Power query rename columns example. the cntry_code column to "Country Name".
Power query rename columns example missingField: (Optional) What to do if the column does not exist. Nov 23, 2023 · Learn effective techniques to transform column names in bulk. Filters in SUMMARIZECOLUMNS only apply to group-by columns from the same table and to measures. Problem lies in knowing how to refer to any column that is a measure. Contains an amazing custom function. If your columns have the same split defintion, you can follow this similar issue to rename them: Rename multiple column names along with changing their column numbers to Letters Best Apr 25, 2024 · ShowColumns, AddColumns, RenameColumns and DropColumns are Power Fx functions which helps you to shape your collection. Sales_Amount. We should disable the query’s data load as we don’t need to load it into the data model. SUMMARIZE should not be used to add columns. For multiple renames, a nested list can be used ( { {old1, new1}, {old2, new2} }). Unfortynately, he doesn't explain how to do this in the video: Cut Your Power Query Steps in Half (With These Tricks ) I have 8 column rename steps that I would like to cons This function does not guarantee any sort order for the results. RenameColumns. Sep 9, 2021 · For example most Excel files have a column header called “Task_Name”, but on rare occasions the column header could be “Name”. Sep 16, 2025 · Example 1 Add a number column named "TotalPrice" to the table, with each value being the sum of the [Price] and [Shipping] columns. For five columns in one table (such as the above example), hand-transforming their names isn’t too tedious. With so many features and tools, it’s very easy to get lost when starting to learn Power Query. columns: The list of columns from the table table to return. What is the difference in making changes in the Data View vs in Power Query Editor? Pro's/Con's to using one over the other? Sep 16, 2025 · Returns a record after renaming fields in the input record to the new field names specified in list renames. RenameColumns takes two values -- the table you want to modify, and a list (or list of lists) containing the old and new column names. Jan 12, 2022 · Such a query returns a table, which is visible as a calculated table in the Power BI example you can download. Jul 7, 2021 · You can adapt the approach described in this video to dynamically rename your columns with relative references (e. Mar 26, 2020 · One approach using Power Query might be to implement some steps like: Get the names of the 5 rightmost columns of the table (which should give you a list of 5 strings, all of which end in " Value"). Jul 18, 2022 · Rename some columns by adding a prefix 07-18-2022 04:28 PM Hi everyone. I don't mind the names of the other columns. SUMMARIZECOLUMNS( Sales[StoreId], Sales[StoreId] ) This function is not supported for use in DirectQuery mode when used in calculated columns or row-level security (RLS) rules. ExpandRecordColumn is a Power Query M function that creates a table with a column for each field in a specified record column, optionally specifying new column names for uniqueness. The data comes from different datasets, and I need to standardize c Jan 26, 2017 · Today, we will learn how to avoid the 6th pitfall as part of the Power BI / Power Query Pitfalls series. You can use Table. Rename Columns if Necessary: Sometimes, columns that should match have different names. I want to bulk rename the colNames in a way that returns the value inside Jan 25, 2016 · Typical scenario You have several data sources - Table1, Table2 and Table3 You want to combine data Unfortunately, column names are different in those data sources, but structure is similar. In this article, I will try to explain these functions with a simple scenario. TransformColumnNames So the first of my example below would actually look like this: Sep 16, 2025 · Returns a table where all the column names from the table provided are prefixed with the given text, prefix, plus a period in the form prefix . From Mar 20, 2024 · Thanks in advance I have a master table with column names which are codes e. ColumnName. Jun 1, 2015 · Here’s the output of that query in DAX Studio (and remember, DAX Studio can connect to data loaded into the Power BI Designer, which is what I’m doing here): You can alias the columns in this table using SelectColumns () very easily, like so: Nov 15, 2024 · Table. You can create a new column example from a current selection, or from providing input based on all (or selected) columns in a given table. Then I want to use these wo functions to rename columns. File name: 0066 Rename columns in Power Query. Am expecting to keep my data model same, irrespective of the column name changes. One of possible solutions is to create three separate queries, apply necessary transformations there and combine them after all. Field to reference a column by its name. Bulk Renaming Columns You can use List. This is the auto-exists behavior that has side effects on functions such as FILTERS. A similar situation occurs for the type-specific filters, since they're specific to certain Jul 4, 2018 · The standard function to rename columns in the query editor of Power BI or Power Query is Table. My datasource is IBM TM1, using Tm1 Rest api I am pulling the data. Apr 26, 2024 · Table. Start([JobCodes],5,"0"), but I don't want to add a new column and go back to remove the column I don't need. Jan 30, 2017 · Automatical or Bulk- Rename Columns in Power BI and Power Query Edit 7th Feb 2017: Friendly reader Roknic pointed out in the comments below that there’s actually an existing function for it in M: Table. Excel Power Query has powerful text transformation options. 