Power Query: how to keep file detail when importing from folder

Question

I'm trying to import some files from a folder using Power Query, and struggling to include the circled date fields in the final dataset.

Date Fields in file property

When I expand the "content" column, all other data fields are removed.

All file properties are lost when I expand "content"

How do I keep the date field from file property?

Thanks, David

Answer 1

It looks like you are combining binaries (the double arrow action), which takes all of the text files and combines them together. As a result, it can't include the other columns in the source table.

I think what you want to do is to store the contents of the file as a text or list value in a column. You can get the text values by right-clicking on the Content column header and choosing Transform | Text.

You could also add a custom column and use a formula like Text.FromBinary([Content]) or Lines.FromBinary([Content]). You can add a custom column by going to the Add Column ribbon tab and clicking on Add Custom Column.

Answer 2

After some searching for a solution this post helped me find it. I made a normal query from a file/folder then I deleted the step "Remove other columns" and replaced that step by manually removing al columns except for the date column I wanted to use. Worked fine for me.