Retrieving Tables and Columns Using EVALUATE and SELECT COLUMNS in DAX

September 7, 2026 42 visits

In this article, we will learn how to retrieve an entire table,
a single column, and multiple columns using
EVALUATE and SELECTCOLUMNS in DAX.

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What Is EVALUATE in DAX?

EVALUATE is used in a DAX query to return a table as the result.
A DAX query must return a table, even if that table contains only one column
or one row.

The basic syntax is:

DAX Syntax
EVALUATE
<Table Expression>

Here, <Table Expression> can be an existing table,
a function that returns a table, or a more complex table expression.

1. Retrieving an Entire Table

Query

DAX Query
EVALUATE
Sales

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: EVALUATE
EVALUATE tells DAX that we want to return
the result of a table expression.

Step 2: Sales
Sales is the table expression.
Since it is an existing table, DAX returns the table as it is.

What will you get?

The result contains all columns and rows from the
Sales table.

CustomerKey Order Quantity ShipDateKey
101 5 20240101
102 3 20240102
103 8 20240103


The example above is only for illustration.
Your actual result will contain the data available in your Sales table.

Key takeaway:
EVALUATE Sales returns the complete Sales table.

2. Retrieving a Single Column

Query

DAX Query
EVALUATE
SELECTCOLUMNS(
Sales,
"Customer", Sales[CustomerKey]
)

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: EVALUATE
We want to return the result of a table expression.

Step 2: SELECTCOLUMNS
SELECTCOLUMNS creates a new table containing
only the columns we specify.

Step 3: Sales
This is the source table from which we want to retrieve data.

Step 4: “Customer”
This is the name we want to give to the output column.

Step 5: Sales[CustomerKey]
This is the column whose values will be returned.

What will you get?

The result contains only one column:

Customer
101
102
103

The output column is named Customer,
even though the original column is named CustomerKey.

Understanding the SELECTCOLUMNS syntax

The first argument of SELECTCOLUMNS is the source table.
The remaining arguments are written as:

Column Name and Expression
"New Column Name", <Column Expression>
Key takeaway:
SELECTCOLUMNS allows you to select specific columns
and give them new names.

3. Retrieving Multiple Columns

Query

DAX Query
EVALUATE
SELECTCOLUMNS(
Sales,
"Customer", Sales[CustomerKey],
"Qty", Sales[Order Quantity],
"Ship Date", Sales[ShipDateKey]
)

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: EVALUATE
Returns the result of the table expression.

Step 2: SELECTCOLUMNS
Creates a new table containing only the columns we specify.

Step 3: Sales
Specifies the source table.

Step 4: “Customer”, Sales[CustomerKey]
Creates an output column named Customer
using values from Sales[CustomerKey].

Step 5: “Qty”, Sales[Order Quantity]
Creates an output column named Qty
using values from Sales[Order Quantity].

Step 6: “Ship Date”, Sales[ShipDateKey]
Creates an output column named Ship Date
using values from Sales[ShipDateKey].

What will you get?

Customer Qty Ship Date
101 5 20240101
102 3 20240102
103 8 20240103

The output column names are different from the original column names.

Key takeaway:
You can retrieve multiple columns by adding more
“Column Name”, Column Expression pairs.

Understanding the Difference

Query Result
EVALUATE Sales Returns the entire table
SELECTCOLUMNS(Sales, “Customer”, Sales[CustomerKey]) Returns one selected column
SELECTCOLUMNS(Sales, “Customer”, Sales[CustomerKey], “Qty”, Sales[Order Quantity]) Returns multiple selected columns

Important Notes

1. EVALUATE returns a table

Even when you retrieve only one column, the result is still a table.

2. SELECTCOLUMNS does not modify the original table

It creates a new table expression for the query result.
The original Sales table remains unchanged.

3. Output column names are customizable

You can use names such as:

Example Output Names
"Customer"
"Qty"
"Ship Date"

These names are only for the output of the query.

4. The order of columns follows the query

The columns appear in the same order in which you specify them inside
SELECTCOLUMNS.

📝 Practice Exercise

Try writing a query to retrieve the following columns from the
Sales table:

  • CustomerKey
  • Order Quantity
  • ShipDateKey

Then rename them as:

  • Customer
  • Quantity
  • Shipping Date

Expected Query

DAX Query
EVALUATE
SELECTCOLUMNS(
Sales,
"Customer", Sales[CustomerKey],
"Quantity", Sales[Order Quantity],
"Shipping Date", Sales[ShipDateKey]
)

Conclusion

In this article, we learned how to retrieve tables and columns using DAX.

  • EVALUATE returns a table expression.
  • EVALUATE Sales returns the complete table.
  • SELECTCOLUMNS allows us to select specific columns.
  • We can rename output columns using
    “New Name”, Column Expression.
  • We can retrieve one or multiple columns from a table.

These are the fundamental building blocks for writing DAX queries
and exploring data in tools such as DAX Studio.

Next: We can learn how to retrieve distinct values
using DISTINCT and VALUES.

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