How to Change Month Number to Name in Power BI

Displaying dates in your Power BI reports should make your data easier to understand, not harder. While showing a month number like "8" is accurate, showing "August" is instantly more readable for your audience. This guide cuts straight to the chase, showing you how to convert month numbers into full month names in Power BI using both DAX and the Power Query Editor.

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Why Change Month Numbers to Names?

Before jumping into the step-by-step methods, it's helpful to understand why this minor change has a major impact on your dashboards. It's all about creating reports that are clear, professional, and intuitive for the end-user.

• Better Readability: "January" is simply easier to read and process at a glance than "1." When a user looks at a chart, they shouldn't have to mentally translate numbers into months. This small tweak reduces cognitive load and makes your report feel more polished.
• Improved User Experience: The goal of any dashboard is to communicate insights effectively. Using full month names removes ambiguity and makes the data more accessible to everyone, including stakeholders who may not be deep in the data every day.
• Solving the Sorting Problem: A common frustration is that when you add month names to a chart, Power BI sorts them alphabetically by default (April, August, December, February...). You need a way to tell Power BI to sort them chronologically (January, February, March...). We'll cover exactly how to fix this for each method below.

There are two primary ways to make this conversion in Power BI: by creating a calculated column with DAX or by adding a transformation step in the Power Query Editor. Both are excellent options, and the one you choose often comes down to personal preference and your specific reporting workflow.

Method 1: Using DAX to Create a Month Name Column

DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is Power BI's formula language. Using it to add a calculated column is a quick and effective way to generate month names directly within your data model. This method is ideal when you can't or prefer not to modify the source query.

Let’s assume you have a table named 'Sales' with a date column called '[OrderDate]'.

Step 1: Create a New Calculated Column

First, navigate to the Data view in Power BI by clicking the table icon on the left-hand pane. Select the table you want to modify (in our case, the 'Sales' table). In the "Table tools" ribbon that appears at the top, click on New column.

This opens up the formula bar where you will enter your DAX expression.

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Step 2: Write the DAX Formula for Full Month Names

To create a column with the full name of the month (e.g., "January", "February"), use the FORMAT function. In the formula bar, type the following:

Month Name = FORMAT('Sales'[OrderDate], "MMMM")

Let’s break this down:

• Month Name = This is the name for our new column.
• FORMAT(): This is the DAX function that converts a value to text in a specified format.
• 'Sales'[OrderDate]: This is the column containing the source dates.
• "MMMM": This format code tells DAX to extract the full name of the month.

Press Enter, and Power BI will instantly add a new column populated with the full month names corresponding to the dates in your [OrderDate] column.

Tip: Creating Short Month Names

If you prefer abbreviated month names (e.g., "Jan", "Feb"), you can use the same function with a slightly different format code. Create another new column and use this formula:

Month Short Name = FORMAT('Sales'[OrderDate], "MMM")

The "MMM" code provides the three-letter abbreviation instead.

Step 3: Fix the Chronological Sort Order

Now, if you use your new "Month Name" column in a visual, you’ll notice it sorts alphabetically. This is the most common issue people face, but the fix is simple.

To ensure your months appear in the correct chronological order, you need a numeric column to sort them by—typically a month number column. If you don't already have one, create it quickly with DAX:

Month Number = MONTH('Sales'[OrderDate])

Now, to fix the sorting for your "Month Name" column:

1. Make sure you are still in the Data view.
2. Click to select the Month Name column you just created. Just click anywhere within the column to highlight it.
3. Go to the Column tools tab in the top ribbon.
4. Click the Sort by column button.
5. From the dropdown menu that appears, select your Month Number column.

That's it! You won’t see any immediate change in the data table, but now, any visual in your report that uses the "Month Name" column will automatically sort it chronologically from January to December.

Method 2: Using the Power Query Editor

The Power Query Editor is Power BI’s tool for data transformation (ETL - Extract, Transform, Load). Making this change in Power Query means you are altering the data before it loads into your data model. This is often considered a best practice because it keeps your model cleaner and applies the transformation right at the source.

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If You Have a Date Column

This is the most straightforward scenario. If your table contains a full date column, adding a month name is just a few clicks away.

Step 1: Open the Power Query Editor

From the main Power BI Desktop window, go to the Home tab and click on Transform data. This will launch the Power Query Editor.

Step 2: Add a Month Name Column

In the Power Query Editor, select the query (table) you wish to modify from the list on the left.

• Select your date column (e.g., OrderDate).
• Go to the Add Column tab in the ribbon.
• Click the Date dropdown icon.
• Hover over Month, and then select Name of Month from the contextual menu.

Power Query will automatically add a new column named "Month Name" populated with the full names of each month. Power Query is smart, it also keeps applying this step every time you refresh your data, so it's a completely automated process.

To add a month number column for sorting, you can follow the same steps: Add Column > Date > Month > Month.

If You Only Have a Month Number Column

Sometimes your data source provides the month only as a number (1, 2, 3...) without a corresponding date column. You can still create month names in Power Query using a custom column.

Step 1: Add a Custom Column

With your query selected in the Power Query Editor, go to the Add Column tab and click Custom Column.

Step 2: Enter the M Formula

The custom column window will pop up. Name your new column "Month Name" and enter the following M language formula. Let's assume your month number column is called [MonthNumber].

Date.MonthName(#date(2024, [MonthNumber], 1))

Let's unpack that formula:

• #date(year, month, day): This M function creates a date value. We're using a placeholder year (2024) and day (1) because they don't matter—we only need the month component.
• [MonthNumber]: This references the values from your existing month number column.
• Date.MonthName(): This function takes the date we just created and extracts the full name of the month from it.

Click OK. A new "Month Name" column will appear.

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Step 3: Set the Sort Order in Power BI Desktop

After you’re done in Power Query, click Close & Apply in the Home tab to load your changes into the Power BI data model.

Important: Even when you create the columns in Power Query, you must still set the sort order in the main Power BI Desktop view. The process is the exact same as with the DAX method: go to the Data view, select your "Month Name" column, click "Sort by column," and choose the correct "Month Number" column.

DAX vs. Power Query: Which Method Should You Use?

Both methods achieve the same result, so which one is better?

Use the Power Query Editor when:

• You want to keep your final data model as clean as possible.
• The transformation is a fundamental part of preparing your data.
• You prefer a graphical, user-friendly interface for transformations.
• Performance on very large datasets is a concern, as transformations in Power Query are compressed and can be more efficient during refresh.

Use DAX when:

• Your data source can't be modified in Power Query (e.g., some live connections).
• You need to add the column quickly without leaving the main Power BI interface.
• The calculation depends on other DAX measures or columns created within the model.
• You find writing a simple formula faster than clicking through menus.

Generally, data modeling best practice leans towards doing transformations "upstream" in Power Query. However, a DAX calculated column for a month name is extremely common and works perfectly well for the vast majority of reports.

Final Thoughts

Converting month numbers to names is a simple yet powerful way to make your Power BI reports more professional and user-friendly. Whether you choose the flexibility of DAX or the structured ETL approach of Power Query, the key steps are to generate the name and then, most importantly, set the proper sort order using a corresponding numeric column. This ensures your charts and tables present information clearly and chronologically.

Building effective reports often involves many small steps like these—writing formulas, cleaning data, and defining sorting behaviors. At Graphed we created a tool that automates this entire process. Instead of needing to know DAX or Power Query, you simply connect your data and ask in plain English, "Show me revenue by month name for the last 12 months as a bar chart." Our AI builds the visualization for you instantly, with all the formatting and chronological sorting handled correctly from the start, letting you get straight to the insights.