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Happytravel2025
Regular Visitor

Date data showing as "null" even though source data has values - Date column

Hello,

 

1. I have a owner permission of the SP list.

2. I displayed all the columns below in the default view, still there were null.

 

The columns have vaules and the data type is 'date and time' still I can't see the values when I imported data from SP to Power BI.

 

 

Happytravel2025_1-1746196356576.png

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
johnbasha33
Super User
Super User

@Happytravel2025 

Checklist of Common Causes and Fixes


1. Data Format Issue (Power BI treats it as a Record)

SharePoint often stores complex fields like "Date and Time" as a record object instead of a flat value — especially if the column has time or time zone info.

Fix:

  • In Power Query, click on the column header showing null values

If it says "Record" in each row, click the expand icon (⤢) next to the column name
→ Then select the field like DateTime or Value
→ You should see the actual dates.

2. API Throttling or Limitations

SharePoint Online can throttle large lists or fields not included in default API calls.

Fix:

  • Go to Power Query → Click "Source" step

  • Change the SharePoint.Contents method to SharePoint.Tables instead of SharePoint.Contents, if you're manually constructing the M query

Alternatively, use OData feed URL to be more specific about the columns.

3. Versioning or Hidden Data

Sometimes, SharePoint fields are populated after form submission, especially with automated flows or calculated fields.

Fix:

  • Ensure the field isn't a calculated column — calculated columns often do not export properly to Power BI

In Power Query, go to Advanced Editor → check the actual column names being loaded

4. Field Not Promoted to View Properly

Even if the field is visible in your view, Power BI sometimes ignores it if it’s not promoted properly in SharePoint schema.

Fix:

  • In SharePoint list settings, go to the specific column settings → check if it’s set to show in all content types and views

Also try creating a new view with only that date column and import that view into Power BI

How to Debug in Power BI

  1. In Power Query → Step through each step from Source to Navigation

  2. Look at the Date column:

    • Does it say "null"? → Try expanding it

    • Does it say "error"? → Click into the error and review the message

  3. If the column shows as Record or Error, that’s your clue.

    Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution! Appreciate your Kudos !!

View solution in original post

3 REPLIES 3
johnbasha33
Super User
Super User

@Happytravel2025 

Checklist of Common Causes and Fixes


1. Data Format Issue (Power BI treats it as a Record)

SharePoint often stores complex fields like "Date and Time" as a record object instead of a flat value — especially if the column has time or time zone info.

Fix:

  • In Power Query, click on the column header showing null values

If it says "Record" in each row, click the expand icon (⤢) next to the column name
→ Then select the field like DateTime or Value
→ You should see the actual dates.

2. API Throttling or Limitations

SharePoint Online can throttle large lists or fields not included in default API calls.

Fix:

  • Go to Power Query → Click "Source" step

  • Change the SharePoint.Contents method to SharePoint.Tables instead of SharePoint.Contents, if you're manually constructing the M query

Alternatively, use OData feed URL to be more specific about the columns.

3. Versioning or Hidden Data

Sometimes, SharePoint fields are populated after form submission, especially with automated flows or calculated fields.

Fix:

  • Ensure the field isn't a calculated column — calculated columns often do not export properly to Power BI

In Power Query, go to Advanced Editor → check the actual column names being loaded

4. Field Not Promoted to View Properly

Even if the field is visible in your view, Power BI sometimes ignores it if it’s not promoted properly in SharePoint schema.

Fix:

  • In SharePoint list settings, go to the specific column settings → check if it’s set to show in all content types and views

Also try creating a new view with only that date column and import that view into Power BI

How to Debug in Power BI

  1. In Power Query → Step through each step from Source to Navigation

  2. Look at the Date column:

    • Does it say "null"? → Try expanding it

    • Does it say "error"? → Click into the error and review the message

  3. If the column shows as Record or Error, that’s your clue.

    Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution! Appreciate your Kudos !!

Thank you. I used the Otada, I don't know why it worked. " Open Power BI → Home → Get Data → OData Feed"

Samyrmoises
Frequent Visitor

@Happytravel2025 , check the format of your data when connecting to it inside Power BI to guarantee that you are not bringing any Object and loosing data with some specific convertion.

Check all the steps of that query on Query Editor. If you need further assistance, share your steps here without any personal info, please!

Take care!

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