Forum Discussion
Getting Key instead of text from SAP HANA (New issue with Power bi July 2022)
The existing functionality of the Power BI Connector for SAP HANA only exposes text values. To get the Key values after you have loaded the required columns from Hana, we need to be in the Query Editor, then go to Add Column Add Custom Column. Then double click on the column that we need to pull the Key values from. If the column name is Customer, then you will see = [Customer] in the Custom Column Formula box. After that’s done, replace it with the following: Cube.AttributeMemberId([Customer]).
For now, as a workaround, you can use the previous version of Power BI by downloading it from
Previous monthly updates to Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service - Power BI | Microsoft Docs
Update on the understanding on this issue so far:
Caused by the HANA View being setup with an "alternative column" in the 'Label Column' entry. It looks like this functionality exists to support Parameters shwoing a "alternative column name" like an aid when selecting a Parameter input. There is no way for user to see this design setup. Your org can screen all the views that have entries in this 'Label Column', and maybe decide to clear them (pending understanding why they are used in the first place).
Preventive action: HANA designers should never use 'Label Column' functionality in a Consumption View, only in Re-useable views where the Parameter comes from. Using in Consumption view will disrupt column for user, showing values of referenced Label Column instead of actual column when pulled through PowerQuery.
See the screenshot of the design:
The PowerBI SAP HANA Connector BY DESIGN pulls the Key instead of the Text. So somehow, the View is desinged in such a way to result in this issue. My Organization has listed this to Microsoft as a Ticket / Bug. Issue does not apear in Tableau or in Hana Studio. They pointed me, as the initiator, to this workaround.
Result for user:
Example of a Parameter input with an 2nd information column (‘description column’):