Power BI Function: Convert Date Field to Text with Concatenation

This document outlines how to create a DAX expression in Power BI that converts a date field into a text string, concatenating it with another text field. This approach is commonly needed for reporting or data visualization purposes where more descriptive labels are required.

1. Function Overview

Purpose

The function will:

• Convert a date field into a text string.
• Concatenate this text string with another specified text field.

Parameters

• DateField: A date column from the data model that you want to convert to text.
• TextField: A text column that you want to concatenate with the converted date.

Return Type

• The function returns a string that consists of the formatted date and text.

2. DAX Code Implementation

Below is the DAX code needed to create the desired functionality:

ConcatenateDateAndText = 
VAR FormattedDate = 
    FORMAT(DateField, "YYYY-MM-DD")  // Convert the date to string in 'YYYY-MM-DD' format
RETURN
    CONCATENATE(FormattedDate, TextField)  // Concatenate formatted date and the text field

Explanation

• FORMAT(DateField, "YYYY-MM-DD"): This line converts the DateField to a string in the format of Year-Month-Day.
• CONCATENATE(FormattedDate, TextField): This function concatenates the formatted date string with the provided text field.

3. Input Validation

• Ensure that the DateField contains valid date entries.
• TextField should be a valid text column to avoid runtime errors.

4. Example Usage

Scenario

Imagine you have a dataset containing sales data, and you want to create a new column that contextualizes the sale date along with the product name.

Example Code

Assuming the dataset has columns SaleDate (Date) and ProductName (Text), you would use:

SalesInformation = 
VAR FormattedSaleDate = 
    FORMAT(Sales[SaleDate], "YYYY-MM-DD")  // Format the date
RETURN
    CONCATENATE(FormattedSaleDate, " - " & Sales[ProductName])  // Concatenate with product name

5. Conclusion

This DAX expression can be easily integrated into your Power BI model, enabling you to present date values in a more readable, informative manner by combining them with descriptive text fields. For more advanced data preparation techniques and DAX behaviors, consider exploring the Enterprise DNA platform for further learning resources.

By following this structured approach, you ensure your DAX expressions are efficient, maintainable, and adhere to best practices.