Power Query Append Queries Not Working - Mismatch Column Names

Appending tables in Power Query is fairly straightforward. The great thing about using Power Query is that the files can all be in one folder and with the magic of the append feature in power query it quick and easy. That is unless the tables in the files are different like having mismatch column names. Lets assume that the column structure is the same; the tables in each file have the same number of columns and its just one sheet per workbook and even that is the same (i.e., Sheet1). However the column names in each workbook is slightly different. For example column one in one file is called "ID" and column one in the second file is called "IDs". The one additional character can make appending the files produce the wrong result. You can edit each file to make sure the column names are the same and that is not too much trouble if it is just a few files. But if it is more than ten files then it becomes a chore, especially if this is something that is done on a recurring basis. There is a workaround, so check out the video to learn how.

Use Power Query to Change Text in Cells or Columns

Change text in Power Query is easy to do. Some transformations include change the case (i.e., upper vs. lower), adding or removing spaces and changing special characters. All this can be done with in the Ribbon tools to the text in the cells. However if you wanted to change all the headers cells to make the text change case or remove characters, that would involved going into the M code. It's not hard, but it's worth it if you have a lot of column headers to change.

Power Query Append Queries Not Working - Mismatch Columns Names & Order

Power Query can append tables from a folder effortlessly when those tables are the same (i.e., same number of columns and same column header names). But if the columns have different field names or the order of the columns are not in order, the append process will not work well. However there are methods to make it work and this video will cover one of them.