Introduction
When I first started out with Power BI back in 2015, I could never work out how my colleague was getting his Power BI reports written so quickly and efficiently compared to me, until I stopped to watch him work. The difference? He’d mastered a handful of keyboard shortcuts that transformed his workflow and in turn, his productivity.
After a decade of building Power BI solutions, I’ve come to appreciate how these small efficiency gains add up to massive time savings. When you’re writing DAX code day in and day out, knowing the right keyboard shortcuts isn’t just convenient—it’s essential for maintaining your own sanity!
In this post, I’ll share my top 12 keyboard shortcuts that have saved me countless hours when writing DAX code. Whether you’re just starting out with Power BI or you’re looking to level up your DAX game, these shortcuts will make your life considerably easier.
Why Keyboard Shortcuts Matter When Writing DAX
Have you ever found yourself repetitively clicking through menus or struggling to navigate through complex formulas? That’s exactly where keyboard shortcuts come to the rescue.
I’ve seen analysts who’ve mastered these shortcuts deliver reports in half the time compared to their colleagues (myself included). What’s more, they made fewer errors since their hands rarely left the keyboard.
Now, let’s dive into the shortcuts that will transform your DAX coding experience!
The 12 Most Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for DAX Code
1. Ctrl + Space: Auto-complete Suggestions
What it does: Triggers the IntelliSense menu to show suggestions for functions, tables, and columns.
Why it’s useful: This is the most useful shortcut for me (especially as a consultant that works on many different data models)! When I’m working with complex data models, I can’t possibly remember every table and column name. By typing the first few letters and hitting Ctrl + Space, I get a neat list of all matching options.
Tip: If you’re unsure about a function name, type the first few letters and use this shortcut to see all relevant functions.
2. Alt + Up/Down Arrow: Move Lines Up or Down
What it does: Moves the current line or selected lines up or down in your code.
Why it’s useful: I use this constantly when reorganising complex DAX calculations. This shortcut helps me quickly restructure nested calculations without the cut-and-paste dance.
Tip: Select multiple lines before using this shortcut to move entire blocks of code at once.
3. F1: Function Help
What it does: Opens the documentation for the DAX function your cursor is currently positioned on.
Why it’s useful: Even after years of writing DAX, I still need to double-check syntax or discover new parameters. I always emphasise using F1 instead of Googling functions—it’s faster and provides contextual help.
Tip: Use this when exploring new functions to understand all available parameters and usage examples.
4. Ctrl + / : Comment/Uncomment Lines
What it does: Comments out or uncomments the current line or selected lines.
Why it’s useful: When troubleshooting complex calculations, I often need to test different approaches. Rather than deleting code I might need later, I comment it out. This shortcut has saved me hours of rewriting code during iterative development.
Tip: Comment sections of your code to explain complex logic for future reference or for colleagues who might maintain your work.
5. Alt + Shift + Right Arrow: Expand Selection
What it does: Gradually expands your selection outward from the cursor position.
Why it’s useful: This one’s brilliant for selecting nested functions or specific parts of a formula without precise mouse movements. I discovered this whilst working on a particularly complex calculation, and it’s been part of my toolkit ever since.
Tip: Continue pressing the shortcut to expand the selection further, encompassing increasingly larger portions of your code.
6. Ctrl + K, Ctrl + C: Comment Block
What it does: Comments out a selected block of code.
Why it’s useful: For longer sections of code that need commenting, this is more efficient than Ctrl + /. I use this when I’m exploring alternative approaches in complex models where I’ve written several calculation options.
Tip: Pair this with Ctrl + K, Ctrl + U to uncomment blocks.
7. F2: Rename Variable
What it does: When cursor is on a variable, this shortcut allows you to rename it throughout your code.
Why it’s useful: Have you ever realised halfway through that your variable name is confusing or inconsistent? I certainly have! This shortcut helps me maintain naming conventions across hundreds of measures.
Tip: Use descriptive variable names to make your code more readable—and when you need to change them, F2 is your best friend.
8. Ctrl + Shift + K: Delete Line
What it does: Deletes the current line completely.
Why it’s useful: Clean code is happy code! When I’m refining DAX measures, I often need to remove unnecessary lines quickly. This shortcut is much faster than selecting the entire line and then deleting it.
Tip: If you accidentally delete a line, remember you can press Ctrl + Z to undo the action.
9. Shift + Enter: New Line Without Breaking Current Statement
What it does: Inserts a line break without executing or breaking your current DAX statement.
Why it’s useful: For readability, I like to format complex DAX calculations across multiple lines. This shortcut lets me do that whilst maintaining the integrity of the formula. I’ve trained all my team members to use this for better code organisation.
Tip: Use this to break long formulas into logical chunks that are easier to understand and debug.
10. Ctrl + F: Find in Formula
What it does: Opens the search function to find specific text within your DAX formula.
Why it’s useful: When dealing with lengthy calculations, finding specific references or functions can be a needle-in-a-haystack situation. This helps me quickly locate all instances of a specific measure reference.
Tip: Use Ctrl + H for find and replace functionality when you need to change multiple instances of the same text.
11. Ctrl + D: Find Next Occurrence of Selected Word
What it does: Finds and selects the next occurrence of the currently selected word or text.
Why it’s useful: This one’s an absolute game-changer! When working on sprawling DAX calculations, I often need to check every instance of a particular column reference. Instead of using Find repeatedly, I just select the column name once and hit Ctrl + D to jump through each occurrence. Saves me buckets of time!
Tip: When you need to modify multiple instances of the same variable or column name, use this to quickly navigate through your code before making changes.
12. Ctrl + Shift + L: Select All Occurrences of Selected Word
What it does: Selects all instances of the currently highlighted word or text throughout your code.
Why it’s useful: I can’t tell you how many hours this shortcut has saved me! When cleaning up a messy data model and needing to replace dozens of instances of an incorrectly named measure, one Ctrl + Shift + L later, and I could change them all simultaneously. Pure magic!
Tip: This is brilliant for performing consistent edits across your entire code base. Just be careful—with great power comes great responsibility!
How These Shortcuts Have Transformed My Workflow
I still vividly recall a project where we had an impossibly tight deadline to deliver a comprehensive sales analysis. By leveraging these shortcuts, I completed the DAX measures in a single day—work that would have taken at least three days with conventional methods.
But it’s not just about speed. The quality of my code has improved dramatically as well. With less focus on the mechanics of writing code, I can concentrate more on the logic and business requirements.
Conclusion: Small Changes, Big Impact
Incorporating these keyboard shortcuts into your DAX coding routine might feel awkward at first—trust me, I’ve been there! But with a bit of practice, they’ll become second nature and dramatically improve your productivity.
What’s fascinating is how these small efficiency gains compound over time. If you save just 5 minutes per hour on a typical 8-hour workday, that’s 40 minutes daily or over 150 hours annually! Imagine what you could do with that extra time.
Are you already using some of these shortcuts? Do you have favourite shortcuts that I’ve missed? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
Happy coding!
