In a Power BI model with no physical relationship between two tables, which DAX function maps values from one table into another to create a virtual relationship?

In a Power BI model with no physical relationship between two tables, which DAX function maps values from one table into another to create a virtual relationship?

• A. CROSSFILTER()
• B. PATH()
• C. TREATAS()
• D. USERELATIONSHIP()

Answer: (C)

When two tables have no physical relationship, you can create a temporary, calculation-time link by mapping values from one table to the other. TREATAS does exactly that: it takes a set of values from a source column and applies them as filters to a target column, effectively creating a virtual relationship for the duration of the calculation. This lets you drive cross-table calculations as if there were a real relationship, without changing the data model. The other functions don’t fit this scenario. CROSSFILTER needs an existing relationship to cross-filter between tables. PATH is used for traversing parent-child hierarchies, not linking unrelated tables. USERELATIONSHIP activates an existing, usually inactive, relationship during evaluation, which requires a pre-existing relationship to activate.

When two tables have no physical relationship, you can create a temporary, calculation-time link by mapping values from one table to the other. TREATAS does exactly that: it takes a set of values from a source column and applies them as filters to a target column, effectively creating a virtual relationship for the duration of the calculation. This lets you drive cross-table calculations as if there were a real relationship, without changing the data model.

The other functions don’t fit this scenario. CROSSFILTER needs an existing relationship to cross-filter between tables. PATH is used for traversing parent-child hierarchies, not linking unrelated tables. USERELATIONSHIP activates an existing, usually inactive, relationship during evaluation, which requires a pre-existing relationship to activate.