🚀 Unlock the Power of Power Query: Dynamic Spaces, Unpivot Magic, and Clean Sheets! 🚀 Welcome to our latest tutorial where we dive deep into the transformative world of Power Query! If you Jul 9, 2025 · Some features in Power Query are contextual to the data type of the column selected. I have several columns in table, with headers similar to this: abc [some good text]xyz. May 1, 2018 · You can use Table. This results in Power Query removing that file from the Combine function. For example, the following formula is invalid. Column Renaming Follow Me Renaming of columns is a necessity in any reporting solution. zip Jan 18, 2016 · I am trying to dynamically rename a set of columns in Power Query, List1 being the original column names and List2 the new column names. The function returns a new record with the fields renamed according to the provided renames list. g. I would like to rename the columns in order to get quantities 2010, quantities 2011, etc. Oct 17, 2021 · COLUMN_NAME = Original column name in the source file COLUMN_LABEL = The 'new' more user friendly Column Name DATA_TYPE = The underlying SQL Database column type PQ_TYPE = The Power Query type I want to convert the column to Changing the Column Names I have been able to do relatively easily, it's the Data Type transformation I have problems with. Example #3 Replace the column name "NewCol" with "NewColumn" in the table, and ignore if the column doesn't exist. As an example, let's start with a data set that has two columns. RenameFields is a Power Query M function that renames fields in a record to the new field names specified in a list. Power Query M Apr 14, 2017 · Example, JAN-17 Shipments, FEB-17 Shipments, etc. EVALUATE SUMMARIZECOLUMNS ( Aug 25, 2023 · Table. They use what's probably the best column naming standard (IMO) e. Rename Columns # Sep 14, 2024 · I’m working on a Power Query M script to rename columns based on certain predefined rules and keywords found in the column names. Nov 2, 2023 · You can use List. RenameColu Jan 7, 2021 · Hi @Anonymous , Seems that you have not specific split definition for multiple columns like "_", " " etc. Sep 16, 2025 · Returns the table with only the specified columns. Aug 12, 2020 · Hi, I'm working with excel report output as my Power Query report input (not fun), and my report needs to be able to consume old reports as well as recent reports. Use the Rename function to align them. Nov 6, 2017 · M/Power Query - rename all columns, based on text and delimiters 11-06-2017 03:02 AM Dear community, Could you please help with hint on M code to do the following. I want to make my code more dynamic and convert to custom connector. This is perfect for extracting parts of text or numbers without writing complex formulas. ColumnNames(MyTable){5} You can then use Record. The problem of SUMMARIZE is that it has several pitfalls and performance issues, and for compatibility issues it cannot be fully fixed by Microsoft. Can I use power query to quickly rename all columns in table 1 based on the info from table 2? Solved! Go to Solution. to remove underscore 01-13-2016 09:48 PM Today I was grappling with shaping a series of Queries based on a SQL Datawarehouse. Examples of how to trim and clean data, remove duplicates, change data type, split columns, extract values, replace missing values, add a conditional column, replace or remove errors, and more. A column cannot be specified more than once in the groupBy_columnName parameter. ColumnNames (#"Previous Step") {0} for example to get the name of the first column from the previous step (replace Previous Step with the actual step name), and you can use that in place of Jan 13, 2022 · Download the example file: Join the free Insiders Program and gain access to the example file used for this post. Nov 6, 2017 · Dear community, Could you please help with hint on M code to do the following. The ShowColumns function includes columns of a table or record and drops all other columns. Jan 4, 2018 · If [Description] contains TRANSFER FROM ACCOUNT 1 then PRINCIPAL Else If [Description] contains PRINCIPAL 4- then PRINCIPAL Else [Description] This will produce an added column (it generates a Table. Oct 13, 2020 · In this article, we are going to talk about cleaning and transforming column names dynamically and in a bulk. So taking the 4 digits from the name of the previous column and concatenate it with the string quantities. , rename the first column to "Column1" and the second to "Column2"). This causes issues when refreshing the data and the column has now changed names as well as in the visual that I am performing some filtering on. It takes a nested list of old and new column names as its second argument. I figured out, that I will most probably need Table Nov 22, 2021 · Here, it interweaves Part# from the original column names (those in the "Pivoted Column" step's table), then Part# from the list coded into #"Renamed Columns, then the next original column name (1 from your first example or 4 from your second example), then 1st from the column list coded into #"Renamed Columns, then the next original column Jul 30, 2023 · Hello I have the following DAX to query a dataset in Power BI. A replacement operation renames consists of a list of two values, the old column name and new column name, provided in a list. table: The provided table. This can be done in Power Query by selecting the column header, right-clicking, and choosing Remove. I would like to rename some of these columns by adding a prefix. Table. Jan 14, 2016 · Auto-rename all Query columns e. I’ve got two approaches that are a little different to Celia’s, so I thought I would post my solutions to this common problem in the interest of sharing other techniques. = Table. I think I need to merge List1 and List2 into a single list of pairs, but can't figure out the correct syntax. Aug 29, 2025 · Learn how to handle column name changes in Power Query and prevent workflow failures with expert tips and dynamic solutions. Jul 2, 2024 · Example of a file columns: Customer | sales 2010 | quantities | sales 2011 | quantities The problem is that the name quantities contains no year. Sep 6, 2022 · Solved: Hello, I would like to apply a transformation for every column of my table. Below operation retrieves the current column names as list. The function returns a new table with expanded record columns. Compatible with: Power BI Service Power BI Desktop Excel Microsoft 365 Syntax Oct 26, 2023 · The tutorial delves into practical scenarios using Power Query in Excel. For each column name, trim " Value" from the end (which should give you a list of 5 different strings, all of which should be names of columns in your table). Remarks The GroupBy_ColumnName must be either in table or in a related table to Table. Jan 8, 2025 · In this post we will look at fixing a single missing column and multiple missing columns dynamically in Power Query with a changing data schema. In this blog post, we dive into three easy ways to perform this task – follow along! Jan 13, 2022 · So, in this post, I want to share two ways to rename columns in Power Query when the column names change. For instance, if a column is named generically (“Column1”) or has typos, rename it to something meaningful (like “SalesAmount” or “CustomerID”). May 22, 2020 · But in case you don’t have Power Query editor open, you can also rename a query from Power BI Desktop by right-clicking it and select rename. The column headers are Column 1 and Column 2, but you want to change those names to more friendly names for your columns. Aug 19, 2019 · I'm trying to add leading zeros into a column in power query call JobCodes. Sep 16, 2025 · Performs the given renames to the columns in table table. This is useful when you’re applying the same rename operation to multiple tables that might have slightly different column structures. For example the TotalActualWork column? I would usually use a select action and MAP the column, but unsure on syntax for measures // DAX Query DEFINE VAR __DS0Core = Sep 24, 2019 · 01-23-2022 09:21 AM Hello, You can use the if else statements to replace multiple categories in a single power query replace value formula. Now, let’s look at a practical example where you can use this function. Go ahead and load the data into Power Query and let’s get started. Compatible with: Power BI Service Power BI Desktop Excel Microsoft 365 Syntax Nov 15, 2024 · Table. I found in the community how to get the column names Table1_Table Aug 30, 2023 · When you change a table name or column name using Power Query editor, and Close & Apply changes, measure will automatically picks up the name table name & column name. TransformColumns is a Power Query M function that transforms a table by applying each column operation listed in transformOperations, with optional defaultTransformation and missingField parameters. I need to rename all column headers from these abc [some good text]xyz to some good text Apr 26, 2024 · However, since we can’t directly reference a column in an expression, you will often use functions like Table. 3 days ago · A table with the selected columns for the GroupBy_ColumnName arguments and the summarized columns designed by the name arguments. Feb 17, 2021 · Here are some good resources: Query folding basics Power Query query folding The importance of Query Folding Understanding folding with Query Diagnostics Conclusion As you see, we can use this technique to rename all tables’ columns in one base query. I know I can do this by adding a new column using Text. 3 days ago · The combined table resulting from this filter only contains columns explicitly listed in SUMMARIZECOLUMNS as grouping columns or filter columns. Jan 18, 2022 · Solved: whenever I pull data from SSAS tables, they come as like this. Columns in the returned table are in the order listed in columns. I have been searching, but have not found a way to rename a column by its column number verse the column name. Changing case Power Query makes it easy to convert a column of text from lowercase to upper, uppercase to proper and so forth. For example, hold down the Ctrl key and select both Title and Artist Name. I create two functions that filter TableName to the table I want, and I keep either ColumnNameOld or ColumnNameNew and returns a list. For example, the dates in the first column of the table below have been used to quickly create new columns displaying various date information: The above examples are just a taste of what is possible. Dec 27, 2024 · Learn how to Renaming Columns in Power Query to improve data clarity and consistency for accurate analysis. PrefixColumns but this adds a prefix to all the columns. Aug 27, 2024 · In Power Query, you can rename columns to format the data set in a clear and concise way. Apr 26, 2017 · Power Query* can easily take a column of dates and extract, or convert it into various handy date formats with the click of a few buttons. ⏬ Click Show More to check out the description for info and links⏬Excel and Power BI users sometime need to rename multiple columns automatically rather than Struggling with column headers that keep changing every time you refresh your Power Query data? This quick yet powerful Excel tutorial shows you how to dynamically rename columns based on position Mar 6, 2023 · This demonstration will cover some common column operations such as converting case, splitting columns and so forth. For example, If you have a status column with the values A,I,T and wish to replace them with Active, Inactive, and Terminated use the formula provided below. Mar 10, 2025 · If your tables contain extra columns that are not needed for the merge, consider removing them to simplify the process. For each trimmed column name, look up May 15, 2020 · Dynamically rename columns from a column names table 05-15-2020 12:32 PM Let's say I have a table with 3 columns: TableName, ColumnNameOld, ColumnNameNew. Jan 7, 2021 · Hi @Anonymous , Seems that you have not specific split definition for multiple columns like "_", " " etc. As an alternative, use SUMMARIZECOLUMNS or ADDCOLUMNS / SUMMARIZE. For example, when selecting a date column, the available options under the Date and time column group in the Add Column menu are usable. Zip to rename column values in bulk. Jun 11, 2024 · Record. Is this possible? The "column of the table wasn't found" error can be fixed if we change column name by position in Power Query. Mar 20, 2024 · Thanks in advance I have a master table with column names which are codes e. XCGY, CHTY, HGFT, etc i have a secondary table where column 1 is the list of codes and column 2 contains the useful column name I would like to use. dynamically. From Feb 17, 2021 · Here are some good resources: Query folding basics Power Query query folding The importance of Query Folding Understanding folding with Query Diagnostics Conclusion As you see, we can use this technique to rename all tables’ columns in one base query. Aug 20, 2024 · Quickly create a new column in Power Query using existing columns as examples. For example, Old Column Name: customer_account_na Jun 21, 2025 · To rename a column to an existing column name, first drop the existing column with DropColumns, or rename the existing column out of the way by nesting one RenameColumns function within another. Is there a way of renaming columns based on the condition that the first record (index= {0}) of the column starts with "L"? Nov 23, 2019 · Introduction The Power Query Editor is a very powerful tool with dozens of different features and functionalities. One of the best ways to learn how to use Power Query is using the tool called “Column from Examples”. Sep 5, 2019 · It is possible to rename all of the columns in a Power BI table at once using some M Language tricks that anyone can learn. For example, if your mapping table is named Map, then the renaming step like this Feb 8, 2023 · The end result should be that any column, that has (text)values in the rows starting with "L" should be renamed to Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 etc. The renames list has the syntax: { {OldColumnName1, NewColumnName1}, {OldColumnName2, NewColumnName2} } Example: Rename the column “Phone" to "Contact" and column "Company" to "Organization”. There are these arguments – column used for grouping, name of new calculated group and calculation used to create it. I want to change the attribute in the M code based on the user input and tried the below, but its not working. Use these tips to make your workflow more efficient. Feb 21, 2023 · As I have created various custom columns and measures in this data table based on the source columns, whenever am uploading the data files, the column reference changes and am forced to create all those measures once again. Zip on the mapping table columns to generate a list of column renaming pairs. so the directly way to rename columns is that renaming them manually which is like @ mahoneypat mentioend. 