C# Scripting for Tabular Editor

Expert guidance for writing and executing C# scripts to manipulate Power BI semantic model metadata using Tabular Editor 2/3 CLI or the Tabular Editor IDE.

When to Use This Skill

Activate automatically when tasks involve:

• Writing C# scripts for Tabular Editor
• Bulk operations on model objects (measures, columns, tables)
• Creating or modifying calculation groups
• Managing model security (roles, RLS, OLS)
• Formatting DAX expressions
• Automating repetitive model changes
• Querying model metadata via TOM API
• Building interactive scripts with user input dialogs

Critical

• Every statement must end with

  ;

  (semicolon required by C#)
• Use double quotes

  "

  for strings and escape with

  \

  when needed
• Use forward slashes

  /

  in DisplayFolder paths (auto-converted to

  \

  )
• Always add

  Info()

  statements for debugging - script stops at error point
• Test scripts on non-production models first
• Changes are undoable with Ctrl+Z in the Tabular Editor UI

C# Version Support

To use newer C# features in TE2, configure Roslyn compiler path in preferences.

Default Imports and Assemblies

Auto-Imported Namespaces

Scripts automatically have these

using

using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using TabularEditor.TOMWrapper;
using TabularEditor.TOMWrapper.Utils;
using TabularEditor.UI;

Pre-Loaded Assemblies

These .NET assemblies are loaded by default:

• System.Dll

• System.Core.Dll

• System.Data.Dll

• System.Windows.Forms.Dll

  (for UI dialogs)

• Microsoft.Csharp.Dll

• Newtonsoft.Json.Dll

• TomWrapper.Dll

• TabularEditor.Exe

• Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Tabular.Dll

Adding External Assemblies

// Assembly references must be at the very top of the file:
#r "System.IO.Compression"
#r "System.Drawing"

// Using statements come after assembly references:
using System.IO.Compression;
using System.Drawing;

Prerequisites

For Tabular Editor CLI

Environment Variables (for XMLA)

AZURE_CLIENT_ID=<app-id>
AZURE_TENANT_ID=<tenant-id>
AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET=<secret>

Execution Methods

1. Tabular Editor CLI

# Inline script
TabularEditor.exe "WorkspaceName/ModelName" -S "Info(Model.Database.Name);"

# Script file
TabularEditor.exe "WorkspaceName/ModelName" -S "script.csx"

2. Connection Types

workspace/model

"Sales WS/Sales Model"

path/to/model.bim

"./model.bim"

path/to/definition/

"./MyModel.SemanticModel/definition/"

localhost:PORT

"localhost:52123"

Core Objects

The

Model

Object

Access any object in the loaded Tabular Model:

Model                           // Root model object
Model.Tables                    // All tables
Model.Tables["Sales"]           // Specific table
Model.AllMeasures               // All measures across all tables
Model.AllColumns                // All columns across all tables
Model.Relationships             // All relationships
Model.Roles                     // All security roles
Model.CalculationGroups         // All calculation groups
Model.Perspectives              // All perspectives
Model.Cultures                  // All translations/cultures
Model.Expressions               // All M expressions (shared queries)
Model.DataSources               // All data sources

The

Selected

Object

Access objects currently selected in the TOM Explorer (IDE only):

// Plural form - collections (safe even when empty)
Selected.Tables                 // Selected tables
Selected.Measures               // Selected measures
Selected.Columns                // Selected columns
Selected.Hierarchies            // Selected hierarchies

// Singular form - single object (error if not exactly one selected)
Selected.Table                  // The single selected table
Selected.Measure                // The single selected measure
Selected.Column                 // The single selected column

// Set properties on multiple objects at once
Selected.Measures.DisplayFolder = "Test";
Selected.Columns.IsHidden = true;

// Bulk rename with pattern
Selected.Measures.Rename("Amount", "Value");

When a Display Folder is selected, all child items are included in the selection.

LINQ Fundamentals

LINQ is essential for filtering and transforming TOM collections. See

references/linq-reference.md

Key methods:

Where()

First()

FirstOrDefault()

Any()

All()

Count()

Select()

OrderBy()

ForEach()

ToList()

// Common pattern: filter, chain, act
Model.AllMeasures
    .Where(m => m.Name.Contains("Revenue"))
    .Where(m => string.IsNullOrEmpty(m.FormatString))
    .ForEach(m => m.FormatString = "$#,0");

Helper Methods

See

references/helper-methods.md

Info(message)

Warning(message)

Error(message)

Output(object)

SaveFile(path, content)

ReadFile(path)

ExportProperties()

ImportProperties()

SelectMeasure()

SelectTable()

FormatDax()

CallDaxFormatter()

EvaluateDax()

ExecuteDax()

WinForms UI Patterns

For interactive dialogs (input forms, dropdowns, multi-select), see

references/winforms-dialogs.md

#r "System.Drawing"

ScriptHelper.WaitFormVisible = false;

Quick Reference

Core Patterns

Add a Measure:

var m = Model.Tables["Sales"].AddMeasure("Total Revenue", "SUM(Sales[Amount])");
m.FormatString = "$#,0";
m.DisplayFolder = "Key Metrics";
m.Description = "Total sales revenue";
Info("Added: " + m.Name);

