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jknottUOW
Frequent Visitor

Import csv column with an odd-but-known DataTime format as DateTime type (not text)

I am looking to import a list of transaction records from a CSV. There are 100+ columns with various parameters, some of the columns represent specific DateTime values related to the transaction (start time, end time, etc.) and are in the (admittedly odd) format:

 

"ddMMMyy:HH:mm:ss" (e.g. 01SEP22:22:15:00)

 

At the moment, Power BI imports these columns as text. I would like these columns to be recognised as DateTime so I can use them in reports.

 

I have found a method from this forum to add a new column (EVENT_TIME_PBI) by approprately parsing the original column (EVENT_TIME):

 

 

 

 #"Added Custom1" = Table.AddColumn(#"Added Custom", "EVENT_TIME_PBI", each DateTime.FromText([EVENT_TIME], [Format="ddMMMyy:HH:mm:ss"])),

 

 

 

and have confirmed this works to provide the EVENT_TIME_PBI as DateTime type.

 

What I want to have, however, is no extraneous columns and the EVENT_TIME column containing the correctly-formatted DateTime data, as the column name is well-known to report users. 

 

Is there a way to either: specify the format of the DateTime data for the import; or perform the post-import conversion 'in place'?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Vijay_A_Verma
Super User
Super User

For in-place conversion, insert this step

= Table.ReplaceValue(Source, each [EVENT_TIME], each DateTime.FromText([EVENT_TIME], [Format="ddMMMyy:HH:mm:ss"]), Replacer.ReplaceValue, {"EVENT_TIME"})

Code for testing

let
    Source = Table.FromRows(Json.Document(Binary.Decompress(Binary.FromText("i45WSlTSUTIwDHYNMDKyAiJDUysDA6VYnWilJKCEkaG/c4iRsZUhskQyUMLQ0MvRD6jcAKgJIhELAA==", BinaryEncoding.Base64), Compression.Deflate)), let _t = ((type nullable text) meta [Serialized.Text = true]) in type table [Column1 = _t, EVENT_TIME = _t]),
    Custom1 = Table.ReplaceValue(Source, each [EVENT_TIME], each DateTime.FromText([EVENT_TIME], [Format="ddMMMyy:HH:mm:ss"]), Replacer.ReplaceValue, {"EVENT_TIME"})
in
    Custom1

View solution in original post

2 REPLIES 2
jknottUOW
Frequent Visitor

Thanks very much for the quick and detailed response @Vijay_A_Verma .

 

As seems to always be the case, I also managed to build an alternate solution via:

#"Parsed Dates" = Table.TransformColumns(#"Promoted Headers", {
        {"EVENT_TIME", each DateTime.FromText(_, [Format="ddMMMyy:HH:mm:ss"]), type datetime},
        {"EVENT_TIME_END", each DateTime.FromText(_, [Format="ddMMMyy:HH:mm:ss"]), type datetime}
        })

 

Would there be a functional difference in the two approaches?

Vijay_A_Verma
Super User
Super User

For in-place conversion, insert this step

= Table.ReplaceValue(Source, each [EVENT_TIME], each DateTime.FromText([EVENT_TIME], [Format="ddMMMyy:HH:mm:ss"]), Replacer.ReplaceValue, {"EVENT_TIME"})

Code for testing

let
    Source = Table.FromRows(Json.Document(Binary.Decompress(Binary.FromText("i45WSlTSUTIwDHYNMDKyAiJDUysDA6VYnWilJKCEkaG/c4iRsZUhskQyUMLQ0MvRD6jcAKgJIhELAA==", BinaryEncoding.Base64), Compression.Deflate)), let _t = ((type nullable text) meta [Serialized.Text = true]) in type table [Column1 = _t, EVENT_TIME = _t]),
    Custom1 = Table.ReplaceValue(Source, each [EVENT_TIME], each DateTime.FromText([EVENT_TIME], [Format="ddMMMyy:HH:mm:ss"]), Replacer.ReplaceValue, {"EVENT_TIME"})
in
    Custom1

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