The Definitive Guide To DAX by Marco Russo And Alberto Ferrari - Non Fiction - Paperback

Title:
The Definitive Guide to DAX: Business intelligence for Microsoft Power BI, SQL Server Analysis Services

Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Paperback

Overview:
Now expanded and updated with modern best practices, this is the most complete guide to Microsoft’s DAX language for business intelligence, data modeling, and analytics. Expert consultants Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari guide you through every stage of building robust BI solutions, from foundational concepts to advanced modeling techniques. You’ll learn exactly what happens under the hood when a DAX expression runs, so you can write fast, reliable code that scales with your data. The edition focuses on practical, hands-on examples you can build and run in the free Power BI Desktop, making it an invaluable resource for real-world analysts and developers. You’ll discover how to leverage the powerful, expressive VAR syntax across Power BI, Excel, and Analysis Services, empowering you to craft cleaner measures, reduce maintenance, and speed up report delivery. Whether you’re new to DAX or seeking to deepen your expertise, this no-compromise guide translates complex theory into concrete, actionable techniques that elevate your entire BI workflow. Expect a thorough, user-friendly journey from data to insight.

What Makes This Book Stand Out:
What sets The Definitive Guide to DAX apart is its blend of depth and practicality. Russo and Ferrari deliver a coherent, methodical path from basic table functions to sophisticated analytical patterns, all anchored by real-world BI scenarios. The book emphasizes not only how to write DAX, but why certain approaches perform better in Power BI Desktop and Analysis Services environments. You’ll gain a deeper intuition for evaluation context, row and filter interactions, and the trade-offs involved in data modeling decisions. The edition’s attention to modern best practices ensures you’re using current functions and optimization techniques that reflect how contemporary data projects are designed and deployed. The result is a resource you can return to again and again as your data grows and your dashboards evolve.

Who This Book Is Perfect For:
Ideal for data analysts, BI developers, and Power BI practitioners who want to move beyond basics and build scalable, high-performance models. It’s equally valuable for Excel power users expanding into Power BI, SQL Server Analysis Services developers working with Tabular models, and students seeking a rigorous, practice-oriented grounding in DAX. If you’re responsible for delivering reliable analytics in organisations of any size, or you want a reference you can rely on when designing a BI architecture, this book meets you where you are and takes you further. It also makes a thoughtful gift for colleagues who are serious about data storytelling and decision support.

Key Highlights:

• In-depth guidance on writing robust DAX measures for Power BI, Excel, and SSAS
• Clear explanations of evaluation context and how DAX computes results
• Hands-on, build-and-run examples using the free Power BI Desktop
• Practical tips for model optimization and performance tuning
• Advanced usage of variables (VAR) to simplify complex logic
• Real-world BI scenarios that mirror everyday analytics challenges
• Accessible for beginners while offering valuable insights for seasoned practitioners

About the Author:
Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari are internationally recognised Microsoft BI consultants and educators known for their deep expertise in DAX, data modeling, and Power BI. Through their consulting work and education programs, they help analysts and developers craft efficient, scalable analytics solutions. Their writing combines rigorous technical detail with practical, actionable guidance drawn from real BI projects. Readers trust their clear explanations, concrete examples, and emphasis on translating theory into performance-driven results. This collaboration brings together two voices with a shared mission: to empower BI professionals to think in DAX and design analytics that inform confident decision-making.

Why You’ll Love This Book:
Owning The Definitive Guide to DAX means you have a trusted, comprehensive companion for every stage of your analytics journey. It demystifies complex concepts, provides ready-to-run examples, and offers a disciplined approach to building durable data models. Whether you’re aiming to deliver faster dashboards, reduce calculation errors, or teach others how to harness DAX effectively, this book equips you with the insights and techniques to deliver measurable value. It’s not just a reference; it’s a practical playbook for everyday BI excellence and long-term career growth in data analytics.

Please Note: The individual books included in this listing will be dispatched as per the original UK ISBN and UK edition cover image shown in the image.