Iterate Tables/Columns:

foreach(var t in Model.Tables) {
    foreach(var c in t.Columns.Where(c => c.Name.EndsWith("Key"))) {
        c.IsHidden = true;
    }
}
Info("Hidden key columns");

Conditional Operations:

foreach(var m in Model.AllMeasures) {
    if(m.Name.Contains("Revenue")) m.FormatString = "$#,0";
    if(m.Name.Contains("Rate")) m.FormatString = "0.00%";
}

Create Calculation Group:

var cg = Model.AddCalculationGroup("Time Intelligence");
cg.Precedence = 10;

var ytd = cg.AddCalculationItem("YTD", "CALCULATE(SELECTEDMEASURE(), DATESYTD('Date'[Date]))");
var prior = cg.AddCalculationItem("Prior Year");
prior.Expression = @"
CALCULATE(
    SELECTEDMEASURE(),
    DATEADD('Date'[Date], -1, YEAR)
)
";
Info("Created calculation group");

TOM API Quick Reference

Model

.Tables

.AllMeasures

.Relationships

Model.Tables["Name"]

.Measures

.Columns

.Partitions

.IsHidden

Table.Measures["Name"]

.Expression

.FormatString

.DisplayFolder

.Description

Table.Columns["Name"]

.DataType

.FormatString

.IsHidden

.SummarizeBy

Model.Relationships

.FromTable

.ToTable

.IsActive

.CrossFilteringBehavior

Model.Roles["Name"]

.Members

.TablePermissions

Table.Hierarchies

.Levels

.DisplayFolder

.IsHidden

Table.Partitions

.Expression

.SourceType

.DataSource

Model.Perspectives

.InPerspective["Name"]

Model.Cultures

.TranslatedNames["culture"]

Object Type Reference

Detailed documentation for each object type in

object-types/

• tables.md

  - Table CRUD, properties, partitions

• columns.md

  - Column types, properties, sorting

• measures.md

  - Measure creation, formatting, organization

• relationships.md

  - Relationship management

• calculation-groups.md

  - Calculation groups and items

• roles.md

  - Roles, RLS, OLS configuration

• hierarchies.md

  - Hierarchy and level management

• partitions.md

  - Partition types and configuration

• perspectives.md

  - Perspective membership

• translations.md

  - Culture and translation management

• annotations.md

  - Custom metadata annotations

Example Scripts

180 working

.csx

examples/

bulk-operations/

calculation-groups/

columns/

cultures/

display-folders/

evaluate-dax/

format-dax/

format-strings/

functions/

hierarchies/

kpis/

measures/

model/

partitions/

perspectives/

relationships/

roles/

shared-expressions/

svg-measures/

tables/

Common Workflows

See

references/common-workflows.md

examples/

.csx

Debugging & Troubleshooting

Script Doesn't Complete

Add

Info()

Info("Step 1: Starting");
var table = Model.Tables["Sales"];
Info("Step 2: Got table");
var measure = table.AddMeasure("Test", "1");
Info("Step 3: Added measure");  // If this doesn't appear, AddMeasure failed

Object Not Found

Check existence before accessing:

if(Model.Tables.Contains("Sales")) {
    var table = Model.Tables["Sales"];
    // ...
} else {
    Error("Table 'Sales' not found");
}

// Or use FirstOrDefault
var table = Model.Tables.FirstOrDefault(t => t.Name == "Sales");
if(table == null) {
    Error("Table not found");
}

Changes Not Appearing

• XMLA operations may take 2-5 seconds to sync
• Refresh Power BI Desktop connection after changes
• Check for silent errors (add

  Info()

  after each operation)

TE2/TE3 Compatibility

Use preprocessor directives for version-specific code:

#if TE3
    // TE3-specific code (version 3.10.0+)
    Info("Running in Tabular Editor 3");
#else
    // TE2 fallback
    Info("Running in Tabular Editor 2");
#endif

Check version at runtime:

var majorVersion = Selected.GetType().Assembly.GetName().Version.Major;
if(majorVersion >= 3) {
    // TE3 code
}

Best Practices

1. Add Info() statements - Track script execution and catch errors early
2. Check object existence - Use

   .Contains()

   or

   .Any()

   before accessing
3. Use bulk operations - Single script with loops is faster than multiple scripts
4. Test on dev models - Never test new scripts on production
5. Use @"..." for DAX - Multi-line strings for DAX expressions
6. Format with FormatDax() - After creating measures/columns
7. Set DisplayFolder with / - Forward slashes auto-convert to backslashes
8. Hide the wait spinner -

   ScriptHelper.WaitFormVisible = false;

   for UI dialogs

Additional Resources

Reference Files

• object-types/

  - Detailed API docs per object type

• examples/

  - 180 working

  .csx

  scripts across 20 categories; always check here before writing from scratch

Fetching Docs

To retrieve current TOM API reference docs, use

microsoft_docs_search

microsoft_docs_fetch

mslearn search

mslearn fetch

External References

• Tabular Editor Advanced Scripting
• TOM API Reference
• C# Scripts and Macros
• Script Library