isblank <> blank ?

[DouweMeer]

I created the following table:

selectcolumns ( 'table' , "stuff" , 'table'[A] )

I was unable to transform the column [stuff] into numbers, thus I checked the data. I created a custom column with the following boolean:

if ( iserror ( value ( [stuff] ) * 1 ) , 1 , 0 )
It appeared that the field that were not able to transform into a value were blank. Or at least, appeared to be so.

So I modified my original table reference:

selectcolumns ( 'table' , "stuff" , if ( isblank ( 'table'[A] ) , "0" , 'table'[A] ) )

This didn't work... the field were still empty.

So I checked with a new boolean.

if ( [stuff] = blank() , 1 , 0 ). 

All empty lines were returning 1 as if they were blank. If the field is blank, therefor the statement:

if ( isblank ( blank () ) , true , false )

...should return false, but it doesn't. 

How comes that if a field is considered to be 'blank' in the [field] : blank() = true, but the statement isblank ( [field] ) returns false? Because I thought the way you can split 0 and blank was by using the isblank statement... but that doesn't work apparently...

[v-shex-msft]

Hi @DouweMeer .

I'd like to suggest you take a look at below blog from @marcorusso, it mentioned how to use 'blank' value and compare with conditions in dax:

Handling BLANK in DAX 
Regards,

Xiaoxin Sheng

[DouweMeer]

@v-shex-msft , it looks like it is a linefeed character 0A:

When the editor reads a file it collects characters up until a linefeed, replaces the newline with a null (hex 00) and saves the collected characters as a line in your buffer. The point to note is that the linefeed is not saved. It is stripped on a read and added to the end of each line when the file is written.

I've reported it as a bug. 

[DouweMeer]

@v-shex-msft 

I do understand the 'blank' values, but I find it weird that in a cell that does not show a value returns me a False result when verified with isblank. 

Assumption: due to not showing a value in my table, the value is not 0, not " " and therefore it is blank. 

This line from your weblink:

IF ( ISBLANK ( BLANK () ), "true", "false" ) = true

In my report it does not return 'true' as suggested by the site, but it returns 'false'. 

Statement: Field value is not displayed in the table view, thus suggests to be blank...

Below the boolean expressions with the values returned.

if ( [stuff] == BLANK() , 1 , 0 ) = 0

if ( ISBLANK( [stuff] ) , 1 , 0 ) = 0

if ( [stuff] = BLANK() , 1 , 0 ) = 1

iferror ( if ( value ( [stuff] ) = 0 , 1 , 0 ) , 2 ) = 2

iferror ( if ( value ( trim ( [stuff] ) ) = 0 , 1 , 0 ) , 2 ) = 2

iferror ( if ( [stuff] = " " , 1 , 0 ) , 2 ) = 0

Would you be so kind and explain met how the results above do match with the logic mentioned on the webpage of the links you both posted?

[ChrisMendoza]

@DouweMeer -

Remarks from @ https://dax.guide/blank/

The BLANK value is automatically converted in case it is compared with other values.
The right way to check whether a value is BLANK is by using either the operator == or the ISBLANK function. Do not use the operator “=”.
The operator == is a “strictly equal to” operator that consider BLANK as a different value other than 0 or an empty string.
See related articles for more details.

Check out the related articles as well.

[DouweMeer]

Could it be that the imported "" from Excel (which is [stuff] ) is treated differently than 0 or blank() ?