CSV and text file import in Power BI - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Importing CSV and text files lets you bring data from simple files into Power BI. This helps you analyze and visualize data stored outside databases or online sources.

When you have sales data saved as a CSV file from your cash register.

When you receive monthly reports in text files from a partner company.

When you want to combine data from multiple CSV files into one report.

When you need to quickly load a list of customers stored in a text file.

When you want to explore data from exported logs saved as CSV.

Steps

Step 1: Click

- Home tab, Get Data button

The Get Data window opens showing data source options

Step 2: Select

- Get Data window, Text/CSV option

File browser dialog opens to choose your CSV or text file

Step 3: Navigate and select

- File browser dialog

Selected file path appears in the import preview window

Step 4: Click

- Import preview window, Load button

Data loads into Power BI and appears as a new table in Fields pane

Step 5: Click

- Import preview window, Transform Data button (optional)

Power Query Editor opens to clean or shape the data before loading

Before vs After

Before

Power BI Fields pane shows no table related to the CSV file

After

Power BI Fields pane shows a new table named after the CSV file with all columns imported

Settings Reference

File Origin

📍 Import preview window

Choose the correct text encoding to display characters properly

Default: 65001: Unicode (UTF-8)

Delimiter

📍 Import preview window

Specify how columns are separated in the file

Default: Comma

Data Type Detection

📍 Import preview window

Automatically assign data types like number or text to columns

Default: Detect data types

Common Mistakes

Selecting the wrong delimiter when importing

Columns merge or split incorrectly, causing data confusion

Check the file format and choose the correct delimiter like comma or tab in the import preview

Not verifying file encoding

Special characters appear as gibberish or question marks

Set the File Origin encoding to match the file's character set, usually UTF-8

Loading data without cleaning

Data may have extra spaces, wrong types, or unwanted rows

Use Transform Data to open Power Query Editor and clean data before loading

Summary

Import CSV and text files to bring external data into Power BI for analysis.

Choose correct delimiter and encoding to ensure data imports correctly.

Use Transform Data to clean or shape data before loading into your report.