Information Functions in Power BI

Information functions are a set of functions in Power BI that allow you to extract information about data values or data structures. These functions can be used to check if a value exists, identify data types, and retrieve metadata about tables and columns.

With information functions, you can perform tasks such as filtering tables to show only rows that contain text values, calculating the number of columns or rows in a table, and referencing a specific column or table in a formula.

These functions are particularly useful when working with large datasets, where you may need to identify missing or incomplete data, or when you need to retrieve metadata about tables and columns in your data model.

Some commonly used information functions in Power BI include ISBLANK, ISTEXT, ISNUMBER, COLUMNS, ROWS, COLUMN, and TABLE. These functions can help you extract valuable information about your data, which can lead to insights and informed decision-making.

Overall, information functions are an important part of the Power BI toolset and can be used to efficiently and effectively analyze and visualize data. By mastering these functions, you can gain a better understanding of your data and make more informed decisions based on the insights you uncover.

Here are some of the most commonly used information functions in Power BI:

ISBLANK: This function returns TRUE if a value is blank or NULL, and FALSE otherwise. This function is particularly useful when you need to check if a value is missing or not. For example, you could use this function to check if a customer's email address is missing:

1. ISBLANK([Email Address])
2. If the email address is missing, this formula returns TRUE.

ISTEXT: This function returns TRUE if a value is text, and FALSE otherwise. This function can be used to filter or aggregate text values in your data. For example, you could use this function to filter a table to show only rows where the "Status" column contains text values:

1. ISTEXT([Status])
2. This formula returns TRUE for rows where the "Status" column contains text values.

ISNUMBER: This function returns TRUE if a value is a number, and FALSE otherwise. This function can be used to filter or aggregate numerical values in your data. For example, you could use this function to filter a table to show only rows where the "Quantity" column contains numerical values:

1. ISNUMBER([Quantity])
2. This formula returns TRUE for rows where the "Quantity" column contains numerical values.

COLUMNS: This function returns the number of columns in a table. This function is useful when you need to know the number of columns in a table, for example, when you are creating a measure that calculates a ratio or percentage:

1. COLUMNS(Table)
2. This formula returns the number of columns in the specified table.

ROWS: This function returns the number of rows in a table. This function is useful when you need to know the number of rows in a table, for example, when you are creating a measure that calculates an average or median:

1. ROWS(Table)
2. This formula returns the number of rows in the specified table.

COLUMN: This function returns a column from a table. This function is useful when you need to reference a specific column in a formula, for example, when you are calculating a total or a count:

1. COLUMN(Table, "Column Name")
2. This formula returns the specified column from the specified table.

TABLE: This function returns a table from the current data model. This function is useful when you need to reference a specific table in a formula, for example, when you are creating a measure that aggregates data from multiple tables:

1. TABLE("Table Name")
2. This formula returns the specified table from the data model.

In conclusion, information functions are a powerful tool for working with data in Power BI. By using these functions, you can extract valuable information about your data, which can help you make informed decisions and gain insights into your business. Whether you are a data analyst or a business professional, mastering these functions is an essential part of using Power BI effectively.