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Max in Power BI is a function used to calculate the maximum value from a given set of data or a column in a table. The process for calculating Max involves selecting the data or column, either manually or through a visual tool, and using the Max function to return the highest value. For example, if we have a sales table with monthly revenue data, we can use the Max function to find the highest revenue for a specific time period or for the entire dataset. The function can also be used in combination with other functions, such as filters, to narrow down the data and calculate the maximum value for a specific subset of data.
You can use the following syntax in DAX to calculate the max value in a column:
Max Points = MAX('my_data'[Points])
This particular example creates a new measure named Max Points that calculates the max of values in the Points column of the table named my_data.
The following example shows how to calculate the max of values in a column in Power BI in practice.
Example: How to Calculate Max in Power BI
Suppose we have the following table in Power BI named my_data that contains information about points scored by basketball players on various teams:
Suppose we would like to calculate the max value in the Points column.
To do so, click the Table tools tab along the top ribbon, then click the New measure icon:
Then type in the following formula into the formula bar:
Max Points = MAX('my_data'[Points])
This will create a new measure named Max Points that contains the max value in the Points column of the table:
If we’d like, we can display this value by going to the Report View in Power BI, then by clicking the Card icon under the Visualizations tab, then by dragging the Max Points measure under the Fields label:
This will produce the following card that displays the max value in the Points column of the table:
We can see that the max value in the Points column is 34.
Note: You can find the complete documentation for the MAX function in DAX .
Additional Resources
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in Power BI: