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The Most Dynamic Way to Combine Multiple Excel Files with Inconsistent Column Headers
All it Takes is One Line of Code
Miss Microsoft
April 25, 2024
Watching Power Query attempt to combine multiple Excel files with inconsistent column headers is like observing someone trying to insert a USB stick the wrong way: you flip it, you flip it again, but it just doesn’t seem to fit. It's a universal struggle—one minute you're confident in your approach, and the next, you're met with an unexpected “null” where your data should be. Lets explore the single line of code that will ensure all your data files slot in smoothly, without any more flipping and twisting!
(Inconsistent column headers can drive anyone to question their own data savvy, much like second-guessing which way the USB needs to go!)
💡Today's Goal: Easily combine multiple Excel files with inconsistent column headers.
🚩 The Problem:
You have multiple Excel files, each with different column headers, but merely using “Combine & Transform Data” does not result in your desired single, cohesive file.
The inconsistency in column headers leads to some of your file’s data showing up as “null” values!
✨ The Simple One Line Fix
Here’s the magic line of code:
This line performs a transformation on the column names based on a predefined list of old and new names, ensuring uniformity across all your files. By applying this function, all your different headers are aligned to a standard naming convention before the files are combined, thereby streamlining the integration process.
🔍Why This Matters:
Using this method allows you to avoid manual, error-prone processes and embrace automation, ensuring accuracy and saving you an immense amount of time. Whether your data comes from different departments or external sources, this approach guarantees that when combined, the dataset is consistent and ready for analysis.
🎥Watch the Video:
In my latest video I show you how this works step-by-step from creating your renaming table and importing the multiple files, to the final combining and renaming. The downloadable practice file is available in the description below the video. Please click here to watch the video and if you’re joining from ‘The Query Editor’, please let me know in the video comments!
Until next time, keep those queries rolling, and may your data always be clean and your transformations swift!
Happy Querying!
Thanks for reading.
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