Difference between a calculated column and a measure

Question

Tuhin Paul · Answer

Use Case Calculated Column : Use when you need to compute a value for each row in a table. Examples: Adding a column to categorize rows (e.g., "High", "Medium", "Low" based on a threshold). Creating a column that combines two fields (e.g., concatenating first name and last name). Measure : Use when you need to aggregate data or compute values dynamically based on user interactions. Examples: Calculating the total sales for a selected region. Computing the average price of products in a category. Creating a ratio (e.g., profit margin). Performance Calculated Column : Can impact performance during data refresh if the table has a large number of rows. Since the values are precomputed, they do not affect the performance of visualizations. Measure : Does not impact data refresh performance. Can impact visualization performance if the measure involves complex calculations or large datasets.

Tuhin Paul · Answer

When Is It Calculated? Calculated Column : Calculated columns are computed when the data is loaded or refreshed. Once calculated, the values are static and stored in the table. Measure : Measures are calculated dynamically at runtime, based on the filters, slicers, and context applied in the report or visualization. Storage Calculated Column : Stored in memory as part of the table. Consumes additional storage space because the values are precomputed for every row. Measure : Not stored in memory as part of the table. Consumes minimal storage since the calculation is performed on demand.

Tuhin Paul · Answer

In tools like Microsoft Power BI , Excel PivotTables , or other data modeling platforms, both calculated columns and measures are used to perform calculations on your data. Calculated Column : A calculated column is a new column added to a table in your data model. It is computed row by row for each record in the table. The result is stored as part of the table and behaves like any other column. Measure : A measure is a dynamic calculation that is evaluated at the time of use, based on the context of the visualization or report. It does not add a new column to the table; instead, it calculates aggregated values (e.g., sums, averages, counts) dynamically.