11. whiteboard.sqlbi.com

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

During an eclipse, something small hides something enormous for a few minutes, and nobody can see the big thing. Happens to your data model every other day, right?

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

This article+video shows how to leverage AI to refactor existing DAX code, remove duplicated parts, and centralize the common code in user-defined functions. #dax #powerbi #udf www.sqlbi.com/articles/creating-dax…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The new default visual style in Power BI does not have alternate colors, but you can get it back! #powerbi www.sqlbi.com/blog/marco/2026/08/10…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

DAX user-defined functions (UDFs) are now available on Azure Analysis Services. Do you think there are missing articles about using DAX UDFs? Should I create one about Analysis Services (Azure and on-prem)? www.sqlbi.com/dax-user-defined-func… *SOTA = state of the art

sqlbi.com

DAX user-defined functions (UDF) - SQLBI

This page groups articles, videos, tools, and additional material for using DAX user-defined functions (UDFs). Articles List of articles about DAX user-defi

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Visual calculations can either improve or degrade the performance of a report. In this article + video, we show how to ensure visual calculations have a positive impact on performance. #dax #visualcalc #powerbi www.sqlbi.com/articles/analyzing-th…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Everyone is talking about movie formats right now, and IMAX gets the votes because it shows the bigger picture. Should your reports get an IMAX format too?

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

This article and video describe how to apply different formatting rules at each level of a hierarchy in Power BI using ISINSCOPE in a measure or ISATLEVEL in a visual calculation. #dax #powerbi www.sqlbi.com/articles/dynamic-form…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝟮.𝟬 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲! We completely redesigned it to make it easier and faster to create custom maps for Synoptic Panel in Power BI. Watch the video to see it in action, then create your next custom map at synoptic.design #PowerBI #DataVisualization #SynopticPanel

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

It's Saturday. Name a DAX function that doesn't exist but absolutely should. Wrong answers only. 😎 I'll start: MAKENOMISTAKES().

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

In this article+video, we implement a DAX user-defined function that removes filter-keep column filters from a calendar, using REMOVEFILTERS as the return value of the function. #dax #calendar #daxudf #powerbi www.sqlbi.com/articles/using-remove…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

This article/video describes how to define optional parameters in DAX user-defined functions and set default values for parameters not specified by the caller. #dax #powerbi #udf www.sqlbi.com/articles/optional-par…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

We introduced comics to the SQLBI Newsletter almost one year ago. Lately, they are starting to realize they are not real. How do you know you are not in a simulation? Wrong answers only! 😎

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

ALL, ALLSELECTED, ALLEXCEPT, and REMOVEFILTERS: There are several DAX functions to remove filters from the filter context. This article + video clarifies what to use depending on the requirements. #dax #powerbi www.sqlbi.com/articles/all-vs-allse…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

This article+video describes the Expression Context property, explaining how 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿-𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝘀 work, how to use them as 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝘀 for localization and custom security. #powerbi #dax www.sqlbi.com/articles/introducing-…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

A slicer cannot filter a measure. This article+video analyzes this common request by explaining how to use a slicer to filter a measure, after discussing the real meaning of using a measure with a slicer. #powerbi #dax www.sqlbi.com/articles/filtering-me…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

This article+video describes the parameter types available in DAX user-defined functions, focusing on the specialized reference types MEASUREREF, COLUMNREF, TABLEREF, and CALENDARREF. #dax #powerbi www.sqlbi.com/articles/understandin…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Visual calculations can be used efficiently to format visuals. This article and video present an interesting technique to highlight a row based solely on the maximum value in the last column. www.sqlbi.com/articles/using-visual… #powerbi #dax

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

If you are in Houston or you go there on April 26, 2026, don't miss the SQL Saturday that has many sessions about Power BI and Fabric. Of course, with a lot of AI, but we can take it for granted from now on.

sqlsaturday.com

Houston Ai-Lytics Day 2026 (#1137)

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

We recorded an unplugged session to talk about the third edition of the 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗔𝗫 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲: what changed, what is new, and a few behind-the-scenes moments. www.sqlbi.com/blog/marco/2026/04/01…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Should you use DAX user-defined functions (UDFs) or calculation groups? The question is legit; the answer is that both have a role. Video and article: www.sqlbi.com/articles/dax-user-def… #powerbi #dax #udf

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

The 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of the 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗔𝗫 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 course is 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲! - new features: UDFs, calendars, visual calcs - smoother learning path - launch offer available until April 3 Read more details in the official announcement! www.sqlbi.com/articles/mastering-da…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

I'll be speaking about DAX User Defined Functions in Berlin on June 16, 2026, at 18:00 local time. RSVP: www.meetup.com/berlin-power-bi-user… If you want more: 3-day DAX in Berlin on June 15-17: www.sqlbi.com/p/mastering-dax-works…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Learn how to transform the like-for-like pattern in a model-independent function so you can easily reuse it. Article + video on SQLBI. #dax #udf #powerbi www.sqlbi.com/articles/creating-fun…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗔𝗫 is the new course just released to 𝗦𝗤𝗟𝗕𝗜+ subscribers:over 𝟮.𝟱 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 and a 𝗣𝗗𝗙 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿. More details in the 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁: www.sqlbi.com/blog/marco/2026/03/04…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Use the TOJSON and TOCSV functions to inspect the content of intermediate table variables when debugging a DAX measure. Article + video available! #powerbi #dax www.sqlbi.com/articles/debugging-da…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

The new calendar-based time intelligence functions offer greater flexibility than the classic ones. Learn DATEADD parameters for controlling different granularity shifts. #dax #powerbi www.sqlbi.com/articles/understandin…

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Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

This article+video shows how to create a DAX measure that displays information from multiple columns in a transaction into a single column of a matrix. Showing more in less space! #powerbi #dax www.sqlbi.com/articles/show-transac…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Power BI Desktop is showing black icons for many users due to a WebView2 regression. I wrote a short article explaining the issue and a safe workaround. www.sqlbi.com/blog/marco/2026/01/24…

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

"It depends" is the only 100% accurate answer in Business Intelligence. What is your “it depends” KPI? This comic from SQLBI Newsletter #311: www.sqlbi.com/nl/v/2444

Marco Russo @marcorus.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

News about The Definitive Guide to DAX, Third Edition. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟯 is available as a 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 (𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗗𝗙). The 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 of the book is now available on Amazon in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴. www.sqlbi.com/books/the-definitive-…