DAX Formatter

The DAX Formatter MCP Server provides professional-grade DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) formatting capabilities.

It connects with the official DAX Formatter service by SQLBI and enables AI assistants and MCP clients to format DAX code.

Key Features

• 🔧 Single DAX Expression Formatting: Clean up individual DAX expressions
• 📚 Batch Processing: Format multiple DAX expressions in one request
• 🎛️ Comprehensive Formatting Options: Control line length, spacing, and more
• 🚨 Robust Error Handling: Get detailed error messages for troubleshooting
• 🔄 Automatic Fallback: Switch to individual formatting if batch processing fails
• 🏢 Database Context Support: Include anonymized database and server context

Use Cases

• Data analysts refining complex DAX measures for Power BI reports
• BI developers collaborating on large-scale data modeling projects
• AI assistants helping users debug and optimize DAX queries
• Automated code review systems checking DAX formatting consistency

How to Use It

1. Installation:

• Download the latest release from the project’s GitHub page
• Extract the archive to your preferred location
• Note the path to the executable for configuration

2. Configuration:

For Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dax-formatter": {
      "command": "path/to/dax-formatter-mcp.exe",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

For Continue IDE Extension:

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "dax-formatter",
      "command": "path/to/dax-formatter-mcp.exe",
      "args": []
    }
  ]
}

3. Basic Usage:

Format this DAX expression:
CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]),FILTER(Products,Products[Category]="Electronics"))

4. Multiple Expressions:

Format these DAX measures:
1. [Total Sales] := SUM(Sales[Amount])
2. [Electronics Sales] := CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]),Products[Category]="Electronics")
3. [Sales YTD] := TOTALYTD(SUM(Sales[Amount]),'Calendar'[Date])

5. With Formatting Options:

Format this DAX with short lines and specific separators:
CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]),FILTER(Products,Products[Category]="Electronics"))
Options:
- Line length: ShortLine
- List separator: ;
- Decimal separator: ,

6. Available Tools:

• format_dax: Formats a single DAX expression
• format_dax_multiple: Formats multiple DAX expressions in a single request

7. Formatting Options:

• maxLineLength: ShortLine, LongLine, VeryLongLine (default: LongLine)
• skipSpaceAfterFunctionName: BestPractice, False (default: BestPractice)
• listSeparator: Any character (default: ,)
• decimalSeparator: Any character (default: .)
• databaseName: String (optional)
• serverName: String (optional)

FAQs

Q: Does the server store any DAX expressions?
A: No, expressions are not stored locally. They are only sent to the official DAX Formatter service for processing.

Q: How does the server handle sensitive information in DAX queries?
A: Database and server names are anonymized by the DAX Formatter client to protect sensitive information.