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lornafnb's avatar
lornafnb
Helper I
4 years ago
Solved

Multiple date formats in column

Good day - my first post on the Forum! :)-   I'm reading from an Excel file, and the format of the date column is either 2021/11/08, or March '22 (in this case, it can default to 2022/11/01). I su...
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  • Vijay_A_Verma's avatar
    Vijay_A_Verma
    4 years ago

    Leave everything, in a custom column put this. That's it. 

    = Date.From(if Text.Contains(Text.From([Live date]),"'") then "1"&Text.Replace([Live date],"'","") else [Live date])

     If you want to convert this column to a date, select column - Transform tab - Detect data type

Vijay_A_Verma's avatar
Vijay_A_Verma
Most Valuable Professional
4 years ago

1. Make sure [Date] is replaced with your column name.

2. Ideal will be to upload the file without confidential/sensitive data to a cloud storage service such as Onedrive/Google Drive/Dropbox/Box (Onedrive preferred) and share the link here.

3. For Blank query - Right click on left side pane - New Query - Blank Query

lornafnb's avatar
lornafnb
Helper I
4 years ago

1. My Field name is 'Live date' so my new column looks like this..

Date.From(if Text.Contains([Live date],"'") then "1"&Text.Replace([Live date],"'","") else[Live date])

2. The [Live date] is currently a text field.

3. The New field is also a text field - the "replace" part in the script above works...(although it is still Text format..

4. However the dates that were (correct) dates before, produce the error.

I suspect it might be a Data type error?

  • Vijay_A_Verma's avatar
    Vijay_A_Verma
    Most Valuable Professional
    4 years ago

    Can you click on one of the errors and post the error here? To have the column in date format, use below step (Replace Source with your previous step)

    = Table.AddColumn(Source, "Custom", each Date.From(if Text.Contains([Live date],"'") then "1"&Text.Replace([Live date],"'","") else[Live date]), type date)

     OR you can select the Custom column - Transform menu - Detect data type

    • lornafnb's avatar
      lornafnb
      Helper I
      4 years ago

      I'm so sorry - I am really stupid with this.

      1. The error message that the values cannot be converted to text - so your thinking that it needs to be converted to date is correct.

      2. In your suggestion - it starts with Table.Addcolumn....why is that - I still have a query, not a table...

       

      thanks

    • lornafnb's avatar
      lornafnb
      Helper I
      4 years ago

      I'm somewhat confused.

      The order that I add the column is:

      1) Transform

      2) Add Column - Customer Column

      3) I paste your line of code in there - get the below...(Then you mention I should replace Source with my previous step - I dont understand.)

       

      4. If I expand the Custom column, I get this...

      Then I select the Date Effective field only and I get an Error...

       

      All the Steps I have taken up to here is 

      I dont know where I am going wrong

      Thanks