Power BI Date Format for Accurate Data Insights

Power BI is a powerful analytic tool. To get the most out of it, you need to pay attention to the date format. The right Power BI date format helps users to thoroughly display, interpret, and analyze their data sets. This helps in drawing insights and making informed decisions in the long run.

In this guide, you’ll find the correct date format in Power BI, why you need to change the date format, and the most common Power BI date format.

Table of Contents:

1. Understand Power BI Date Format
2. Date Data Types in Power BI
3. Date Formatting in Power BI
4. Why it is Useful to Change the Date Format in Power BI?
5. How to Change the Date Format in Power BI?
6. How to Format Dates in Power BI Reports?
7. How to Visualize Your Data Using Power BI?
8. Wrap Up

First…

Understand Power BI Date Format

Definition: Dates within visuals and reports in Power BI can be displayed using a variety of date formats. A good grasp of these formats will boost your efficiency and effectiveness when working with Power BI. Here are some things you should keep in mind when formatting dates in Power BI.

Date Data Types in Power BI

• Date: Using this method, the date is represented without the time component.
• DateTime: In this model, the date is represented along with the time component.
• DateTime zone: Using this model, the date and time are represented with the time zone information.
• Time: Here, the time of the day is represented without the date.

Date Formatting in Power BI

Power BI enables users to customize how dates are showcased in their reports and visuals ”” it offers flexibility when it comes to date formatting.

Common date formats in Power BI

• Date Only
  • yyyy/mm/dd (example: 2023/02/01)
  • mmm dd, yyyy (example: Feb 01, 2023)
  • dd-mmm-yyyy (example: 01-Feb-2023)
• Date and Time
  • yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss (example: 2023-02-01T12:30:50)
  • dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm:ss (example: 01-Feb-2023 12:30:50)
• Time Only
  • hh:mm AM/PM (example: 02:30 PM)
  • hh:mm:ss (example: 14:30:40)

Why is it Useful to Change the Date Format in Power BI?

Here are some reasons you should adjust the date formats in Power BI.

1. Improved Interpretation and Readability:

Different date formats align with other regional standards and preferences. By changing the Power BI date format, you’ll ascertain that the dates are easily understandable and familiar to the audience. This will, in turn, improve the readability of the reports – and it also makes it easy for the user to analyze and interpret the data.

2. Consistency Across Reports and Visuals:

Consistent Power BI date format, especially when using DAX format, throughout multiple reports helps in maintaining a professional appearance. It also aids in ascertaining uniformity across the visuals. If the date formats are the same across different tables and charts, the audience will easily understand that aspect of the data.

3. Customization and Visual Appeal:

Customization of the date formats helps align the dates with the visual design of the report. Users are enabled to choose Power BI date formats that align with the aesthetics of the Power BI dashboards and reports. That will result in a polished and cohesive look.

4. Facilitates Filtering and Sorting:

Adjusting the date formats can improve the filtering and sorting features of the Power BI. For instance, dates showcased as “dd-mmm-yyyy” (example: 01-Feb-2024) are typically sorted chronologically based on the date values. And that enables accurate analysis that is time-based. Proper formatting of the dates makes it easy for the user to apply date-based slicers and filters.

5. Enhanced Data Analysis:

Opting for the right Power BI date format helps you perform a more robust data analysis. For instance, when different granularities are used in formatting dates (for example: month, quarter, year), it gives room for intuitive aggregation and grouping of time-based data. It also helps in analyzing trends and making comparisons between data sets.

How to Change the Date Format in Power BI?

To change the Power BI date format, you’ll have to select your preferred date field in the visual. After that, navigate to the “Format” pane, and adjust the date format option found under “Format” or “Date category.”

Alternatively, DAX expressions can be used to create custom date formats.

The data below will be used for this illustration.

To upload the table above onto the Power BI, you’ll have to follow the steps below:

• Open your Power BI file. From the “Home” tab, click on “Enter Data.”

• Choose the first cell of the table and paste the table above.

• Click on the “Load” option to upload the data onto the Power BI. The table can be found by navigating to the “Data’ tab of the Power BI.

• From the image above, you’ll notice that the data format is “MM-DD-YYYY, HH:MM:SS.”

To change the data format, you’ll have to:

• Navigate to the “Data” tab, and choose the table to view.

• After that, navigate to the “Modeling” tab, and look out for the “Date” formatting section. It’s hidden under the “Modeling” tab.

• To activate the section, choose the “Date” column. A close look at the section shows that it has the “Date Type”- and that represents the “Date/Time” format as it can be seen from the drop-down menu. Choose the “Date” option to change the format.

• After selecting the “Date” format, the setting will be applied automatically – and only the date will be displayed in the table.

• At the moment, you’ll see the full-day name, the full month, the date, and the year. It’s somewhat lengthy.
• To change the current formatting to “DD-MM-YYYY,” click on the drop-down menu of the “Format” tab to see the list. From the list displayed, select “dd-mm-yyyy’ format.

• The format will be changed as seen below.

• Let’s say you want the time, date, month, and day to be separated, you can do that by customizing the date format. The first step is to open the “Power Query” editor.
• Navigate to the “Home” tab, and click on “Edit Queries.”

• This will open the “Power BI Query” editor.

• Select the “Add Column” in your Power Query Editor window. After that, a list of date formats will be displayed.

• Click on “Date,” and from the dropdown list, choose “Date Only.”

