Neal Waterstreet

Archives for June 2013

DAX: Divide By Zero Error

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Like most languages, you will probably run into the divide by zero issue at some point with DAX. I checked around and saw some different solutions people are using. The best example I found was this pattern by Kasper de Jonge.

IF([Measure 2] <> 0, [Measure 1] / [Measure 2], 0).

I also looked at the DIVIDE() function for DAX on MSDN. It has the following syntax:

DIVIDE(numerator, denominator [,alternateresult])

Much less code than before!

I ran a very informal test with 1M rows to compare the two. There doesn’t appear to be any difference in performance based on my test, however I should do it again using more data. I checked into it a little more and noticed that both appear to throw the same errors. For instance, when the numerator or denominator is text both methods result in an error.

Has anyone else come across this? There is not too much information out there about error checking in DAX.

Update – Cutting the cable cord

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It’s been almost 4 months since I cut cable service. At this point I have no regrets at all. The amount of money I save every month more than compensates for the convenience of what I had with cable. Here is an update on some of the concerns I had.

Roku or HTPC
I think it is perfect. I’ve added several channels and some are good, some not. The USB support along with Plex is big. I am also very happy that it continues to receive new channels regularly. PBS/PBS Kids was just added a few weeks ago. I hope many other channels follow in the coming months.

DVR
I was looking at some options, but I was accepted for the beta for Aereo. We are just getting it in Atlanta and it is a game changer. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s similar to having an OTA antenna with DVR support included. Aereo has all of the OTA channels, plus a few that I will probably never watch. The big win here is with the DVR service. It has 20 hours with the base service and 40 hours with the higher level. Roku already has an Aereo channel.

Local channels
Aereo solves this too. The channels look almost as good as OTA and at least equal to what I had with cable. If my ISP goes down, I still have the antenna as a backup.

Overall
I was a little worried that I would spent the money to get everything set up and then go back. I don’t think that will happen at this point. My best estimate is that I spent 2 months in what I had payed in cable to get all the equipment. This includes the Roku, antenna, hard drives, etc… Now my only costs are the streaming fees for Netflix, Amazon Prime and now Aereo. All of this easily totals to less than $20 per month.

I think the set up that I have is simple to put together – if I can do it anyone can. Everything that I have is available out of the box, with a little configuration for Plex and the antenna. There is definitely some functionality that I don’t have that a HTPC would provide, but so far it is more than good enough.

PASS Healthcare VC June Presentation

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Topic: How Data Standardization Impacts Healthcare BI
Attendee Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6285539990531223552
Speaker: Laura Madsen (@lbmadsen)
Date/Time: June 20, 2013 1:00PM EDT

Topic Synopsis:
As Healthcare BI moves forward in its maturity and data sharing is becoming the norm, lack of data standardization is becoming a better known and understood issue.  In this webinar we will discuss the impact that the lack of data standards had on healthcare BI and what BI professionals can do to ease the pain.

Speaker Bio:
Laura Madsen, Author of Healthcare Business Intelligence:  A Guide to Empowering Successful Data Reporting and Analytics, is the BI Evangelist and Healthcare Services Lead at Lancet Software, a BI Consulting firm based in Minneapolis, MN.