Allow formatting datetimezone fields to user local timezone
Typically date & time information is available in UTC (if not then put it to UTC at source), you just want it rendered in the users' locale/time zone at reporting time.
Adding an option to format datetimezone fields in the users' locale/time zone (based on the user account settings) would probably solve 90+% of requirements for rendering time zone information.
Currently MS does not provide for showing offset information (or local time zone) as you only have date/time format options, but in the query editor you can set type to datetimezone which show offset info so it's clearly available - just the rendering that lacks.
Not having this functionality is forcing people to resort to hacks like using DateTimeZone.AddZone() with hardcoded time offsets - not scalable where DST is involved. Current workarounds obviously only work as long as the viewer is in the designated time zone and does not scale across a global audience.
Christiaan B.
shared this idea
4 comments
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Donovan Regel
commented
Come on product team - this is a basic necessity! Just need a formatting option on datetimeoffset fields that allow you to render it in local/alternative timezone.
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Anonymous commented
YES, PLEASE! How is it that power BI is not able to render results in the user's local time zone, given that nearly every we platform on earth stores data in UTC and presents it in the user's local time zone?
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Kevin H
commented
Yep, I wish I could do at least one of the following...
1. Take my date/time values stored in the data model (e.g. in UTC), and create a DAX measures to return the date/time in the Power BI Service user's local time zone. (And, another DAX measure to say what the user's local time zone is.)
2. Store date/time/timezone values in the data model ... and, have a way for the Power BI Service to convert those values, in reports, to the user's local time zone.
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Scott A
commented
Since we will be deploying reports and dashboards for a global audience, this functionality is absolutely critical--and basic. We simply cannot tell our users to look at time series data and to "do the math" in their heads for their timezone.