40 columns. Sep 12, 2019 · Rename Columns based on end of month using M code 09-12-2019 02:17 AM Hi, I can't say I know much about M code at all but have been tasked with changing the headers to the end of the month date for each calendar month. And this would be fine solution. Today I was hit with a surprise name change to a column name in today's run of the source report. Usage Sep 12, 2018 · Solved: I want to rename the column to something else with DAX below. The sixth pitfall is quite tricky, and is one of the most common pitfalls you always encounter. the cntry_code column to "Country Name". Is there a way I can insert a cond Aug 27, 2024 · In Power Query, you can rename columns to format the data set in a clear and concise way. May 18, 2018 · The obvious way to achieve this is to use the query editor to manually rename each column. Jan 4, 2021 · Before getting onto the tips, it's important to understand that "close & apply" button will run all the steps on each table we have added in the edit queries or transform data window. ColumnNames to retrieve column names or Table. But if the column doesn't have a data type set, then these options are greyed out. UseNull or MissingField. I want to replace '_' underscore with space. Th Learn how to auto rename columns in Power BI or Power Query, so you don't have to do it manually. Example: MissingField. Mar 6, 2023 · This demonstration will cover some common column operations such as converting case, splitting columns and so forth. Jul 2, 2025 · Power Query has a neat AI feature called Column From Examples that lets you create new columns by providing a few examples of the desired output. Feb 11, 2024 · Renaming columns in Power Query is one of the most common data transformations when working with data in Power BI or Excel. I want to rename all columns in those 15 tables in bulk not through manually one by one. Power Query lets you rename columns easily – just double-click a column header and type a new name [5]. Multiple columns This is an example of more complex syntax – with two grouping columns and two calculated columns, using for example SUMX function. Is there a way to achieve this only in some columns? Thanks a lot Solved! Go to Solution. I'm beginning to work with Power BI a little more and I see I can make changes like renaming columns and adding columns in either the Data View or the Power Query Editor. Jun 11, 2020 · Discover the Easiest way to transform text in Excel. You can also filter by a list, rather than stringing criteria together with the or operator. AddColumn), so I would then add Steps to remove the original [Description] column and rename the added column to suit. Column to return column values. Works great, but would like to rename the columns. This means that the more we forget about good practices in power query, the longer the query generated will take. Apr 11, 2023 · Hello, I have 15 tables in my datamodel which are connected through direct query to postgres database in Power BI. Aug 24, 2023 · This post looks at using Power Query to rename columns in nested tables based on a list, and how to avoid errors for missing column names. I need to rename all column headers from these abc [some good text]xyz to some good text In other words, leave only the text between [ ] and remove everything else. Separate words, split cells by delimiter, extract text after space, extract numbers from text and a lot more. I have some tables with aprox. ColumnNames(MyTable){n} to return a column name by its position - this this is base 0, so the 6th column name would be Table. With the unpivot columns feature in Power Query, you can transform selected columns into attribute-value pairs where columns become rows. ReplaceValue ( #"Filtered Rows . Ignore. Click for full details. So, putting this together for your example: #"Filtered Part Desc Use Excel's Get & Transform (Power Query) experience to add new columns of data in the Query Editor by simply providing one or more sample values for your new column. Example given in Power Query documentation: Replace the column name "CustomerNum" with "CustomerID" and "PhoneNum" with "Phone" in the table. I have tried Table. Whether you tap into… Jul 23, 2025 · I've just watched Chandeeps latest video where he talks about 'Batching' and removing unecessary steps for renaming columns. Mar 4, 2020 · I have a Power Query (M formula) which has to support and work for other attributes too. fzggdqxpbzioryxkwbsygjixhaavqvrlzyxktpkkuyfssvihlvawwfuhuzmzyzfipmeatppuounfeeybcon