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Time Intelligence

DAX Time Intelligence

YTD, YoY, and period comparisons across calendar dimensions.

Syntax Definition:
TOTALYTD( Expr, Dates ), SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR( Dates ), DATEADD( ... )

Overview

Time Intelligence functions simplify temporal calculations: Year-to-Date, Month-over-Month, and moving averages.

Architectural Deep Dive

Time intelligence requires a contiguous Date table without missing days marked as a Date table in Power BI. Functions like SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR shift active date filters back 12 months, allowing effortless period comparisons.

Canonical Pattern Example:

Revenue Prior Year = 
CALCULATE(
    [Total Revenue],
    SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR('Date'[Date])
)

Common Anti-Patterns & Mistakes to Avoid

  • Running time intelligence functions against Sales[Date] (fact table) instead of a dedicated contiguous Date table.
  • Date gaps breaking the internal VertiPaq calendar mapping.
Interactive Challenge

Put DAX Time Intelligence into practice

Solve "Year-To-Date Revenue" in our interactive Monaco editor with live dataset verification.