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Writes and executes C# scripts and macros for Power BI semantic models using Tabular Editor 2/3. Supports bulk operations on measures, calculation groups, DAX formatting, and metadata management.
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Expert guidance for writing and executing C# scripts to manipulate Power BI semantic model metadata using Tabular Editor 2/3 CLI or the Tabular Editor IDE.
examples/README.mdexamples/bulk-operations/README.mdexamples/bulk-operations/add_descriptions_to_all.csxexamples/bulk-operations/add_expression_to_descriptions.csxexamples/bulk-operations/clean_object_names.csxexamples/bulk-operations/create_measures_from_columns.csxexamples/bulk-operations/initialize_model.csxexamples/bulk-operations/sync_folders_from_names.csxexamples/bulk-operations/update_descriptions_from_comments.csxexamples/bulk-operations/validate_and_fix_issues.csxexamples/calculation-groups/README.mdexamples/calculation-groups/currency_conversion.csxexamples/calculation-groups/time_intelligence.csxexamples/columns/README.mdexamples/columns/add-calculated-column.csxexamples/columns/add_calculated_column.csxexamples/columns/disable-available-in-mdx.csxexamples/columns/disable_summarization.csxexamples/columns/get-column-cardinality.csxexamples/columns/get-column-sizes.csxConnects to Power BI Desktop's local Analysis Services instance via PowerShell using TOM and ADOMD.NET for model enumeration, DAX queries, metadata changes, and query tracing.
Enables programmatic Power BI report and semantic model development using PBIR/PBIP formats, TOM/.NET SDK, TMSL/TMDL, pbi-tools, and ALM Toolkit for CI/CD and code-first workflows.
References Tabular Editor 2 CLI syntax for scripting C#, deploying tabular models to Power BI Premium/Fabric and Analysis Services via XMLA, running BPA, and CI/CD setup.
Share bugs, ideas, or general feedback.
Expert guidance for writing and executing C# scripts to manipulate Power BI semantic model metadata using Tabular Editor 2/3 CLI or the Tabular Editor IDE.
Activate automatically when tasks involve:
; (semicolon required by C#)" for strings and escape with \ when needed/ in DisplayFolder paths (auto-converted to \)Info() statements for debugging - script stops at error point| Environment | C# Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tabular Editor 2 | Default compiler | Older C# syntax |
| Tabular Editor 3 | Roslyn | Supports up to C# 12 with VS2022 |
| TE2 with Roslyn | Configurable | Set in File > Preferences > General |
To use newer C# features in TE2, configure Roslyn compiler path in preferences.
Scripts automatically have these using statements applied:
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using TabularEditor.TOMWrapper;
using TabularEditor.TOMWrapper.Utils;
using TabularEditor.UI;
These .NET assemblies are loaded by default:
System.DllSystem.Core.DllSystem.Data.DllSystem.Windows.Forms.Dll (for UI dialogs)Microsoft.Csharp.DllNewtonsoft.Json.DllTomWrapper.DllTabularEditor.ExeMicrosoft.AnalysisServices.Tabular.Dll// Assembly references must be at the very top of the file:
#r "System.IO.Compression"
#r "System.Drawing"
// Using statements come after assembly references:
using System.IO.Compression;
using System.Drawing;
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Tabular Editor 2 CLI | Download from GitHub releases |
| XMLA Read/Write | Enabled on Fabric capacity or Power BI Premium |
| Azure Service Principal | For XMLA connections (see authentication.md) |
AZURE_CLIENT_ID=<app-id>
AZURE_TENANT_ID=<tenant-id>
AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET=<secret>
# Inline script
TabularEditor.exe "WorkspaceName/ModelName" -S "Info(Model.Database.Name);"
# Script file
TabularEditor.exe "WorkspaceName/ModelName" -S "script.csx"
| Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| XMLA | workspace/model | "Sales WS/Sales Model" |
| Local BIM | path/to/model.bim | "./model.bim" |
| Local TMDL | path/to/definition/ | "./MyModel.SemanticModel/definition/" |
| PBI Desktop | localhost:PORT | "localhost:52123" |
Model ObjectAccess any object in the loaded Tabular Model:
Model // Root model object
Model.Tables // All tables
Model.Tables["Sales"] // Specific table
Model.AllMeasures // All measures across all tables
Model.AllColumns // All columns across all tables
Model.Relationships // All relationships
Model.Roles // All security roles
Model.CalculationGroups // All calculation groups
Model.Perspectives // All perspectives
Model.Cultures // All translations/cultures
Model.Expressions // All M expressions (shared queries)
Model.DataSources // All data sources
Selected ObjectAccess objects currently selected in the TOM Explorer (IDE only):
// Plural form - collections (safe even when empty)
Selected.Tables // Selected tables
Selected.Measures // Selected measures
Selected.Columns // Selected columns
Selected.Hierarchies // Selected hierarchies
// Singular form - single object (error if not exactly one selected)
Selected.Table // The single selected table
Selected.Measure // The single selected measure
Selected.Column // The single selected column
// Set properties on multiple objects at once
Selected.Measures.DisplayFolder = "Test";
Selected.Columns.IsHidden = true;
// Bulk rename with pattern
Selected.Measures.Rename("Amount", "Value");
When a Display Folder is selected, all child items are included in the selection.
