Skip to main content
cancel
Turn on suggestions
Auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type.
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

The Power BI Data Visualization World Championships is back! Get ahead of the game and start preparing now! Learn more

Reply
Anonymous
Not applicable

Replace Characters in Column Names

‎04-18-2020 08:51 AM

I'm sure there is a simple solution to this question, but everything I've found deals with renaming an entire column or replacing values within the table itself.

 

Problem: I have an ETL tool that extracts data to Google BigQuery. The column names in the source data are dynamic dates, as this is time series financiancial data. When the data goes into BigQuery, the column names get reformatted. For instance, "4/18/2020" becomes "_4_18_2020". I need to be able to rename the columns back to the source format so the dates work with my DAX functions.

 

I have explored Table.ColumnNames but can't seem to figure out how to use that function to convert the column formats to "MM/DD/YY" and I can't seem to find the answer online.

 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Labels:
Message 1 of 2
1,542 Views
0
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
ImkeF
Community Champion
Community Champion

‎04-18-2020 12:45 PM

Hi @Anonymous  

you should use "Unpivot other columns" to push your dates into column values.

Then do simple text replacements.

 

 

Imke Feldmann (The BIccountant)

If you liked my solution, please give it a thumbs up. And if I did answer your question, please mark this post as a solution. Thanks!

How to integrate M-code into your solution -- How to get your questions answered quickly -- How to provide sample data -- Check out more PBI- learning resources here -- Performance Tipps for M-queries

View solution in original post

Message 2 of 2
1,508 Views
1 REPLY 1
ImkeF
Community Champion
Community Champion

‎04-18-2020 12:45 PM

Hi @Anonymous  

you should use "Unpivot other columns" to push your dates into column values.

Then do simple text replacements.

 

 

Imke Feldmann (The BIccountant)

If you liked my solution, please give it a thumbs up. And if I did answer your question, please mark this post as a solution. Thanks!

How to integrate M-code into your solution -- How to get your questions answered quickly -- How to provide sample data -- Check out more PBI- learning resources here -- Performance Tipps for M-queries

Message 2 of 2
1,509 Views

Helpful resources

Announcements
Power BI DataViz World Championships

Power BI Dataviz World Championships

The Power BI Data Visualization World Championships is back! Get ahead of the game and start preparing now!

December 2025 Power BI Update Carousel

Power BI Monthly Update - December 2025

Check out the December 2025 Power BI Holiday Recap!

FabCon Atlanta 2026 carousel

FabCon Atlanta 2026

Join us at FabCon Atlanta, March 16-20, for the ultimate Fabric, Power BI, AI and SQL community-led event. Save $200 with code FABCOMM.

View All
Top Solution Authors
View All