BenchMark Quizzes by MDFT Pro

Create Previous Month Sales Measure In Power BI

You want to create a visual at MDFT Pro that shows monthly sales compared to the previous month’s sales. The academy’s management team uses this comparison to track sales trends and identify areas for improvement.

You have the following DAX expression:

CALCULATE(
    SUM(Sales[Amount]), 
    ____________
)

How should you complete the DAX expression to create the measure for the previous month’s sales and ensure accurate month-over-month analysis?

Choose the correct answer from the options below.

Explanations for each answer:

PARALLELPERIOD(Sales[Date], -1, MONTH) is correct. PARALLELPERIOD with -1 MONTH shifts the date range to the previous month, ideal for previous month sales.
SAMEPERIODLASTMONTH(Sales[Date]) is incorrect. There is no SAMEPERIODLASTMONTH function in DAX.
ALL(Sales[Date]) is incorrect. ALL(Sales[Date]) removes any filters from the Sales[Date] column, resulting in the calculation of total sales across all dates, not just the previous month. This does not provide a month-over-month comparison.
DATESINPERIOD(Sales[Date], MAX(Sales[Date]), -1, MONTH) is incorrect. DATESINPERIOD with MAX(Sales[Date]) as the start date creates a rolling period ending at the latest date in the current context and going back 1 month, which does not align with the exact calendar start and end dates of the previous month. This makes it unsuitable for accurate month-over-month comparisons.

Learn more about PARALLELPERIOD in Power BI:

PARALLELPERIOD Function

Exam Preparation Quiz

Create Previous Month Sales Measure In Power BI