This time we’re going bigger than ever. Fabric, Power BI, SQL, AI and more. We're covering it all. You won't want to miss it.
Learn moreDid you hear? There's a new SQL AI Developer certification (DP-800). Start preparing now and be one of the first to get certified. Register now
Stop me if you've heard this one...
I've received an Excel spreadsheet from a user who wants to know if their data can be visualized in Power BI. The structure is set up for data entry rather than analysis, with 2 column dimensions and 2 row dimensions. I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to get it into dimension-fact format. Here's the structure:
| Name | Name | Name | Quest | Quest | Quest | Favorite Color | Favorite Color | Favorite Color | ||
| Topic | Subtopic | Yesterday | Today | Tomorrow | Yesterday | Today | Tomorrow | Yesterday | Today | Tomorrow |
| Topic A | Subtopic L | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Topic A | Subtopic M | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Topic A | Subtopic N | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Topic A | Subtopic O | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Topic B | Subtopic P | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Topic B | Subtopic Q | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Topic C | Subtopic R | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Topic C | Subtopic S | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Topic C | Subtopic T | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Topic C | Subtopic U | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
I've tried multi-step unpivot using Power Query/M, but that didn't get me to tidy data.
Before I redo everything manually, I figured I'd ask the experts. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated, even if the answer is "You can't get there from here."
Solved! Go to Solution.
I think I get what you're trying to get to.
Have a look at the attached PBIX and let me know if you have any questions.
(apologies, it's a little rushed so I haven't renamed the steps or tidied up any of the code)
| Have I solved your problem? Please click Accept as Solution so I don't keep coming back to this post, oh yeah, others may find it useful also ;). |
I think I get what you're trying to get to.
Have a look at the attached PBIX and let me know if you have any questions.
(apologies, it's a little rushed so I haven't renamed the steps or tidied up any of the code)
| Have I solved your problem? Please click Accept as Solution so I don't keep coming back to this post, oh yeah, others may find it useful also ;). |
Wow! It does just what I need. I'll need to study this a while to understand how you decomposed and recomposed the original table. Amazing.
Thank you so much!
Check out the April 2026 Power BI update to learn about new features.
Sign up to receive a private message when registration opens and key events begin.
If you have recently started exploring Fabric, we'd love to hear how it's going. Your feedback can help with product improvements.
| User | Count |
|---|---|
| 7 | |
| 5 | |
| 4 | |
| 3 | |
| 3 |