Table of Contents

Calculation Groups Should Contain Items

  • 2026-01-09
  • Morten Lønskov

Overview

This best practice rule identifies calculation groups that contain no calculation items. Empty calculation groups serve no purpose and should be populated or removed.

  • Category: Maintenance
  • Severity: Medium (2)

Applies To

  • Calculation Groups

Why This Matters

  • Deployment errors: Empty groups may fail validation in Power BI Service
  • Model errors: Can cause unexpected behavior in DAX calculations
  • Developer confusion: Team members waste time investigating incomplete structures
  • Performance overhead: Engine processes unnecessary metadata

When This Rule Triggers

The rule triggers when a calculation group has zero calculation items:

CalculationItems.Count == 0

How to Fix

Option 1: Add Calculation Items

If the calculation group has a valid business purpose:

  1. In TOM Explorer, expand the calculation group table
  2. Expand the Calculation Group column
  3. Right-click and select Add Calculation Item
  4. Define the calculation item expression

Option 2: Delete the Calculation Group

If no longer needed:

  1. In TOM Explorer, locate the calculation group table
  2. Right-click the table
  3. Select Delete

Common Causes

Cause 1: Incomplete Development

Calculation group created during planning but not yet implemented.

Cause 2: Migration from Other Models

Calculation group structure copied without items.

Cause 3: Refactoring

All calculation items moved to a different calculation group.

Example

Before Fix

Calculation Group: Time Intelligence
  Items: (none)  ← Problem

After Fix

Calculation Group: Time Intelligence
  Items:
    - Current Period: SELECTEDMEASURE()
    - Year-to-Date: CALCULATE(SELECTEDMEASURE(), DATESYTD('Date'[Date]))
    - Prior Year: CALCULATE(SELECTEDMEASURE(), SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR('Date'[Date]))

Compatibility Level

This rule applies to models with compatibility level 1200 and higher.

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