Table of Contents

Update compatibility level

  • 2026-01-12
  • Morten Lønskov
Applies to:
  • ✔ Tabular Editor 2
  • Tabular Editor 3
    ✔ Desktop
    ✔ Business
    ✔ Enterprise

A model's Compatibility Level controls which Tabular Object Model (TOM) features you can use. When Microsoft introduces new capabilities, like custom calendars or DAX user-defined functions, they're often gated behind a newer compatibility level. You'll need to upgrade before these features appear in Tabular Editor.

Warning

Compatibility upgrades are one-way. You can upgrade but can't reliably downgrade. Treat this like a schema upgrade and validate your deployment targets first.

When to upgrade

Upgrade when:

  • A feature exists in Power BI Desktop but the related TOM property is missing in Tabular Editor
  • You need newly introduced capabilities like custom calendars (1701+) or DAX user-defined functions (1702+)
  • You're standardizing development across environments and want consistent minimum feature sets

Before you start

Back up your model

Because upgrades are irreversible:

  • Back up the model metadata (and ideally the full project)
  • Use source control with a clean commit before changing anything

Confirm target support

Compatibility level support differs by platform (SSAS, Azure Analysis Services, Fabric/Power BI Premium). If your deployment target doesn't support the selected level, you'll be blocked from deploying. See Compatibility level for tabular models in Analysis Services

Update the compatibility level

Update Compatibility Level

Open your model

Open your model in Tabular Editor using one of these approaches:

  • Open a file-based model definition (.bim file)
  • Connect to a running model (SSAS/AAS/Power BI semantic model via XMLA endpoint)

Select the model root

In the TOM Explorer, select the top-level Model (root node).

Locate Compatibility Level

In the Properties panel:

  1. Expand Database
  2. Find Compatibility Level

Set the new level

Set the compatibility level to the minimum required for your feature (or the highest supported by your platform).

Examples:

  • Custom calendars: 1701+
  • DAX UDFs: 1702+
Note

Minimum required levels for features can change as the platform evolves. Always verify prerequisites in current documentation. Some levels/features are Power BI-only and may not be available on SSAS/AAS.

Save

Save the model to apply the change:

  • If connected to a remote model, saving applies the metadata change back to the server
  • If editing a file-based model, saving updates the metadata on disk

After saving, Tabular Editor surfaces the newly enabled objects and properties.

Choose the right level

For SSAS/AAS deployments

Choose the latest compatibility level supported by your server version

For Power BI Desktop

Query your Power BI Desktop engine to see which compatibility levels it supports. Use DAX Studio or DAX Query View:

SELECT * FROM $SYSTEM.DISCOVER_PROPERTIES
WHERE [PropertyName] = 'ProviderVersion'
   OR [PropertyName] = 'DBMSVersion'
   OR [PropertyName] = 'SupportedCompatibilityLevels'

Troubleshooting

Can't deploy to SSAS/AAS after upgrade

You may have selected a compatibility level not supported by the target server. Validate server support before upgrading.

Reference: Compatibility level for tabular models in Analysis Services

Can I downgrade?

No. Downgrades aren't supported and aren't a safe or reliable remediation strategy.

Verification

After updating and saving:

  • Confirm Database → Compatibility Level reflects the new value in Tabular Editor
  • Verify the expected feature surfaces (e.g., the Functions node becomes available at 1702+)
  • If targeting SSAS/AAS, validate deployment against the server's supported compatibility levels