LEFT DAX Function (Text)
Returns the specified number of characters from the start of a text string.
Syntax
| Parameter | Attributes | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Text |
The text string containing the characters you want to extract. |
|
| NumberOfCharacters | Optional |
The number of characters you want LEFT to extract; if omitted, 1. |
Return values
A text string.
» 2 related functions
Examples
-- LEFT, RIGHT, MID and LEN are the basic string-manipulation functions
DEFINE
VAR Val = "DAX is so cool!"
EVALUATE
{
( "LEFT ( Val, 3 ) ", LEFT ( Val, 3 ) ),
( "RIGHT ( Val, 5 )", RIGHT ( Val, 5 ) ),
( "MID ( Val, 11, 4 )", MID ( Val, 11, 4 ) ),
( "LEN ( Val )", LEN ( Val ) )
}
| Value1 | Value2 |
|---|---|
| LEFT ( Val, 3 ) | DAX |
| RIGHT ( Val, 5 ) | cool! |
| MID ( Val, 11, 4 ) | cool |
| LEN ( Val ) | 15 |
Related articles
Learn more about LEFT in the following articles:
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From SQL to DAX: String Comparison
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Related functions
Other related functions are:
Last update: Jul 1, 2025 » Contribute » Show contributors
Contributors: Alberto Ferrari, Marco Russo
Microsoft documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dax/left-function-dax