LINQ is essential for filtering and transforming TOM collections. See references/linq-reference.md for the full method table, lambda syntax, and examples.
Key methods: Where(), First(), FirstOrDefault(), Any(), All(), Count(), Select(), OrderBy(), ForEach(), ToList().
// Common pattern: filter, chain, act
Model.AllMeasures
.Where(m => m.Name.Contains("Revenue"))
.Where(m => string.IsNullOrEmpty(m.FormatString))
.ForEach(m => m.FormatString = "$#,0");
See references/helper-methods.md for the complete reference including Output() variations, file operations, property export/import, interactive selection dialogs, DAX formatting/execution, and macro invocation.
| Method | Purpose |
|---|---|
Info(message) | Display info popup (CLI: writes to console) |
Warning(message) | Display warning popup |
Error(message) | Display error popup and stop script |
Output(object) | Display detailed object inspector dialog |
SaveFile(path, content) / ReadFile(path) | File I/O |
ExportProperties() / ImportProperties() | TSV export/import |
SelectMeasure() / SelectTable() | Interactive selection (IDE only) |
FormatDax() / CallDaxFormatter() | DAX formatting |
EvaluateDax() / ExecuteDax() | DAX execution (connected) |
For interactive dialogs (input forms, dropdowns, multi-select), see references/winforms-dialogs.md. Key setup: #r "System.Drawing", ScriptHelper.WaitFormVisible = false;
Add a Measure:
var m = Model.Tables["Sales"].AddMeasure("Total Revenue", "SUM(Sales[Amount])");
m.FormatString = "$#,0";
m.DisplayFolder = "Key Metrics";
m.Description = "Total sales revenue";
Info("Added: " + m.Name);
Iterate Tables/Columns:
foreach(var t in Model.Tables) {
foreach(var c in t.Columns.Where(c => c.Name.EndsWith("Key"))) {
c.IsHidden = true;
}
}
Info("Hidden key columns");
Conditional Operations:
foreach(var m in Model.AllMeasures) {
if(m.Name.Contains("Revenue")) m.FormatString = "$#,0";
if(m.Name.Contains("Rate")) m.FormatString = "0.00%";
}
Create Calculation Group:
var cg = Model.AddCalculationGroup("Time Intelligence");
cg.Precedence = 10;
var ytd = cg.AddCalculationItem("YTD", "CALCULATE(SELECTEDMEASURE(), DATESYTD('Date'[Date]))");
var prior = cg.AddCalculationItem("Prior Year");
prior.Expression = @"
CALCULATE(
SELECTEDMEASURE(),
DATEADD('Date'[Date], -1, YEAR)
)
";
Info("Created calculation group");
| Object | Access | Common Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Model | .Tables, .AllMeasures, .Relationships |
| Table | Model.Tables["Name"] | .Measures, .Columns, .Partitions, .IsHidden |
| Measure | Table.Measures["Name"] | .Expression, .FormatString, .DisplayFolder, .Description |
| Column | Table.Columns["Name"] | .DataType, .FormatString, .IsHidden, .SummarizeBy |
| Relationship | Model.Relationships | .FromTable, .ToTable, .IsActive, .CrossFilteringBehavior |
| Role | Model.Roles["Name"] | .Members, .TablePermissions |
| Hierarchy | Table.Hierarchies | .Levels, .DisplayFolder, .IsHidden |
| Partition | Table.Partitions | .Expression, .SourceType, .DataSource |
| Perspective | Model.Perspectives | Objects have .InPerspective["Name"] |
| Culture | Model.Cultures | Objects have .TranslatedNames["culture"] |
Detailed documentation for each object type in object-types/:
tables.md - Table CRUD, properties, partitionscolumns.md - Column types, properties, sortingmeasures.md - Measure creation, formatting, organizationrelationships.md - Relationship managementcalculation-groups.md - Calculation groups and itemsroles.md - Roles, RLS, OLS configurationhierarchies.md - Hierarchy and level managementpartitions.md - Partition types and configurationperspectives.md - Perspective membershiptranslations.md - Culture and translation managementannotations.md - Custom metadata annotations180 working .csx scripts organized by category in examples/. Before writing a script from scratch, check if a relevant example already exists -- read the example, adapt it to the task, and modify as needed.
