How to Extract the Month from a Date
How to Extract the Month from a Date, When working with date data in Power BI, being able to extract specific components—such as the month—can significantly enhance your data analysis capabilities.
In this article, we’ll explore how to extract both the month number and the month name from a date column using DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) in Power BI.
How to Extract the Month from a Date
DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is a powerful formula language used in Power BI, Excel, and other Microsoft tools. It allows users to create customized calculations and aggregations to analyze data more effectively.
Two Common Methods to Extract Month in Power BI
In Power BI, there are two primary methods you can use to extract the month from a date:
- Extracting the Month Number
- Extracting the Month Name
Let’s dive into each method step-by-step.
Method 1: Extract Month Number from Date
If you want to obtain the numerical representation of the month (e.g., January as 1, February as 2, etc.), you can use the following DAX formula.
Step 1: Open Your Table in Power BI
Ensure you have your data table ready in Power BI. For this example, let’s assume we have a table named my_data that contains a Date column.
Step 2: Create a New Column
To extract the month number:
- Navigate to the Table Tools Tab: On the top ribbon, click on the Table Tools tab.
- Select New Column: Click on the New Column icon. This prepares Power BI for creating a new calculated column.
Step 3: Input the DAX Formula
In the formula bar, enter the following DAX expression:
month = MONTH('my_data'[Date])This formula does the following:
- month: This is the name of the new column you’re creating.
- MONTH: This is the DAX function that extracts the month as a number.
- ‘my_data'[Date]: This references the Date column in your my_data table.
Once you press Enter, Power BI will create a new column named month that displays the month number corresponding to each date.
Method 2: Extract Month Name from Date
In addition to extracting the month as a number, you may wish to get the month’s name (e.g., January, February). Here’s how:
Step 1: Access the Table Again
Just as before, ensure you’re in the Power BI environment and have your my_data table open.
Step 2: Create Another New Column
To extract the month name:
- Click on the Table Tools Tab: Ensure you’re still in the Table Tools tab.
- Select New Column: Click the button for New Column.
Step 3: Use the DAX Formula for Month Name
In the formula bar, enter the following DAX expression:
month = FORMAT('my_data'[Date], "MMM")This formula will create a new column named month that contains the three-letter abbreviated month names corresponding to each date (e.g., Jan, Feb, Mar).
Notes:
- If you want to extract the full month name instead of the abbreviated version, change the
"MMM"to"MMMM"in the FORMAT function. - For complete documentation on the MONTH function and the FORMAT function in DAX, refer to Microsoft’s official resources.
Conclusion
By following the methods detailed above, you can effortlessly extract the month number and month name from date values in Power BI using DAX.
Mastering these techniques will allow you to enhance your data analysis and create insightful reports.
Whether you’re analyzing sales trends, customer engagement, or any time-based data, extracting month information can help you present your findings more clearly.
