What's the difference between modeling in a PBI desktop and Edit Queries?

[ted_kim]

Hello! Power BI community members?

If you look at the Modeling tab of the PBI Desktop, there are features such as New table, Data type change, and so on.

These are features that overlap with the features of Edit Queries.

What is the difference between performing a function on a PBI Desktop and performing it within the Edit Queries?

I searched the Internet a lot, but I couldn't find it...

Please I need your wisdom...

[Gordonlilj · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Creating a calculated table in the report/data view (using new table under modeling) lets you create a table using dax with functions such as GENERATESERIES or DATATABLE  where in the query editor you use M language.

Here is a link with information about calculated tables:

Using calculated tables in Power BI Desktop

The query editor is used for building queries and transforming the data, calculated tables created using new table under modeling won't be available inside the query editor.

Regarding changing data type. I don't believe there is much difference between the two except that you have more visual options with modeling on the report/data view and inside the query editor you have the ability to use M language.

[sdjensen]

There shouldn't be much difference in performance between using a calculated table and a table created with the query editor (Power Query). Both is populated during data refresh.

I however have a clear personal preference towards keeping all my data creation in the query editor and only do calculated table if this is the only way to solve the problem I am facing. There is several reasons for this, but the major reason is that I know where to look when returning to an old model to fix a problem perhaps 6 months or even years after I created it - I know that if the issue is with data in a table I only need to troubleshoot in query editor, hence I only create data here.

[danno]

The point is that if you add tables into powerbi using DAX then you bind them to the report. If you have an external data source for the table then you would be able to modify the table outside of Power BI report and refresh, also enabling that table to be used in other reports.