Splitting and merging columns in Power BI - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to split the 'FullName' column into first and last names using Power Query.

Power BI

Table.SplitColumn(Source, "FullName", Splitter.SplitTextByDelimiter(" ", [1]), {"FirstName", "LastName"})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AQuoteStyle.Csv

BQuoteStyle.None

CQuoteStyle.Text

DQuoteStyle.Ignore

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using QuoteStyle.Csv causes unexpected splits if quotes are present.

Forgetting to specify the quote style leads to errors.

Using QuoteStyle.None ensures the split happens exactly at the delimiter without considering quotes.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to merge 'City' and 'Country' columns with a comma separator in Power Query.

Power BI

Table.CombineColumns(Source, {"City", "Country"}, Combiner.CombineTextByDelimiter([1], QuoteStyle.None), "Location")

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A;

B,

C -

D /

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using semicolon or dash instead of comma can confuse users.

Not including a space after the comma makes the text harder to read.

The comma and space ", " is a common separator for city and country names.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in this Power Query code to split 'DateTime' into 'Date' and 'Time' columns.

Power BI

Table.SplitColumn(Source, "DateTime", Splitter.SplitTextByEachDelimiter({"[1]"}, false, [2]), {"Date", "Time"})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AT

Bt

C" "

D:

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using lowercase 't' instead of uppercase 'T' causes no split.

Using space or colon as delimiter does not match the datetime format.

The delimiter between date and time in ISO format is uppercase 'T'.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to merge 'FirstName' and 'LastName' with a space separator and no quotes in Power Query.

Power BI

Table.CombineColumns(Source, {"FirstName", "LastName"}, Combiner.CombineTextByDelimiter([1], [2]), "FullName")

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A" "

BQuoteStyle.None

CQuoteStyle.Csv

D"-"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using dash instead of space changes the name format.

Using QuoteStyle.Csv adds unwanted quotes around names.

Use a space " " as delimiter and QuoteStyle.None to avoid adding quotes.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to split 'Address' by comma, trim spaces, and keep both parts in Power Query.

Power BI

Table.TransformColumns(Table.SplitColumn(Source, "Address", Splitter.SplitTextByDelimiter([1], [2]), {"Street", "City"}), {{"Street", Text.Trim}, {"City", [3])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A","

BQuoteStyle.None

CText.Trim

DQuoteStyle.Csv

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using QuoteStyle.Csv adds quotes around parts.

Not trimming spaces leaves unwanted whitespace.

Split by comma "," with no quotes, then trim spaces from both parts.

Practice

1. What does splitting a column in Power BI do?
Splitting means:

easy

A. Breaking one column into multiple columns based on a rule

B. Joining multiple columns into one column

C. Deleting unwanted columns from the table

D. Changing the data type of a column

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the meaning of splitting

   Splitting means dividing one column into several columns based on a delimiter or rule.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Joining columns is merging, deleting is removing, and changing data type is different from splitting.

3. Final Answer:

   Breaking one column into multiple columns based on a rule -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Splitting = Breaking column into parts [OK]

Hint: Splitting breaks one column into parts [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing splitting with merging
• Thinking splitting deletes columns
• Mixing splitting with data type changes

2. Which of the following is the correct way to merge two columns FirstName and LastName with a space separator in Power Query?

easy

A. Table.RemoveColumns(Source, {"FirstName", "LastName"})

B. Table.SplitColumn(Source, "FullName", Splitter.SplitTextByDelimiter(" "))

C. Table.AddColumn(Source, "FullName", each [FirstName] & " " & [LastName])

D. Table.TransformColumnTypes(Source, {"FullName", type text})

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify merging syntax in Power Query

   Merging columns uses Table.AddColumn with an expression combining columns using & and a separator.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   Table.AddColumn(Source, "FullName", each [FirstName] & " " & [LastName]) correctly concatenates FirstName and LastName with a space. Table.RemoveColumns removes columns, Table.SplitColumn splits columns, Table.TransformColumnTypes changes data types.

3. Final Answer:

   Table.AddColumn(Source, "FullName", each [FirstName] & " " & [LastName]) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Merge = AddColumn with & [OK]

Hint: Use & with space inside AddColumn to merge columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using SplitColumn instead of AddColumn for merging
• Forgetting the space separator
• Removing columns instead of merging

3. Given a column FullName with values like "John Doe", what will be the result of this Power Query step?

Table.SplitColumn(Source, "FullName", Splitter.SplitTextByDelimiter(" "), {"FirstName", "LastName"})

medium

A. Two new columns named FirstName and LastName with split parts

B. A single column with names joined by space

C. An error because SplitColumn needs a number of columns

D. The FullName column deleted from the table

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand SplitColumn with delimiter

   This function splits the FullName column by space into two columns named FirstName and LastName.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   A single column with names joined by space is merging, not splitting. An error because SplitColumn needs a number of columns is incorrect because specifying new column names is valid. The FullName column deleted from the table is false; the original column is replaced by new columns.

3. Final Answer:

   Two new columns named FirstName and LastName with split parts -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   SplitColumn with delimiter creates multiple columns [OK]

Hint: SplitColumn with delimiter creates named new columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking SplitColumn merges columns
• Assuming original column remains unchanged
• Believing it causes an error without column count

4. You tried to merge columns City and Country using this code:

Table.AddColumn(Source, "Location", each [City] + ", " + [Country])

But you get an error. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. Missing a space after the comma separator

B. Using + operator instead of & for text concatenation

C. Table.AddColumn cannot merge columns

D. Column names are case sensitive and incorrect

Solution

1. Step 1: Check concatenation operator in Power Query

   Power Query uses & to join text, not + which causes an error.

2. Step 2: Review other options

   Missing space after comma is not an error, AddColumn can merge columns, and case sensitivity depends on source but usually not error here.

3. Final Answer:

   Using + operator instead of & for text concatenation -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use & for text join, not + [OK]

Hint: Use & to join text columns, not + [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using + instead of & for text
• Assuming AddColumn can't merge
• Ignoring case sensitivity issues

5. You have a column Address with values like "123 Main St, Springfield, IL". You want to split it into Street, City, and State columns. Which Power Query step correctly splits this?

hard

A. Table.TransformColumns(Source, {"Address", each Text.Split(_, ", ")})

B. Table.AddColumn(Source, "Street", each Text.BeforeDelimiter([Address], ", "))

C. Table.SplitColumn(Source, "Address", Splitter.SplitTextByEachDelimiter({","}), {"Street", "City", "State"})

D. Table.SplitColumn(Source, "Address", Splitter.SplitTextByDelimiter(", "), {"Street", "City", "State"})

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct delimiter and split method

   The address uses ", " as delimiter, so SplitTextByDelimiter with ", " is correct to split into three columns.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Table.AddColumn(Source, "Street", each Text.BeforeDelimiter([Address], ", ")) only extracts Street, not full split. Table.SplitColumn(Source, "Address", Splitter.SplitTextByEachDelimiter({","}), {"Street", "City", "State"}) uses SplitTextByEachDelimiter with wrong delimiter format. Table.TransformColumns(Source, {"Address", each Text.Split(_, ", ")}) splits but does not create separate columns.

3. Final Answer:

   Table.SplitColumn(Source, "Address", Splitter.SplitTextByDelimiter(", "), {"Street", "City", "State"}) -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   SplitColumn with correct delimiter and column names [OK]

Hint: Use SplitTextByDelimiter with exact separator and column names [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong delimiter like comma without space
• Extracting only one part instead of splitting all
• Not naming new columns after split