I’m concerned with a Energy BI growth up to now few days. I obtained some information exported from numerous programs in numerous codecs, together with Excel, CSV and OData. The CSV information are information export dumps from an ERP system. Working with ERP programs will be very time consuming, particularly once you don’t have entry to the information mannequin, and also you get the information in uncooked format in CSV information. It’s difficult, as within the ERP programs, the desk names and column names are usually not consumer pleasant in any respect, which is sensible. The ERP programs are being utilized in numerous environments for a lot of totally different prospects with totally different necessities. So if we are able to get our fingers to the underlying information mannequin, we see configuration tables holding column names. A number of the columns are customized constructed to cowl particular wants. The tables might have many columns that aren’t essentially helpful for analytical functions. So it’s fairly crucial to have understanding of the underlying entity mannequin. Anyhow, I don’t need to go off-topic.

The Drawback

So, right here is my state of affairs. I acquired about 10 information, together with 15 tables. Some tables are fairly small, so I didn’t hassle. However a few of them are actually broad like having between 150 to 208 columns. Good!

Trying on the column names, they can’t be harder to learn than they’re, and I’ve a number of tables like that. So I’ve to rename these columns to one thing extra readable, extra on this aspect of the story later.

Background

I emailed again to my buyer, asking for his or her assist. Fortunately they’ve a really good information knowledgeable who additionally understands their ERP system in addition to the underlying entity mannequin. I emailed him all the present column names and requested if he can present extra user-friendly names. He replied me again with a mapping desk in Excel. Right here is an instance to indicate the Column Names Mapping desk:

I used to be fairly pleased with the mapping desk. Now, the subsequent step is to rename all columns is predicated on the mapping desk. Ouch! I’ve nearly 800 columns to rename. That’s actually a ache within the neck, and it doesn’t sound fairly proper to burn the undertaking time to rename 800 columns.

However wait, what about writing automating the rename course of? Like writing a customized perform to rename all columns directly? I recall I learn a wonderful weblog publish about renaming a number of columns in Energy Question that Gilbert Quevauvilliers wrote in 2018. I undoubtedly advocate his weblog publish. So I have to do one thing just like what Gilbert did; making a customized perform that will get the unique columns names and brings again the brand new names. Then I exploit the customized perform in every desk to rename the columns. Straightforward!

The Answer

Earlier than we begin, I have to have my mapping desk in Energy BI. So I create a brand new desk utilizing the Enter Information performance. Then I copy the information from my mapping desk and paste it into the brand new desk. I title the brand new desk Column Names Mapping. The primary cause to make use of the Enter Information performance as a substitute of getting information straight from the file (in my case an Excel file) is that if for any cause sooner or later we miss the mapping file, the perform beneath can not discover the columns to map. Therefore, it brings again the unique column names. This implies if we created an information mannequin on high of the brand new column names, then the entire mannequin breaks, which is not any good. I additionally disable load on the Column Names Mapping question as I don’t have to have it in my information mannequin.

Creating fnRenameColumnsFromRefQuery Customized Operate

The perform reads by way of the Column Names Mapping desk and renames the columns of the question that we invoked the perform in when it finds the matching. If it doesn’t discover the matching, it leaves the column title is. Right here you go, that is the perform I got here up with.

//fnRenameColumnsFromRefQuery
(ColumnName as textual content) as textual content =>
let
    Supply = 
        if (
            Checklist.Comprises(
                File.FieldNames(#sections[Section1]), 
                "Column Names Mapping"
                ) 
             ) = true 
        then #"Column Names Mapping" 
        else null,
    ColumnNewName = 
        strive 
            if Checklist.Comprises(Supply[Column Name], ColumnName) = true 
            then 
                if Textual content.Trim(Desk.SelectRows(Supply, every ([Column Name] = ColumnName)){0}[Description]) = "" 
                then ColumnName 
                else Desk.SelectRows(Supply, every ([Column Name] = ColumnName)){0}[Description] 
            else Supply 
        in any other case ColumnName
in
    ColumnNewName

You’ll be able to obtain the previous expressions from right here.

Right here is the way it works:

• The fnRenameColumnsFromRefQuery accepts a ColumnName parameter as textual content and the output of the perform is a textual content.
• The Supply step checks the existence of a Column Names Mapping question. The Column Names Mapping is the mapping tables proven within the previous picture that holds the unique column names and their mapping. It’s possible you’ll use a distinct title of alternative. If the Column Names Mapping question exists then Supply = #"Column Names Mappings" else Supply = null
• The ColumnNewName step checks the contents of the Supply step which is both the Column Names Mapping desk or a null. If it’s the Column Names Mapping desk then it seems for the ColumnName parameter within the [Column Name] column throughout the Column Names Mapping desk. If it finds the matching worth then it makes use of the ColumnName parameter to filters the [Column Name]. Then it will get the corresponding worth from the [Description] column which accommodates the brand new column title, in any other case it brings the unique column title again

The final step is to make use of the fnRenameColumnsFromRefQuery customized perform to rename the desk’s columns.

Invoking the fnRenameColumnsFromRefQuery Customized Operate

Energy Question has a perform to renamed column names in tables which is the Desk.TransformColumnNames(desk as desk, NameGenerator as perform) perform. The Desk.TransformColumnNames() perform accepts a NameGenerator as its second operand. So we are able to use our customized perform because the second operand throughout the Desk.TransformColumnNames() perform to rename all columns. The ultimate code should appear to be this:

Desk.TransformColumnNames(PREVIOUS_STEP_NAME, fnRenameColumnsFromRefQuery)

Here’s a screenshot of the column names earlier than and after renaming the columns:

You’ll be able to obtain the PBIX pattern right here.

Conclusion

If we expect what we’re doing is kind of laborious and we’re burning numerous undertaking time doing that, it’s good to consider a option to automate the job. It’d look a bit complicated, complicated and time-consuming at first, however imagine me, in lots of circumstances it’s price it and after you discover the way in which you should use it in lots of different comparable eventualities which saves you numerous time. Having mentioned that, there isn’t any assure that we are able to automate our state of affairs, so it will be higher to be ready for it. For example, it’s a very long time since I’m considering to automate the method of renaming all queries showing within the Question Editor, however I’m but to discover a answer for it. Right here is the problem, in some circumstances, we hook up with the information supply, and we’ve got many tables to be loaded to the mannequin, and the desk names are usually not all the time consumer pleasant. It’s just like renaming columns however on the question degree. So for those who already know the answer, please share it with the neighborhood so everybody can profit out of your efforts. On the finish of the day, we study from one another. So sharing our information is a paying ahead to the subsequent individual.

The opposite level is to all the time keep in mind to ask different specialists for assist. We is perhaps specialists in some areas however it’s not possible for somebody being an knowledgeable in the whole lot. Like in my case the client had an knowledgeable who supplied me with the column names mapping desk, with out his assist I couldn’t get the job performed.

As all the time, I’d like to know your opinion, so please share your ideas within the remark part beneath.