Here’s a short description and example of PARALLELPERIOD() in Power BI DAX:
🔁 What it does:
PARALLELPERIOD() shifts the dates in the current context by a specified number of intervals (month, quarter, or year) — but keeps the same length of period.
🧮 Syntax:
PARALLELPERIOD(<dates>, <number of intervals>, <interval type>)
<dates>→ a date column (e.g.,'DateTable'[Date])<number of intervals>→-1for previous,1for next<interval type>→"month","quarter","year"
🧮 Example: Previous Year Sales
Sales PY =
CALCULATE(
SUM(Sales[Sales]),
PARALLELPERIOD('DateTable'[Date], -1, YEAR)
)
📊 How it works:
| Year | Month | Sales | Sales PY (ParallelPeriod -1 Year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jan | 24,000 | 22,000 (from Jan 2024) |
| 2025 | Feb | 15,800 | 13,000 (from Feb 2024) |
✅ Tip: Unlike SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR(), PARALLELPERIOD() doesn’t preserve day granularity — it just shifts the whole month/quarter/year.
Ankit Srivastava is an IT trainer, technology educator, and digital skills mentor with expertise in programming, data analytics, AI, and software development. He has successfully trained thousands of learners, with more than 10,000 student enrollments on Udemy. His practical teaching approach empowers students and professionals to build in-demand technical skills. Colorstech channel where Ankit posts video tutorials has more than 8000 Subscribers.
