Using Power Query

In this step, we are going to build on our previous discussions on importing data into the common data service and look at using Power Query to be able to do that.

Power Query differentiates itself from the import wizard, by

• Enabling a wide range of data sources, as opposed to the limited options from the import wizard
• Allowing transformation of data using Power Query
• Allows loading to existing entities or creating as part of the import

Starting the import

To get to the Maker portal, users have two options

In the video, we see the route of Solutions -> drilling down into an entity -> Get Data, but we could also achieve the result by going the route of Data -> Entities -> Get data

Choosing a data source

As discussed, Power Query enables a greater range of data sources, including all the same source files as the import wizard, but also + Microsoft Access files + JSON files + Salesforce reports & objects + SharePoint lists

Database sources, such as + Amazon Redshift + IBM Db2 database + Oracle + PostgreSQL + SQL server + Azure SQL & Data Warehouse

And bespoke Web APIs that a developer may have created.

Transform Data

Once data has been brought in, it will appear like a single sheet per data source. You can import multiple sources and connect and transform them using the command bar. The steps taken are listed on the right-hand side, which allows one to simply undo an action without having to re-do the import

Map data

After transforming the data to meet your needs, we move to the data mapping screen. On this screen, you can load to a new entity or to an existing entity, and map fields as necessary.

This is also a chance to query the rows before importing, to ensure before an import whether or not the key columns are finding matches on the new system, and not cause problems with importing incomplete data