Merge and Append in Power BI

Last Updated: 1st June, 2024

Power BI, Microsoft's interactive data visualization tool, relies heavily on Power Query for data preparation and transformation. Power Query enhances Power BI by providing advanced data merging and appending capabilities, which are essential for creating comprehensive reports from multiple data sources. This article delves into how to effectively use merging and appending in Power Query, simplifying the data management process and improving your data analysis in Power BI.

Understanding Power Query in Power BI

Power Query is a data connection technology that enables users to discover, connect, combine, and refine data across a wide variety of sources. In Power BI, Power Query is integrated into the query editor, where data transformation tasks are performed. The tool allows for seamless data manipulation, which is critical when dealing with complex data landscapes.

Key Features of Power Query:

• Data integration: Connects to various data sources, including databases, spreadsheets, and web APIs.
• Data transformation: Allows filtering, sorting, and manipulating data without affecting the original data source.
• Automated workflows: Enables automated data refreshing, ensuring reports reflect the most current data.

Merge in Power BI

Merging queries is akin to performing a SQL JOIN operation. It involves combining data from two different sources based on a common set of columns. You can specify different types of joins (e.g., inner, outer, left, right) depending on which rows you want to include in the merged result. The resulting table will have columns from both the original tables, and you can choose which columns to keep. Merging is particularly useful when you need to include related information from another table, enriching your primary data without cluttering the original dataset.

Steps to Merge Queries in Power BI:

1. Open Power Query Editor:
   • In Power BI Desktop, go to the "Home" tab.
   • Click on "Transform Data" to open the Power Query Editor.
2. Select Queries to Merge:
   • In the Power Query Editor, go to the "Home" tab.
   • Click on "Merge Queries". You can choose "Merge Queries" to merge into the current query, or "Merge Queries as New" to create a new query based on the merge.
3. Configure the Merge:
   • A new window will appear where you need to select the two queries (tables) you want to merge. Select the primary table in the upper dropdown menu and the table you want to merge with in the lower dropdown menu.
   • After selecting the tables, choose the matching column(s) from each table by clicking on the columns. These are the columns that Power BI will use to perform the join.
   • You can select more than one column for matching by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking additional columns.
4. Choose the Type of Join:
   • Below the table selection, you can choose the type of join you want to perform:
     • Inner join – Only includes rows that have matching values in both tables.
     • Left outer join – Includes all rows from the first (left) table and matched rows from the second (right) table. Rows in the first table that do not have a match in the second table will still appear with null values in the columns from the second table.
     • Right outer join – Includes all rows from the second (right) table and matched rows from the first (left) table.
     • Full outer join – Includes rows when there is a match in either the left or right table.
     • Anti join – Includes only the rows from the first table that do not have a corresponding match in the second table.
     • Semi join – Includes only the rows from the first table that have a corresponding match in the second table.
5. Review and Modify the Merged Query:
   • Once you click "OK", the new or modified query will be created with the merged data. You can now perform any transformations or clean-up operations needed on this merged query.
6. Close & Apply:
   • Click "Close & Apply" in the top left corner of the Power Query Editor to apply your changes and return to the main Power BI window.

Append in Power BI

Appending queries is the process of stacking data from one query on top of the data from another query, essentially adding rows of data from multiple tables into a single table. This operation is useful when you have data with the same structure spread across different tables (e.g., sales data from different months or regions) and you want to consolidate it into one table. All tables should ideally have the same columns for append to work seamlessly; otherwise, you might end up with missing values in places where some tables lack certain columns.

Steps to Append Queries in Power BI:

1. Open Power Query Editor:
   • In Power BI Desktop, go to the "Home" tab.
   • Click on "Transform Data" to open the Power Query Editor.
2. Select Queries to Append:
   • In the Power Query Editor, go to the "Home" tab.
   • Click on "Append Queries" in the "Combine" group. You can choose "Append Queries" to append to an existing query, or "Append Queries as New" to create a new query that includes the appended data.
3. Choose Queries to Append:
   • If you click "Append Queries as New", a dialog box will appear. Here you can choose how many tables to append. You can select either "Two tables" or "Three or more tables".
   • After selecting the number of tables, you'll need to specify which queries to append. Use the dropdown menus to select the queries.
4. Configure the Append:
   • If you choose "Three or more tables", a new interface allows you to add multiple queries by clicking the "Add" button to include more queries in your append operation.
5. Review and Modify the Appended Query:
   • After appending, the new or updated query will show the combined data from the selected tables.
   • You can now perform any transformations or clean-up operations on this appended query, just like you would with any other query in Power Query.
6. Close & Apply:
   • Once you’ve finished modifying the query, click "Close & Apply" in the top left corner of the Power Query Editor to apply your changes and return to the main Power BI window.

Difference Between Append and Merge in Power BI

In Power BI, both "Append" and "Merge" are used to combine data, but they serve different purposes and operate in distinct ways. Here's a clearer differentiation between the two:

Best Practices for Merging and Appending

• Data Type Consistency: Ensure that the data types match in the columns used for merging or appending to avoid errors.
• Column Management: Post merge or append, remove unnecessary columns to keep the dataset clean and manageable.
• Refresh Data Regularly: Set up automatic refresh schedules in Power BI to keep your data up-to-date.

Conclusion

Merging and appending queries in Power Query can dramatically streamline data preparation in Power BI, making it easier to manage and analyze large datasets from diverse sources. By mastering these techniques, you can enhance the quality of your data analysis and reporting, leading to more informed decision-making processes.

Key Takeaways on Merge and Append Queries in Power Query

1. Power Query is integral to Power BI, providing essential tools for data manipulation through merging and appending operations, crucial for creating comprehensive reports from multiple sources.
2. Merging in Power Query is similar to SQL JOIN operations, where it combines data from multiple sources based on common columns, allowing users to choose from different join types such as inner, left, right, full outer, anti, and semi joins.
3. Specific steps to perform merging include opening Power Query Editor, selecting the queries to merge, configuring the type of join desired, and reviewing the merged query for any necessary transformations or clean-ups.
4. Appending queries in Power BI involves stacking data vertically from multiple queries with a similar structure, making it ideal for consolidating datasets like monthly sales data across different regions.
5. The steps to append queries include opening Power Query Editor, selecting the queries to append, choosing whether to append to an existing query or create a new one, and then modifying the appended query as needed.
6. Best practices for effective merging and appending include ensuring data type consistency across columns involved in these operations, removing unnecessary columns post-merge or append to maintain dataset clarity, and setting up automatic refresh schedules in Power BI to keep data current.