Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Join the FabCon + SQLCon recap series. Up next: Power BI, Real-Time Intelligence, IQ and AI, and Data Factory take center stage. All sessions are available on-demand after the live show. Register now

Reply
Coffeyam
New Member

Sentence Extraction - Need Help

Hi, I am using Excel Power Query and I have a list of keywords that I search for in a large group of text. I am wondering if anyone knows how I can extract the sentences every time a keyword is found. So if a keyword is found in the text then it would look for the surrounding . ! Or ? and then return the sentence within the punctuation where that keyword was found.

 

Is that possible with Power Query?

 

Thanks!

1 REPLY 1
edhans
Community Champion
Community Champion

You should split the block of text based on punctuation. For example, I have a bunch of file names here. I am going to split them by the ".xlsx" delimiter.

edhans_0-1695861130432.png

That will split the sentences into rows. So you don't have to do this multiple times, I'd recommend you replace the period, exclamation point and question mark with .xxx, ?... and !xxx first. Then your delimiter is the "xxx" char.

Once every sentence is on a new row, you can add a column and use the Text.Contains() function. Text.Contains - PowerQuery M | Microsoft Learn

For any sentences that don't return a value, filter those rows out.

For more help, we'd need data. 
How to get good help fast. Help us help you.

How To Ask A Technical Question If you Really Want An Answer

How to Get Your Question Answered Quickly - Give us a good and concise explanation
How to provide sample data in the Power BI Forum - Provide data in a table format per the link, or share an Excel/CSV file via OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.. Provide expected output using a screenshot of Excel or other image. Do not provide a screenshot of the source data. I cannot paste an image into Power BI tables.



Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution!
Did my answers help arrive at a solution? Give it a kudos by clicking the Thumbs Up!

DAX is for Analysis. Power Query is for Data Modeling


Proud to be a Super User!

MCSA: BI Reporting

Helpful resources

Announcements
April Power BI Update Carousel

Power BI Monthly Update - April 2026

Check out the April 2026 Power BI update to learn about new features.

New to Fabric survey Carousel

New to Fabric Survey

If you have recently started exploring Fabric, we'd love to hear how it's going. Your feedback can help with product improvements.

Power BI DataViz World Championships carousel

Power BI DataViz World Championships - June 2026

A new Power BI DataViz World Championship is coming this June! Don't miss out on submitting your entry.

FabCon and SQLCon Highlights Carousel

FabCon &SQLCon Highlights

Experience the highlights from FabCon & SQLCon, available live and on-demand starting April 14th.