Why would you create an inactive relationship?

< 1 min read

I create an inactive relationship when two tables need multiple logical connections.
For example, Sales linked to Date by Order Date and also by Ship Date.
Power BI allows only one active path, so the second must stay inactive.
Users wanted both order analysis and shipment delay analysis in the same report.
Using USERELATIONSHIP in measures let me switch context based on the metric.
This avoids duplicate date tables and keeps the model clean.
It also prevents ambiguity errors during filtering.
Performance stays stable because only one relationship filters at a time.
So inactive relationships support multiple business scenarios without breaking the model.

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