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PL-300 · 2.1.4 · Model the data

Common date table

Create a common date table

Use one shared so time filters behave consistently across the model.

One calendar for the model

Power BI Model view showing related tables in a semantic model, including the kind of date relationships a dedicated date table supports.

A gives every the same definitions for year, quarter, month, and day. Its date column should contain one unique, nonblank row for every date in a continuous range.

Choose how to create it

Use CALENDAR when you want explicit start and end dates. Use when the model's date columns should determine the range. is different: it creates separate hidden instead of one reusable dimension.

Why the date table matters

Power BI report matrix showing time-intelligence results such as year-over-year calculations.

A shared date table gives time-intelligence one consistent date path and lets multiple fact tables respond to the same . Mark it as a date table when classic time-intelligence behavior requires it.

Exam clue: reusable calendar across facts = common date table; hidden calendar per date column = Auto date/time.

Key points

  • Date column: unique, continuous, and nonblank
  • CALENDAR: explicit start and end dates
  • : derives range from model dates
  • Mark as : required for classic

Click an underlined term for a one-line explanation, or see them all in the glossary .

Exam trap

creates separate hidden , not one reusable common date dimension.

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