How do I force an Excel table to keep the same sorting I've applied in Power Query?
I have loaded a data model query from an access database file, which I have then shaped and sorted using Power Query.
Afterwards I have imported it as an Excel table using the "Existing Connections" and made sure that I have the "Preserve column sort/filter/layout" box checked.
However, the data I see in Excel is not sorted and seems to be thrown in completely at random?
I have also checked the "Preserve column sort/filter/layout" box in the "Design - Table tools" under external connections?
I usually just add an index column in PQ and resort in Excel after linking to the existing connection.
The same issue happens in reverse when you bring sorted data into PQ, and it resorts it without being asked. An index column in the initial table import solves that as well
Related
I have a table that I fetch via a connect through Power Query, which has a list of names. I apply some steps including sorting the names column alphabetically and then loading it to a Table and the "Data Model". However the table that is loaded onto a worksheet contains the list of the names sorted in a completely different order, its like Excel is ignoring my sorting preference completely. I tried to sort the data in the "Data Model" resorting it in Power query even the table in the worksheet itself, but after I hit refresh it reverts to the wrong order.
Try Table.Buffer wrapped around the sort
= Table.Buffer(Table.Sort(Source,{{"date", Order.Ascending}}))
or, alternatively, add an index at start, and resort on index when done
I can confirm buffering doesn't work. Incredible bug.
Its a bit of a weird one but I have a linked table within my database. The table is an excel table with identical field headings and data types and until recently has worked fine however now when I traverse the linked table in Access the data will change every other move, changing from the original row to show data in the row below. Iv had a script output the values of the top row and it displays normally however I cant append this linked table into anything and I assume its this glitch.
Im stumped and would love any ideas as to how this happened and how it can be fixed.
This is an unusual post as I've never quite heard of this type issue. To sanity check things I would suggest that you delete your excel table from the navigation pane in Access - and then relink it.
So then perhaps I didn't understand, and I am wondering what is meant in your first post by: "The table is an excel table with identical field headings and data types"
A link to excel is a qualified "table" so to speak. You should be able to double click on it within Access, it opens in data sheet view and you see all the data but you can't write to it. You can't write back into the excel.
You can query it....
You can append the query results of the excel into a true Access table.
I'm using an up-to-date version of Excel 2016 (via O365 E3 license) and using Power Query / Get & Transform Data. I can successfully create queries and load them to the page. I have also successfully created Power Pivot reports.
I would like to query single data points from the data loaded via Power Query. For instance, imagine a dataset called DivisionalRevenue with:
Date Division Revenue
2016-01-01 Alpha 1000
2016-01-02 Alpha 1500
2016-01-01 Beta 2000
2016-01-02 Beta 400
I could easily load that to an Excel workbook or include it in the data model and create a power pivot. However, Power Pivot doesn't always meet my requirements, particularly around how the data is displayed on the page. In order to achieve my goal I may want to be able to query individual data points.
I would like to have a cell on the page with a formula in it that I can use to query individual data points. If it was in a pivot table I could use something like:
=GETPIVOTDATA("Revenue",$A$3,"Date",DATE(2016,1,1),"Division","Alpha")
The lookup values (date and division) could be retrieved from a cell on the page or hard-coded into the formula. This is a requirement for several reports I'm working on.
Or, I could add a combined lookup column with Date and Division concatenated and use a vlookup to pull the values like:
=VLOOKUP("42371Alpha",I9:L13,4,FALSE)
Finally, I could use a combination of INDEX and MATCH to identify the correct row number and then pull the data.
All of these solutions require the data to be loaded onto a sheet. One requires a pivot table that has to be refreshed to work properly. The other two require creating arbitrary lookup columns so that you can match a row based on more than one field (date and division in this example), and you have to ensure that that lookup field's formula is properly extended down the length of the data table. In both cases I would have concerns when sharing this workbook with my colleagues in case someone affects the rather fragile setup of the pivot table or the lookup.
So, what I truly want to find is something equivalent to pivot table querying against a dataset.
** This doesn't exist, but I would like to know if something like it does **
=GETQUERYDATA("Revenue","DivisionalRevenue","Date",DATE(2016,1,1),"Division","Alpha")
Does such a thing exist? Can such a thing be done? Can I retrieve arbitrary data points from the dataset created through Power Query / Get & Transform Data?
