Transform data for use in Power BI visuals

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When using the Power BI Connector to load an Autodesk Data Exchange into Power BI,

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you can use the Power Query window to transform the data.

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Transforming data is a way of cleaning up the data or making sure that it is of the specific type required for your dashboard or report.

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Start in the Power BI desktop application with a Data Exchange already imported and the Autodesk Data Connector viewer loaded.

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Here, you also see a Stack Bar Chart and a Slicer visual.

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On the ribbon, Home tab, Queries panel, click Transform Data, and from the drop-down, select Transform Data.

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The Power Query window opens, displaying all properties from the loaded Data Exchange.

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Each column header displays the property name, and each row represents the property value.

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Each column header also includes an icon indicating the data type.

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For instance, a text string is represented by letters, and decimal values by numbers.

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To adjust a data type, select the column you wish to change such as Number of People.

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Then, on the ribbon, Transform panel, expand the Data Type: Decimal Number drop-down to select the desired data type.

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Here, select Text.

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The column updates, and in the Query Settings panel, in the Applied Steps group, a Changed Type step displays.

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Any change made in the Power Query window is recorded in the Applied Steps.

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To undo a change, click the X next to the step name.

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In this example, some of the values in the selected Number of People column are set to null,

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which could prevent some Power BI visuals from functioning properly.

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To replace the null values, from the Transform panel, select Replace Values.

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In the Replace Values dialog, in the Value to Find field, enter “null”.

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Then, in the Replace With field, enter the value you wish to replace null with, such as “0”.

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Click OK, and the column updates accordingly.

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To apply any changes made in the Power Query window, from the ribbon, click the Close & Apply drop-down, and then select Close & Apply.

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Once the data is loaded, the changes are applied to your report and dashboard.

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Now you know how to transform data from a Data Exchange to make sure that it is usable for the Power BI visuals in your project.