I’m concerned with a Energy BI improvement previously few days. I received some knowledge exported from numerous methods in several codecs, together with Excel, CSV and OData. The CSV recordsdata are knowledge export dumps from an ERP system. Working with ERP methods could be very time consuming, particularly if you don’t have entry to the info mannequin, and also you get the info in uncooked format in CSV recordsdata. It’s difficult, as within the ERP methods, the desk names and column names will not be consumer pleasant in any respect, which is sensible. The ERP methods are being utilized in numerous environments for a lot of totally different clients with totally different necessities. So if we will get our palms to the underlying knowledge mannequin, we see configuration tables protecting 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 essential to have understanding of the underlying entity mannequin. Anyhow, I don’t need to go off-topic.

The Drawback

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

Wanting on the column names, they can’t be tougher 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 facet of the story later.

Background

I emailed again to my buyer, asking for his or her assist. Fortunately they’ve a really good knowledge 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 following step is to rename all columns is predicated on the mapping desk. Ouch! I’ve virtually 800 columns to rename. That’s actually a ache within the neck, and it doesn’t sound fairly proper to burn the venture time to rename 800 columns.

However wait, what about writing automating the rename course of? Like writing a customized perform to rename all columns without delay? I recall I learn a wonderful weblog put up about renaming a number of columns in Energy Question that Gilbert Quevauvilliers wrote in 2018. I positively advocate taking a look at his weblog put up. So I need to do one thing much like what Gilbert did; making a customized perform that will get the unique columns names and brings again the brand new names. Then I take advantage of the customized perform in every desk to rename the columns. Simple!

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 info from my mapping desk and paste it into the brand new desk. I identify the brand new desk Column Names Mapping. The principle motive to make use of the Enter Information performance as a substitute of getting knowledge instantly from the file (in my case an Excel file) is that if for any motive sooner or later we miss the mapping file, the perform under can not discover the columns to map. Therefore, it brings again the unique column names. This implies if we created a knowledge mannequin on prime of the brand new column names, then the entire mannequin breaks, which isn’t any good. I additionally disable load on the Column Names Mapping question as I don’t have to have it in my knowledge mannequin.

Creating fnRenameColumnsFromRefQuery Customized Operate

The perform reads by means 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 identify 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 (
            Listing.Comprises(
                Report.FieldNames(#sections[Section1]), 
                "Column Names Mapping"
                ) 
             ) = true 
        then #"Column Names Mapping" 
        else null,
    ColumnNewName = 
        attempt 
            if Listing.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. You could use a special identify of selection. 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 appears to be like 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 incorporates the brand new column identify, in any other case it brings the unique column identify 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 will use our customized perform because the second operand throughout the Desk.TransformColumnNames() perform to rename all columns. The ultimate code should appear like 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 predict what we’re doing is kind of laborious and we’re burning a whole lot of venture time doing that, it’s good to consider a strategy to automate the job. It’d look a bit advanced, complicated and time-consuming at first, however imagine me, in lots of circumstances it’s value it and after you discover the way in which you should utilize it in lots of different related situations which saves you a whole lot of time. Having mentioned that, there is no such thing as a assure that we will automate our situation, so it might be higher to be ready for it. For example, it’s a very long time since I’m pondering 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 info supply, and we have now many tables to be loaded to the mannequin, and the desk names will not be all the time consumer pleasant. It’s much like renaming columns however on the question degree. So in the event you already know the answer, please share it with the group so everybody can profit out of your efforts. On the finish of the day, we be taught from one another. So sharing our information is a paying ahead to the following particular person.

The opposite level is to all the time keep in mind to ask different specialists for assist. We could be specialists in some areas however it’s unattainable for somebody being an knowledgeable in every part. Like in my case the shopper had an knowledgeable who offered me with the column names mapping desk, with out his assist I couldn’t get the job accomplished.

As all the time, I might like to know your opinion, so please share your ideas within the remark part under.