How to Copy Measures in Power BI

Copying measures in Power BI should be simple, but it can quickly become repetitive if you're not using the right approach. Creating variations of a core calculation - like time intelligence functions for Month-to-Date or Year-to-Date - can lead to a lot of tedious clicking and pasting. This guide will walk you through several effective methods for duplicating measures, from the straightforward manual copy to a much faster technique using external tools.

Why Copy Measures in the First Place?

Duplicating DAX measures is a common task for a few key reasons. It saves time, ensures consistency, and helps you build more complex reports without starting from scratch every time.

Here’s why you'll find yourself needing to copy measures:

• Creating Time Intelligence Variations: This is the most common use case. You have a core measure like [Total Sales] and need to create versions for different time periods: [Total Sales MTD] (Month-to-Date), [Total Sales QTD] (Quarter-to-Date), and [Total Sales YTD] (Year-to-Date). Copying the base measure is the foundation for each of these new calculations.
• Building on Similar Logic: You might need a measure for [Total Profit] that follows the same logic as your [Total Sales] measure. Instead of rewriting the entire DAX expression, you can copy the original, swap out the necessary columns or measures (e.g., replace SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]) with SUM(Sales[ProfitAmount])), and you’re done in seconds.
• Testing and Experimentation: When you want to try a new approach to a complex calculation without breaking your existing report, duplicating the measure is a lifesaver. You can create a copy, modify it freely, and compare the results side-by-side with the original before making any final decisions.
• Maintaining Consistency: For teams working on a single Power BI project, having base measures that can be easily copied and adapted ensures everyone uses the same foundational logic. This reduces errors and keeps reports consistent across the entire organization.

Method 1: The Manual Copy-Paste

This is the most direct and common method for copying a measure. While it's not the fastest for duplicating dozens of measures, it's perfect for when you only need to copy one or two.

The process is simple and requires only a few clicks inside Power BI Desktop.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Select the Source Measure: In the Data pane on the right side of Power BI Desktop, find and click on the measure you want to copy. This will make its DAX formula appear in the formula bar at the top.
2. Copy the DAX Formula: Click inside the formula bar and copy the entire DAX expression. The easiest way is to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + A to select all the text, followed by Ctrl + C to copy it.
3. Create a New Measure: Now, you need a new, "empty" measure to paste the formula into. Right-click on the table where you want the new measure to live and select New measure. You can also click the New Measure button in the ribbon under the Table Tools tab.
4. Paste and Rename: Power BI will create a new measure named "Measure =" by default. Delete that text, paste your copied DAX formula using Ctrl + V, and most importantly, give your new measure a unique name. Change Measure = to something descriptive like Total Sales YTD =.

For example, if you copy this formula:

Total Sales = SUM('Sales'[SalesAmount])

You would create a new measure and modify it like this:

Total Sales YTD = 
CALCULATE(
    [Total Sales],
    DATESYTD('Date'[Date])
)

When to use this method: Ideal for quick, one-off duplicates or when you're just learning DAX. It's intuitive and doesn’t require anything beyond basic Power BI skills.

Limitations: This method becomes incredibly slow and repetitive if you need to create variations for more than a couple of measures. Repeating this a dozen times is a surefire way to waste an hour of your day.

Method 2: Use an External Tool like Tabular Editor

When you need to copy multiple measures at once, external tools are the way to go. Tabular Editor is the most popular and powerful tool for managing Power BI data models, and it makes duplicating measures incredibly efficient. You can use Tabular Editor 2 (the free version) for this task.

First, you need to make sure you have it installed and enabled in Power BI Desktop. You can download it from tabular-editor.com. Once installed, it will appear under the External Tools tab in the ribbon.

How to Copy Measures with Tabular Editor

Single Measure Duplication

Copying a single measure is much quicker here than the manual method.

1. Open Tabular Editor from the External Tools tab in Power BI. It will automatically connect to your open PBIX file's data model.
2. In the Tabular Editor window, navigate to the table containing your measure.
3. Right-click the measure you want to copy and select Duplicate.
4. A copy will appear with a '1' appended to the name. Immediately rename it in the Properties pane.
5. Click File > Save (or Ctrl+S) in Tabular Editor. The changes will instantly sync back to your Power BI Desktop file.