| Category | Scripts | Description |
|---|---|---|
bulk-operations/ | 8 | Model initialization, batch updates, clean names, sync folders, validate |
calculation-groups/ | 2 | Time intelligence, currency conversion |
columns/ | 20 | Data types, hiding, sorting, encoding hints, cardinality, properties |
cultures/ | 4 | Add/delete cultures, list, modify translations |
display-folders/ | 8 | Organize by type, clear, rename, add/remove folders |
evaluate-dax/ | 5 | Execute DAX, scalar queries, table queries, column sizes, optimize |
format-dax/ | 8 | Format measures, calculated columns/tables, KPIs, detail rows |
format-strings/ | 6 | Apply by name/pattern, custom formats, dynamic format strings |
functions/ | 4 | Add/delete/list/modify shared M functions |
hierarchies/ | 4 | Add/delete/list/modify hierarchies |
kpis/ | 4 | Add/delete/list/modify KPIs |
measures/ | 18 | Full CRUD, time intelligence, bulk create, move, hide/unhide |
model/ | 10 | Properties, compatibility level, dependencies, refresh, export stats |
partitions/ | 6 | Refresh, find-replace M, incremental refresh, hybrid tables |
perspectives/ | 4 | Add/delete/list/modify perspectives |
relationships/ | 5 | Create, naming conventions, RI violations, integrity, properties |
roles/ | 7 | Add/delete roles, members, RLS, OLS configuration |
shared-expressions/ | 6 | Named expressions, range parameters, M functions |
svg-measures/ | 15 | Bar charts, bullet charts, dumbbells, lollipops, waterfall, jitter |
tables/ | 36 | All table types (import, DirectQuery, Direct Lake, calculated, field parameter, date), refresh policies, RLS/OLS, properties |
See references/common-workflows.md for complete workflow scripts: bulk format measures, create time intelligence measures, configure RLS, audit hidden objects. Also check examples/ for 180 working .csx scripts before writing from scratch.
Add Info() checkpoints to find where script fails:
Info("Step 1: Starting");
var table = Model.Tables["Sales"];
Info("Step 2: Got table");
var measure = table.AddMeasure("Test", "1");
Info("Step 3: Added measure"); // If this doesn't appear, AddMeasure failed
Check existence before accessing:
if(Model.Tables.Contains("Sales")) {
var table = Model.Tables["Sales"];
// ...
} else {
Error("Table 'Sales' not found");
}
// Or use FirstOrDefault
var table = Model.Tables.FirstOrDefault(t => t.Name == "Sales");
if(table == null) {
Error("Table not found");
}
Info() after each operation)Use preprocessor directives for version-specific code:
#if TE3
// TE3-specific code (version 3.10.0+)
Info("Running in Tabular Editor 3");
#else
// TE2 fallback
Info("Running in Tabular Editor 2");
#endif
Check version at runtime:
var majorVersion = Selected.GetType().Assembly.GetName().Version.Major;
if(majorVersion >= 3) {
// TE3 code
}
.Contains() or .Any() before accessingScriptHelper.WaitFormVisible = false; for UI dialogsobject-types/ - Detailed API docs per object typeexamples/ - 180 working .csx scripts across 20 categories; always check here before writing from scratchTo retrieve current TOM API reference docs, use microsoft_docs_search + microsoft_docs_fetch (MCP) if available, otherwise mslearn search + mslearn fetch (CLI). Search based on the user's request and run multiple searches as needed to ensure sufficient context before proceeding.