Power BI querys appending/combination Warning Mesage

[LijunChen2]

Hello Friends,

I have imported annual report data text files into Power BI desktop and created a query table for each. I then tried to append / combine the query tables together since they have the same field names/types. But I was not able to do that because Power BI issued a warning message, and don't load the combined file.     

Here is the waring messages for either Append or Combine:
Power BI append

Formula firewall: Query "Append1" (step 'Source') references other queries or steps, so it may not direct access a data source. Please rebuild this dta combination.

Power BI Combine:
Formula firewall: Query 'CombinedData' (step "CombinedData") references other queries or steps, so it may not directly accesc a data source. Please rebuild this data combination.

This is really frustrating. The privacy level of the separate query files used to be "organizational". Even if I changed them to 'none', I still get the same warning. I remember having done this before without any problems. But now I seem cannot do it. 

One solution is to read in all the files in a single queery. But my problem is that the I did not read in the txt files in whole but with different skip patterns ( such as removing some top rows, removing some end rows, the rows in the middle). If I pool them in in one query, the reading/cleaning process will get very complicated. 

Is there any way I can overcome this issue. Thanks.  

[v-bmanikante]

Hi @LijunChen2 ,

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If our super user response resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accept as solution" and click "Yes" if you found it helpful.

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[v-bmanikante]

Hi @LijunChen2 ,

we would like to follow up to see if the solution provided by the super user resolved your issue. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
If our super user response resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accept as solution" and click "Yes" if you found it helpful.

Regards,
B Manikanteswara Reddy

[v-bmanikante]

Hi @LijunChen2 ,

we would like to follow up to see if the solution provided by the super user resolved your issue. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
If our super user response resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accept as solution" and click "Yes" if you found it helpful.

Regards,
B Manikanteswara Reddy

[lbendlin · Accepted solution]

The standard approach is to inline everything so that the formula firewall can't bite. 

created a query table for each

So - don't do that.  Enumerate your text files in their natural habitat and then use Table.AddColumn to consume their content and to expand the data.

[LijunChen2]

@lbendlin  Hello, Ibendlin.  

Do you suggest I import from a folder? Can you elaborate on this a little further? The data files I am importing are saved in a cloud sharepoint folder and I imported each of them from their Web link. That doesn't seem to be an good practice.  Can you provide some references / links about your approach? Thanks.

"Enumerate your text files in their natural habitat and then use Table.AddColumn to consume their content and to expand the data."