• You’ll notice that the data table has a “Date” column – and it’s comprised of only “date” values.

• There are also options for “Year,” “Month,” “Week,” “Day,” and “Quarter.” There are multiple options under each of these options. Here’s the list of these subcategories.

• A new column will be added to the data table, but the old data column will not be replaced. Furthermore, you can extract the “Time Only” value onto the new column. You’ll have to use the “Time” option to do that.

• When you notice the changes, click on the “Close & Apply” option found beneath the “Home” tab.

• The data will be uploaded onto the Power BI file. The new column can be seen beneath the “Data” tab.

How to Format Dates in Power BI Reports?

Using the appropriate Power BI date format helps you create clear reports and dashboards that your users will understand. You can get the most out of your Power BI date format by:

• • Use a consistent date format in all your visuals. This helps you avoid confusion.
  • Highlighting important dates on the report and dashboard.
  • Ascertaining that the dates are uniformly formatted across all the data sources.

• Troubleshooting Power BI Custom Date Format Issues

Troubleshooting your Power BI for any date format issue is easy. First, you need to ascertain that the date formatting settings are correct. Next, you’ll have to verify that the date data is formatted the right way. Finally, fit for formatting issues with the data source. You also need to make sure that the data is consistent across multiple sources.

How to Visualize Your Data Using Power BI?

Stage 1: Logging in to Power BI

• Log in to Power BI.
• Enter your email address and click the “Submit” button.

• You’ll be redirected to a Microsoft account. Enter the password and select the “Sign in” option.

• Choose to stay signed in.

• After that, the Power BI home screen will be displayed.

Stage 2: Create a Data Set and Select the Data Set to be used in the Sankey Chart.

• On the left-side menu, click on the “Create” button.
• Choose “Paste or manually enter data.”

• The sample data below will be used for this illustration.

Country	Revenue Stream	Revenue (in $)
USA	Digital Advertising Revenue	39,620,000
USA	Event Marketing Revenue	10,670,000
USA	Content Marketing Revenue	5,580,000
USA	Print & Outdoor Revenue	455,270
UK	Digital Advertising Revenue	40,710,000
UK	Event Marketing Revenue	24,770,000
UK	Content Marketing Revenue	6,330,000
UK	Print & Outdoor Revenue	552,190
DNK	Digital Advertising Revenue	47,040,000
DNK	Event Marketing Revenue	29,070,000
DNK	Content Marketing Revenue	7,740,000
DNK	Print & Outdoor Revenue	600,690
DNK	Media Relations Revenue	106,430
AUS	Digital Advertising Revenue	53,790,000
AUS	Event Marketing Revenue	38,530,000
AUS	Content Marketing Revenue	6,590,000
AUS	Print & Outdoor Revenue	9,040,000
AUS	Media Relations Revenue	6,130,000
FR	Digital Advertising Revenue	57,860,000
FR	Event Marketing Revenue	50,450,000
FR	Content Marketing Revenue	3,560,000
FR	Print & Outdoor Revenue	18,790,000
FR	Media Relations Revenue	15,460,000
IND	Digital Advertising Revenue	60,470,000
IND	Event Marketing Revenue	63,200,000
IND	Content Marketing Revenue	2,080,000
IND	Print & Outdoor Revenue	29,500,000
IND	Media Relations Revenue	30,020,000

• Paste the data table above onto the “Power Query” window. At this point, you’ll have to click on the “Create a dataset only” option.

• Navigate to the left-side menu and click on the “Data Hub’ icon. The Power BI tool will populate your data set list. In cases where you’ve not created your data set, you’ll get an error message. Next, select the “Create report” button.

• After that, click “Expand All” to see the chart metrics. Also, check the dimensions and metrics.

• Click on the “Get more visuals” option. You can also search for ChartExpo. After that, choose the Comparison Bar Chart.

• Click on “Add.”

• The Comparison Bar Chart will be displayed in the visuals list.

• Click on the License Settings to add the key. After that, the comparison bar chart will be displayed.

• The Comparison Bar Chart in Power BI will look like the image below.

Insights

• The largest total revenue is generated by India, followed by France, Australia, and Denmark.
• “Event Marketing” is the leading revenue contributor in India, while “Digital Advertising” tends to take the lead in other countries.
• There are no “Media Relations” revenue streams in countries like the UK and the US.

FAQs

What is the date format for the BI report?

Power BI date formats include yyyy/mm/dd (example: 2023/01/01), dd-mmm-yyyy (example: 01-Jan-2023), mmm dd, yyyy (example: Jan 01, 2024), or other customizable formats.

How do you specify the date in Power BI?

You can do that by using the date column from the data source. The date columns are recognized and treated like date data – and that enables data-based visualizations and calculations.

How do I fix the date format error in Power BI?

You have to make sure that the date column in the data source is correctly formatted. If you want to adjust your display format, use the “Format” pane option.

Wrap Up

Using the right Power BI date format helps make your work clear and consistent. It helps your audience to easily analyze and understand your data. By changing the date formats, you can align the data with the reporting requirements and regional preferences.

The appropriate date formats can improve readability, and simplify the process that goes into data interpretation.

Being proficient with the use of Power BI is the first step towards creating compelling visuals. Being able to change Power BI date formats is a vital piece that helps in the creation of a visually appealing presentation. The right date formats offer extra context or emphasis to the data presentation – and that comes in handy during certain visualizations and analyses.

Now you know how to change Power BI date formats, what is your most preferred date format in Power BI?