Bulk Copying Measures

This is where Tabular Editor truly shines. Let's say you have five base measures (Sales, Cost, Profit, Quantity, Transactions) and you need to create YTD variations for all of them. Doing this manually would be a slog. With Tabular Editor, it takes seconds.

1. Navigate to your measures in Tabular Editor.
2. Select all the measures you want to create copies of (hold Ctrl and click each one).
3. Right-click on the selected measures and click Duplicate.
4. This will create duplicates of all selected measures. You can then quickly rename each one.

But the real power comes from scripting...

Advanced Bulk Operations with C# Scripts

Tabular Editor has an Advanced Scripting window that lets you automate changes with C# code. Don't worry if you're not a coder - you can follow a simple pattern.

Here’s a script that finds every selected measure, creates a copy, renames it with a " YTD" suffix, and wraps the original formula in a CALCULATE with DATESYTD logic.

1. In Tabular Editor, select the base measures you want to create YTD versions for.
2. Open the Advanced Scripting window.
3. Paste this script:

foreach(var m in Selected.Measures) {
    // Define the new name for the YTD measure
    var newName = m.Name + " YTD",

    // Define the new DAX formula
    var newDax = "CALCULATE(\n    [" + m.Name + "],\n    DATESYTD('Date'[Date])\n)",

    // Add the new measure to the same table
    m.Table.AddMeasure(newName, newDax),
}

1. Click the Run Script button (the green play icon).

Just like that, you've created all your YTD measures. Save your changes back to Power BI, and they'll all be there. You can easily adapt this script for MTD, QTD, or any other repetitive logic.

When to use this method: When you need to duplicate more than a small handful of measures. It is the gold standard for efficiency and scalability in Power BI development.

Best Practices for Managing Your Copied Measures

Once you start creating dozens of measures, your data model can get cluttered and confusing. Good organization is essential.

Use Consistent Naming Conventions

Adopt a clear and logical naming scheme so anyone (including future you) can understand what a measure does at a glance.

• Base Measures: Give them simple names, like [Total Sales] or [Customer Count].
• Time Intelligence: Use consistent suffixes like [Total Sales YTD], [Total Sales MTD].
• Variations: If you're comparing against the previous year, use a suffix like [Total Sales PY] (Previous Year).

Organize Measures into Display Folders

Folders are a fantastic way to group related measures. Imagine having all your "Sales" measures in one folder and "Marketing" measures in another.

You can create these folders in two ways:

1. In the Model View: In Power BI Desktop, go to the Model view, select one or more measures in the Data pane, and type a folder name into the Display folder property in the Properties pane. Hit Enter, and the folder will be created.
2. In Tabular Editor: Select your measures, find the Display Folder property, and type the name of the folder you want them in. This is much faster for organizing many measures at once.

Add Comments to Your DAX

For complex logic, especially in measures you've copied and adjusted, add comments explaining what the code is doing or why you made a specific change. This helps with future troubleshooting and collaboration.

You can add a single-line comment with // or a multi-line comment with /* ... */.

// This measure calculates sales only for our top-tier customers
Premium Customer Sales = 
CALCULATE(
    [Total Sales],
    KEEPFILTERS('Customers'[Tier] = "Premium") 
)

Final Thoughts

Whether you choose the simple manual copy-paste for a quick fix or embrace the efficiency of Tabular Editor for large-scale DAX development, knowing how to properly copy and manage your measures is a fundamental skill. Using a structured approach will save you time, reduce errors, and keep your Power BI reports clean, organized, and easy to maintain.

The time spent doing repetitive manual work in tools like Power BI is exactly what we created Graphed to solve. Instead of wrestling with DAX, duplicating measures, and carefully building each visualization, you can connect your data sources and simply ask for what you need in plain English - like "create a dashboard showing sales trends YTD compared to last year." We build the dashboards live and handle the calculations, so you can skip straight to getting answers instead of getting stuck on a DAX formula.