13. DAX: Data Analysis Expressions

13.18 VAR and RETURN in Power BI DAX with Example

By Ravindra Bagale · Last updated: 6 October 2026

Quick answer: the short, self-contained version of this lesson is the guide DAX VAR and RETURN.

First look at the data (before → after):

MoM Growth % =
VAR Cur  = [Total Sales]
VAR Prev = CALCULATE([Total Sales], DATEADD('Date'[Date], -1, MONTH))
RETURN DIVIDE(Cur - Prev, Prev)

Variables store an intermediate result, making formulas easier to read, easier to debug and often faster (a variable is calculated once, even if used several times).

Store Health =
VAR OrdersCount = [Total Orders]
VAR AvgTime = [Avg Delivery Time (mins)]
VAR CancelRate = [Cancellation Rate]
RETURN
    SWITCH(TRUE(),
        ISBLANK(OrdersCount), BLANK(),
        AvgTime <= 10 && CancelRate < 0.02, "Excellent",
        AvgTime <= 15 && CancelRate < 0.05, "Good",
        "Needs Attention")

(The thresholds are example values for practice, not industry benchmarks.)

Now look at this: rules: define variables with VAR name = expression; finish with one RETURN. A variable is evaluated where it is defined, in the context at that point – it does not change later, even inside CALCULATE.

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS(
    DarkStore[City],
    Orders[Platform],
    "Orders", [Total Orders],
    "Avg Mins", [Avg Delivery Time (mins)],
    "Cancel %", [Cancellation Rate]
)
ORDER BY [Orders] DESC

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