Power BI Update: ‘Measures’ as a Reserved Word – What You Need to Know

Introduction

With the new release of Power BI in February 2025, many users have encountered unexpected changes in functionality and it now enforces reserved word naming of tables. One such issue surfaced in mid-2021 when users began experiencing errors while naming a table "Measures." This suggests that "Measures" has become a reserved word in Power BI, restricting its use as a table name. Although Microsoft has not formally confirmed this, community reports indicate that it is now an enforced limitation. As Power BI continues to evolve, users must stay informed about these changes to ensure seamless data modelling and report development.

The Discovery

Power BI users started reporting that naming a table "Measures" triggered an error, preventing its creation. Traditionally, many data professionals followed the best practice of organising their DAX measures within a dedicated "Measures" table, making this change particularly disruptive. Conversations across Power BI forums and community discussions confirmed that this issue was not isolated but rather a widespread limitation. While reserved words are common in programming and data platforms, the lack of formal documentation from Microsoft regarding this specific restriction left many users searching for answers.

What This Means for Power BI Users

For organisations with established Power BI models, this restriction necessitates a rethink in how measures are structured. Those who have long relied on a "Measures" table to improve model clarity and manageability must now adopt alternative approaches. Additionally, given that Microsoft has not released an official list of reserved words, data professionals must exercise caution when naming tables, measures, or parameters to avoid potential conflicts.

Beyond the immediate inconvenience, this change underscores the importance of maintaining flexibility in data modelling practices. While naming conventions and structure contribute to better-organised models, they must also accommodate the platform’s evolving nature. Power BI’s rapid updates mean that best practices today may need to be adapted in the future.

How to Work Around It

Fortunately, a workaround has been identified that allows users to continue using the "Measures" naming convention with slight modifications. By creating the table using DAX and incorporating spaces in the name, the restriction can be bypassed:

[ Measures ] = { BLANK() }        

This method effectively allows the creation of a table named " Measures " without triggering the naming conflict( notices the space pre and post the work Measures). While this was a viable solution, this no longer is the case.

Solution:

Install the January 2025 Version of Power BI For those looking for a more permanent resolution, installing the January 2025 version of Power BI provides an option to rename the table. If the "Measures" table does not have references via a semantic model link to the Power BI service, it can be successfully renamed in this version without triggering the reserved word restriction. This update allows for greater flexibility in managing table names within your data models.

Manual Process to Modify Power BI File

Here’s a step-by-step guide to modify the underlying structure of a Power BI file.

1. Unzip the Power BI File: Start by extracting the contents of the Power BI (.pbix) file. This can be done by simply renaming the file extension from .pbix to .zip and then unzipping the folder.
2. Delete SecurityBindings File: Within the unzipped folder, locate and remove the SecurityBindings file. This file is related to security configurations and can be safely deleted for most standard report customizations.
3. Open DiagramLayout: Open the DiagramLayout file, which contains the visual and structural layout of your report's components.
4. Edit NodeIndex for Measures: Search for the NodeIndex called "Measures" in the DiagramLayout. Replace the name with a more descriptive label, such as "Measures Table" or any relevant name aligned with your reporting standards.
5. Save the Changes: Save the DiagramLayout file after making the necessary changes.
6. Modify the Reports Folder: Navigate to the Reports folder and open the Layout file. Here, you will need to search for the entity reference "Entity":"Measures" and replace it with "Entity":" and the name use in #4 above, to ensure consistency across the report.
7. Save the Layout File: After performing the necessary replacements, save the updated Layout file.
8. Recompress and Rename: Once you’ve made all the changes, select all the files within the unzipped folder (example below) and compress them back into a .zip archive. Rename the archive with the appropriate report name, using the format <report_name>.pbix.

Conclusion

The unexpected restriction on using "Measures" as a table name serves as a reminder that platforms like Power BI are constantly evolving. Organisations must remain agile and proactive in adapting to these changes to ensure the continuity of their data strategies.

For Data engineers, and business intelligence professionals, this development reinforces the need for strong governance and adaptability within data modelling practices. Have you encountered similar challenges in Power BI? How have you adapted your workflows to accommodate these changes? I invite you to share your experiences and insights in the comments.

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