Dynamic UX, Deadly Performance? Balancing Interactive Experience with Model Efficiency

Highly dynamic Power BI reports are increasingly common. Stakeholders want flexible, app-like experiences where a single report can adapt to different metrics, dimensions, and perspectives without duplicating visuals or pages. Features such as bookmarks, Field Parameters, Calculation Groups, and user-defined functions (UDFs) have been true game changers in making this possible, but they also introduce new performance challenges.

In this session, we explore how increasing levels of report dynamism impact performance, and how to reason about those trade-offs.

We start with simpler interaction patterns before moving into more advanced techniques using Field Parameters to drive dynamic dimensions and measures. From there, we examine highly flexible scenarios built around extensive SWITCH logic, dynamic Top N calculations, and reusable logic implemented through the new UDFs.

Using DAX Studio, we analyze how these patterns translate into query plans and highlight key observations that often surprises teams. We explore how good data modeling practices, including schema design and cardinality management, can dramatically improve the performance of complex SWITCH-based logic and dynamic calculations.

Rather than presenting a single “perfect” solution, this session focuses on diagnostic thinking and engineering choices. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how different levels of report dynamism affect performance, how to identify the bottlenecks, and how to design flexible Power BI reports that remain responsive as complexity grows.

Understand the performance implications of Field Parameters, UDFs, and dynamic DAX logic. Learn best practices for optimizing complex reports without sacrificing user experience. Gain actionable techniques to balance high-end UX requirements with efficient data models.