Handling Case Sensitivity in Power Query and Power BI Desktop

Hi Balakrishnan_J ,

Power BI is doing this because it treats text values that only differ by case as the same thing. So "Not Working", "not working", and "NOT WORKING" all get lumped together.

Easy fixes:

Add row numbers to make them unique: In Power Query, add a custom column:

= Table.AddColumn(#"Changed Type", "UniqueComments", 
    each [Comments] & " (" & Text.From([S.No]) & ")")

Use this new column in your visuals instead. Since each one has a different number, Power BI won't group them.

Invisible character trick:

= Table.TransformColumns(#"Changed Type", 
    {{"Comments", each _ & UNICHAR(8203) & Text.From([S.No])}})

This adds an invisible character plus the row number, so they look the same but are technically different.

Model-level fix: Create a calculated column in Power BI:

UniqueComments = [Comments] & " [" & [S.No] & "]"

Best approach: Go with the first one - it's clearest for users to understand what's happening with the case differences.

This is just how Power BI works - it's not really designed to handle case-sensitive text distinctions well in visuals.

If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I would be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response helpful.
This response was assisted by AI for translation and formatting purposes.

Hi Balakrishnan_J,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Forum Community.

Below is the M-Query used and attached the pbix file for your reference:

let
    Source = Table.FromRows(
        Json.Document(
            Binary.Decompress(
                Binary.FromText("i45WMlTSUfLLL1EIzy/KzsxLV4rViVYyAorlAcXKkcSMQer8QxTC/YO8Pf3cwWImYL0KxZnpeYk5YBFTsE5kETOwPoVgT3c/Rx+l2FgA", BinaryEncoding.Base64),
                Compression.Deflate)
        ),
        let _t = ((type nullable text) meta [Serialized.Text = true]) in type table [S.No = _t, Comments = _t]
    ),
    
    #"Changed Type" = Table.TransformColumnTypes(Source,{{"S.No", Int64.Type}, {"Comments", type text}}),

    #"Added Custom" = Table.AddColumn(#"Changed Type", "CaseHash", each Text.ToBinary([Comments])),

    #"Converted CaseHash to Text" = Table.TransformColumns(#"Added Custom", {{"CaseHash", each Binary.ToText(_, BinaryEncoding.Base64)}}),

    #"Added DisplayComment" = Table.AddColumn(#"Converted CaseHash to Text", "DisplayComment", each [Comments] & " (" & [CaseHash] & ")")

in
    #"Added DisplayComment"

Hope this helps
Thank you.

Hi Balakrishnan_J,

Power Query shows text with different casing (e.g., "Not Working", "not working"), but Power BI groups them as one in visuals — because the data model is case-insensitive.

Why This Happens

Power BI’s internal engine (VertiPaq) ignores case in text values when loading data.

Quick Solutions

SolutionWhat to DoPurpose

Recommended

If you only need to display all rows distinctly, just include S.No in your table visual.

For more control, use the Display vs Group column approach.

Best Regards,
Jainesh Poojara | Power BI Developer

Hi Power BI Community Members,

Hope all are doing well !!!
Big Thanks for providing your valuable time to work on this issue.

Hi jaineshp  & v-saisrao-msft 

I want to retain my values in Comments Column as it is in power query but here in DisplayComment Column binary values are added in the end.
I need to use this column in slicer visual of Power BI Desktop.

Hi burakkaragoz 

Showing error like this when I tried to use your query.

Kindly provide another solution to handle this issue.