Power BI - IF Function in DAX

Introduction

Power BI comes with the powerful formula language Data Analysis Expression (DAX) which allows the implementation of custom calculations. There are numerous operators and functions available in DAX. One essential DAX function is the IF function which is used for conditional calculations. In this tutorial, we will explore the IF function and show you how to use it.

Data

The data for this tutorial comes from an Excel file. In the following tutorial, we explain how to import Data from an Excel file into Power BI:

We have loaded the data into Power BI without executing any transformations. The data looks as follows:

Now, let's explore how the DAX function IF works and how to use it.

Syntax

The IF function is used to return different values based on a specific condition. It checks a given condition and returns a specific value if the condition is TRUE. If the condition is FALSE, an alternative value is returned. The syntax of the IF function looks as follows:

IF(<logical_test>, <result_if_true>, <result_if_false>)

Let's look at the components in detail:


`<logical_test>`	Any condition that can be TRUE or FALSE.
`<result_if_true>`	The value that is returned if the condition is TRUE.
`<result_if_false>`	The value that is returned if the condition is FALSE.

It is also possible to nest IFfunctions in other IF functions. This allows several conditions to be checked in sequence.

Example

Now, let's perform an example calculation with the IF function. In our example, we want to make a categorization based on the credit points.

There will be the following four classes:

Excellent: If the credit points are equal to or greater than 90.
Good: If the credit points are between 70 and 89.
Average: If the credit points are between 50 and 69.
Poor: If the credit points are below 50.

To implement this classification logic, we need three nested IF functions.

First, we create a new calculated column.

We name the calculated column "PerformanceStatus" and enter the DAX code.

Let's consider the DAX formula in detail:

PerformanceStatus = 
IF(student[creditpoints]>= 90, 
"Excellent",
   IF(student[creditpoints] >= 70, 
   "Good",
      IF(student[creditpoints] >= 50, 
      "Average", 
      "Poor"
      )
    )
)

As soon as the calculation is applied, we see the result in the column "PerformanceStatus":

We can see that there is a result for each student.

Conclusion

Congratulations! Now you are one step closer to become an AI Expert. You have learned how the IF function works and how to use it. You have also seen how to nest IF functions in other IF functions. Try it yourself!