For some simple analysis, it is very convenient to generate charts by dragging and dropping column fields in PowerBI, but you are likely to encounter that the pbix file sent to you by others, I don't know what settings have been made, and the column fields cannot be dragged and dropped.
When you directly drag and drop a column field to generate a chart, the column field will automatically perform aggregation operations, such as counting, summing, etc., which is called an implicit measure:
For a simple aggregate analysis, it has the same effect as if we were to write an explicit measure using an aggregate function.
Sometimes you can't drag and drop column fields in a file, most likely because the file uses a calculation group, you can refer to the usage of the calculation group:
PowerBI has released a blockbuster update, and this article will take you to familiarize yourself with how to use the computing group
Reports that use calculation groups have the implicit measure feature blocked by default and are not allowed to open.
If you don't see a calculation group in the report, it may be that the original author of the file has manually disabled the automatic creation of implicit measures, and you can check the status of the implicit measures in this report through the external tool Tabular Editor (see the article on calculation groups above).
打开Tabular Editor，点中左上角的Model，在右侧的options中找到“Discourage implicit measure”：
Discourage implicit measure means to prevent the automatic creation of implicit measures, and the status in the image above is True, which means that automatic creation is blocked, which is why fields cannot be dragged and dropped.
You can change True to False to enable implicit metrics.
But if you have a calculation group in your report, this prompt will appear when you want to change it to False:
Click on Details to see the reason, and it will tell you: when the model contains calculation groups, the status must be True, and it is not allowed to change to False, that is, implicit measures are not allowed.
When implicit measures are disabled, in addition to not allowing drag-and-drop column fields to directly generate charts, the following two phenomena will be encountered:
1. The aggregation icon is not displayed in front of the column field
Normally, numeric fields are preceded by an aggregation icon by default:
When the implicit metrics feature is disabled, automatic aggregation is not allowed, and the icons disappear.
2. The original chart generated by dragging and dropping column fields is not allowed to change the aggregation type
When the implicit measure feature is disabled, the aggregation is grayed out and cannot be modified.
The above is the usage and impact of implicit measures, after understanding these, you can make a report file, and then find these strange phenomena above, you will not be surprised.
While it's convenient to drag and drop column fields directly to generate charts with implicit measures, it's recommended that you disable them, as auto-generated implicit measures have a slight impact on model performance and are far less flexible than explicit measures generated by DAX.
Whether you enable or disable implicit metrics, you need to rely on the external tool Tabular Editor to achieve it, if you haven't installed it yet, you can send "TabularEditor" in the background of the PowerBI official account to get the installation package.
For more dry goods, see:
「PowerBI星球」内容合集(2023版)
PowerBI Planet Enlightenment