Displaying Duration in visuals

[vanessafvg]

I am using an MDX cube with a direct connection so i am unable to calculate duration.  Also using Power BI Report server if that makes any difference.   There is no duration data type as far as I know.  What is the best way to display this, using text is obviously not the ideal.

Just wondering what other people have been doing?

[Greg_Deckler]

Yeah, it's an issue that I have been discussing for like two years now, the lack of a true duration data type or format display in DAX. Generally, you have to do things as discussed in this article:

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Community-Blog/Aggregating-Duration-Time/ba-p/22486

Obviously it ends up as text, which is the issue I've discussed with the product team at the last MVP conference. 

I also have a Quick Measure for doing the reverse:

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Quick-Measures-Gallery/Duration-to-Seconds-Converter/m-p/342279

[vanessafvg]

@Greg_Deckler - thanks problem is im using a direct connection to a multi dimensional cube, any suggestions around that

[Greg_Deckler · Accepted solution]

Yeah, unfortunately live connections to multidimensional MDX cubes do not support either DAX calculated columns or DAX calculated measures.

[Greg_Deckler]

Oh shoot, you did say that. Let me see if I can work up a way to do it with valid DAX functions in DirectQuery.

[vanessafvg]

@Greg_Deckler sorry thats live query connection to SSAS MDX, so i have 0 control  of creating any measure too.. guess it will have to be text then?