I think that what you want are cubefunctions:
Some Background
How to easy create cubefunctions from a pivot table
There is a feature in Excel that allows you to query off of a PowerPivot model, but it's not highly advertised for some reason.
Once you have the data in your PowerPivot model, go to your Excel -> Data tab -> Existing Connections -> Tables tab
From there, choose the table that you want to start with. Once that table's data is on your excel sheet, you can actually right click that table -> go to "Table" -> "Edit DAX"
From there you can enter the following DAX function, as an example
EVALUATE
FILTER(SampleData,[Date]=DATE(2016,1,1) && SampleData[Division]="Alpha")
Make sure to choose Command Type=DAX in the drop-down. Here's how it looks on my screen:
To further improve your querying power, you can install the optional "DAX Studio" plugin for Excel, which allows you to write custom DAX queries and then export the results directly back to an Excel sheet.
I have lost the connection to source analytics service. However, I still have data in PivotTable's cache (I can see from tooltips).
How to get that source data?
I am using Office365
** I cannot use show details since the pivot table has some filteres applied. And i cannot remove filters since it asks me to connect source.
(And yes I have checked this thread but it didn't work for me: Recreate Source Data from PivotTable Cache. It gives 1004 error.)
The easiest way I can think of for a table based data set is:
Show the field list on your pivot table.
Remove all filters, column labels, row labels, and values
Add one field to the values. This will show one aggregate value in the pivot table.
Double click the value and a sheet with all the data should pop up.
If it doesn't, go to the pivot table options then on the data tab check "Enable show details".
This method however will not work with OLAP data. Excel does not download the entire cube; it queries for new data slices with every change to the filters or layout of the pivot table/chart. So even if you could access the data in the pivot cache it would not hold the entire cube, but only the slices needed to show the current layout. You CAN create a snapshot cube file to hold all of the data needed to run in offline mode, however it requires you to be able to connect to the server at least once to create the file.
I have data in powerpivot that I've modified and I'd like to place it into the workbook as a regular table (and not as a pivottable). I need this so that I can run use the table for some vlookups from another worksheet in the same workbook.
I found this answer: link which I will try and summarize with out cutting and pasting to much. This assumes you have powerpivot installed.
goto powerpivot and "import from and external source" the data you want to munge and bring back into the workbook as a table
Key here is to select the checkbox “Enable selection of multiple tables”.
when prompted at the "import data" window, pick pivot report (you won't really use this)
go back to powerpivot with the "Manage Data Model:
add a new measure below your data. something like: NRofOrders:=COUNTROWS(values(FactResellerSales[SalesOrderNumber]))+0
(you won't really use this but this seems to change the query to this table so that you can use DAX)
also add any columns that you want ( for me, this is want I wanted that I wanted to be reflected back in the workbook)
back to Excel, select the data tab, click on Existing connections and select Tables: and then pick a table from your query.
boom, you're done
(the link continues on and you should read that as it's interesting but at this point you should have powerpivot query with your modification as a table in your workbook)
The July 2014 update to Power Query (pushed out at the end of Aug) simplifies the answer. With the new Power Query Update you can pull the data into the Data Model with out having to also copy it to the Works sheet.
goto powerquery and import the data you want to munge. Use the option to just add it to the Data Model.
go back to excel and then go to powerpivot with the "Manage Data Model" button.
munge your data (add columns, whatever)
back to Excel, select the data tab, click on Existing connections and select Tables: and then pick a table from your query.
boom, you're done
In the PowerPivot window you can select the table, or elements of it, and then copy (nornal right click or ctrl +c) and paste that into your spreadsheet.
This works for reasonable amounts of data but if you try and do it with thousands of rows you may find that excel objects and falls over, based on my experience.
Vlookups kind of defeat the purpose of PowerPivot :-)
Found a great solution over on Mr Excel
(http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/power-bi/637919-extracting-static-data-powerpivot-without-pivot-tables.html)
If you are trying to get a PowerPivot table into Excel, then you can simply query it. The easiest way to set that up is to first create any pivot table based on you PowerPivot data. Then double-click the measures area to drill-through. This creates a table with a connection to your PowerPivot model. Then edit the command text by going to: Data > Connections > Properties > Definition tab > Command Text.
Change it to something like
Code:
EVALUATE Table1