DAX function
USERELATIONSHIP — DAX function reference
Activate an inactive relationship.
Syntax
dax
CALCULATE(<expression>, USERELATIONSHIP(<columnName1>, <columnName2>))
Examples
dax
CALCULATE([Sales], USERELATIONSHIP(Sales[ShipDate], 'Date'[Date]))
→ A number
dax
VAR OrderDateSales = [Total Sales] VAR ShipDateSales = CALCULATE([Total Sales], USERELATIONSHIP(Sales[ShipDate], 'Date'[Date])) RETURN OrderDateSales - ShipDateSales
→ Compares sales by order date (active relationship) vs. ship date (inactive relationship)
dax
CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]), USERELATIONSHIP('Date'[Date], Sales[DueDate]))→ Ages receivables against a due-date relationship instead of the order date
Common mistakes & gotchas
- Only works inside CALCULATE. Lets one fact table use a second date column.
- USERELATIONSHIP only activates the relationship for that one CALCULATE call — it doesn't change the model's default active relationship, so every measure needing the ship-date view has to specify it explicitly.
- It requires the relationship to already exist in the model as an inactive relationship (the role-playing dimension pattern) — it can't invent a filter path between tables that aren't related at all; for that you need TREATAS.
Related DAX functions
From Relationships