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mmace1
Impactful Individual
Impactful Individual

Insert Table.ReplaceValue, before files from folder, have been split into columns?

I have a folder of (PDF) files, that I'm importing tables from. 

Some of the tables have double quotes, which causes Power Query to split things into an additional column. 

I'd think I could do a Table.ReplaceValue(), to replace the double quotes, sometime before the Table.SplitColumn() that I assume is in there. 

 But when I check the Advanced settings for all the steps, I don't actually see Table.SplitColumn() anywhere

screenshot of steps.jpeg

 

How can I get rid of the double quotes, before Power Query splits the table into columns?  Or do I need to go about this a different way entirely? 

6 REPLIES 6
AntrikshSharma
Super User
Super User

@mmace1 Can't replicate the issue, works fine for me with double quotes in PDF.

@AntrikshSharma  sorry, I missed that you couldn't replicate. 

 

Below is a PDF file, that when Power Query injests, splits the column, due to double quotes: 

https://send.vis.ee/download/b51526cf698308a6/#x_YCnPO-nqtsVT9P1b-u1w 

@mmace1 Link has expired 🙁

AntrikshSharma
Super User
Super User

@mmace1 Share sample data with the final result

@AntrikshSharma 


Here's how I'm combining PDF files from a folder

 

Built in functionality.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the source file has "" in it, like below

 

Double Quotes.png

 

Then when Power Query pulls in the file, it generates an extra column - Column2 below. 

 

Problem Table 2.JPG

 

Instead it should....not do that, and just import the file as it does for tables that lack double quotes. e.g - correct:
Normal Table 2.JPG


If I were doing this manually - no problem, remove the extra column. But I'm importing a ton of tables from PDFs via the 'Import from Folder' functionality, and appending them. So, the columns need to line up. 

I just need to either: 

Get Power Query to replace, or ignore, those "" prior to the step where it decides how many columns there are
Or do some weird logic - like "If you do this operation and end up with 5 columns, delete column2)

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