Table of Contents

Trim Leading and Trailing Spaces from Object Names

  • 2026-01-09
  • Morten Lønskov

Overview

This best practice rule identifies objects whose names contain leading or trailing spaces. These unnecessary spaces cause DAX referencing issues, display problems, and general confusion.

  • Category: Naming Conventions
  • Severity: Low (1)

Applies To

  • Model
  • Tables
  • Measures
  • Hierarchies
  • Levels
  • Perspectives
  • Partitions
  • Provider Data Sources
  • Data Columns
  • Calculated Columns
  • Calculated Tables
  • Calculated Table Columns
  • Structured Data Sources
  • Named Expressions
  • Model Roles
  • Calculation Groups
  • Calculation Items

Why This Matters

  • DAX syntax problems: Extra spaces require careful bracket notation
  • Display inconsistency: Objects appear misaligned in field lists
  • Search difficulties: Users may not find objects when searching
  • Maintenance confusion: Developers may create duplicates not noticing spaces

When This Rule Triggers

The rule triggers when an object name starts or ends with a space:

Name.StartsWith(" ") or Name.EndsWith(" ")

How to Fix

Manual Fix

  1. In TOM Explorer, locate the object
  2. Right-click and select Rename (or press F2)
  3. Remove leading/trailing spaces
  4. Press Enter to confirm

Common Causes

Cause 1: Accidental Spacebar Presses

Accidental spacebar presses during naming.

Cause 2: Copy/Paste from External Sources

Copy/paste from documents with formatting.

Cause 3: Dublicating objects

When dublicating objects the name with have an added " copy" post-fixed. It is easy to miss deleting the space before "copy"

Example

Before Fix

Measures:
  - Total Sales
  -  Total Sales  (with spaces - appears different!)

DAX: [ Total Sales] - Which one?

After Fix

Measures:
  - Total Sales (single consistent measure)

DAX: [Total Sales] - Unambiguous

Compatibility Level

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