Time Intelligence in Power BI: YTD, QTD, MTD, and WTD

What is Time Intelligence?

Time intelligence refers to a set of DAX functions that manipulate dates to create calculations over specific time periods. These functions allow you to shift, filter, or aggregate data based on time windows such as:

• Year‑to‑date (YTD)

• Month‑to‑date (MTD)

• Quarter‑to‑date (QTD)

• Week-to-date (WTD)

• Same period last year (SPLY)

• Rolling periods (e.g., last 90 days)

Microsoft defines time intelligence as functions that enable you to manipulate data using time periods and compare calculations over those periods.

These time intelligence functions depend on a date table (a dedicated table in your data model that contains every single date in a continuous range, plus useful attributes like year, quarter, month, week, and day details.) to understand, navigate and manipulate time correctly.

I have shared a step-by-step guide on how to create a date table in Power BI using DAX in the link below.

Useful: Explore How to Create a Date Table in Power BI Using DAX

(In this example, I have created my date table running from the beginning of the year to the current date)

Next, I have connected by date table with my facts table in the model view and created the base measure “Total sales” - aggregating all the sales as shown below.

1. Year-to-Date (YTD)

YTD accumulates values from the start of the year up to the current date.

Syntax

2. Quarter-to-Date (QTD)

QTD accumulates values from the start of the quarter up to the current date.

Syntax

3. Month-to-Date (MTD)

MTD accumulates values from the start of the month up to the current date.

Syntax

4. Week-to-Date (WTD)

WTD accumulates values from the start of the week up to the current date.

Syntax I

Syntax II

(Note: In the above example I am using StartOfWeek which has been included in my date table.)

See the resulting values.

(Note YTD, QTD, and MTD returns the same value 10,253.94, since the current date in this case is January 26, 2026)

Conclusion

Time intelligence isn’t just another feature in Power BI - it’s the engine that transforms raw date-stamped data into meaningful, decision‑ready insight. Whether you’re calculating YTD performance, tracking QTD momentum, monitoring MTD progress, or keeping a close eye on WTD activity, these functions give your reports the temporal awareness needed to answer the questions that matter most.

By grounding your model in a well‑designed date table and applying DAX functions that shift, compare, and aggregate time periods, you unlock the ability to build dashboards that executives can trust at a glance.

Each calculation - YTD, QTD, MTD, WTD - serves a distinct analytical purpose, but together they form a cohesive toolkit for understanding performance across multiple time horizons. When used thoughtfully, they help you move beyond static reporting into dynamic, context‑rich analytics that tell a story about where your organization has been, where it stands today, and where it’s heading.

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