How To Add New Column In Power Bi Transform Data

How to Add a New Column in Power BI Transform Data

Adding a new column in Power BI’s Transform Data stage allows you to manipulate or combine existing columns to derive meaningful insights from your data. Here is a detailed explanation of how to add a new column with examples:

1. Open Power BI Desktop and connect to your data source.
2. Load the data into Power Query Editor by clicking on the “Edit Queries” button.
3. In Power Query Editor, select the table or query you want to add a new column to.
4. Click on the “Add Column” tab in the Power Query Editor ribbon.
5. Choose the appropriate option for adding a new column based on your requirement:
• General Column Operations: You can perform basic calculations or transformations on existing columns by selecting options like “Custom Column,” “Duplicate Column,” or using mathematical functions.
• Conditional Column: If you want to add a column based on specific conditions or if-then logic, select the “Conditional Column” option. Here’s an example:

Example: Let’s say you have a “Quantity” column and you want to add a new column “Category” based on the value in the “Quantity” column. If Quantity is less than 10, the category should be “Low,” if Quantity is between 10 and 50, the category should be “Medium,” and if Quantity is greater than 50, the category should be “High.”

1. Select the “Conditional Column” option from the “Add Column” tab.
2. In the “New Column Name” field, enter “Category.”
3. Specify the conditions and values for each category:
• Condition 1: Quantity < 10 with the value “Low”
• Condition 2: Quantity >= 10 and Quantity <= 50 with the value “Medium”
• Condition 3: Quantity > 50 with the value “High”
4. Click on the “OK” button to add the conditional column.
6. Other Transformations: Power Query Editor provides various transformations like merging columns, splitting columns, replacing values, or using functions to add new columns. Explore the options in the “Add Column” tab based on your specific needs.
7. After adding the new column(s), click on the “Close & Apply” button to apply the changes and load the data into Power BI.

By following these steps, you can add new columns in Power BI’s Transform Data stage and enhance your data analysis capabilities.