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What is the difference between using measures in Tableau and measures in Power BI?

Sharon Fine Point Writing
3 min readAug 7, 2024

Tutoring a Student on Measures in Tableau and one in Power BI, I came upon these differences.

1. Creation and Usage:

  • Tableau Calculations: Measures in Tableau are often created using calculated fields. These fields use Tableau’s calculation language, which is quite versatile and allows for a range of functions including mathematical, logical, and date functions.
  • Data Pane: Measures are displayed in the Data pane, typically under the “Measures” section, and can be dragged onto rows, columns, or marks.
  • Types of Calculations:
  • Row-level calculations: Perform operations on each row individually.
  • Aggregate calculations: Work on aggregated data, like sums or averages.
  • Table calculations: Execute after the data is aggregated, allowing for running totals, moving averages, etc.
  • Parameter Integration: Measures can interact with parameters for dynamic updates based on user input.

2. Visualizations:

  • Drag-and-Drop Interface: Users can easily drag measures to different parts of the visualization, such as axes, labels, colors, etc.
  • Shelf and Card System: Measures are placed on various shelves and cards (Rows, Columns, Marks, etc.) to build visualizations.

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Sharon Fine Point Writing
Sharon Fine Point Writing

Written by Sharon Fine Point Writing

Expert in Tableau, ghostwriting, IT. Loves cats, cake n Caribbean. Master's Degree-- traveled USA for years. Creative! Fun! Patient! sharonfinewriting@gmail.com

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