Power Query (M language) cheat sheet

Note: M is a case sensitive language!

Kind Literal Comment

null null Empty value, void
1 * null = null // be careful!
logical true / false
number 0 1 -1 1.5 2.3e-5, 0xff Whole / decimal number, number in hex
time #time(9, 15, 0) #time( hour, minute, second )
#time(24,0,0) = #time(0,0,0)
If hour is 24, then minute and second must be 0
0 ≤ hour ≤ 24, 0 ≤ minute ≤ 59, 0 ≤ second ≤ 59
date #date(2013, 2, 26) #date( year, month, day)
datetime #datetime(2013, 2, 26, 9, 15, 0) #datetime( year, month, day, hour, minute, second )
datetimezone #datetimezone(2013, 2, 26, 9, 15, 0, 9, 0) #datetimezone( year, month, day, hour, minute, second,
offset-hours, offset-minutes )
0 ≤ year ≤ 9999, 0 ≤ month ≤ 12, 1 ≤ day ≤ 31
0 ≤ hour ≤ 23, 0 ≤ minute ≤ 59, 0 ≤ second ≤ 59
-14 ≤ offset-hours + offset-minutes / 60 ≤ 14
duration #duration( 0, 1, 30, 0) #duration( days, hours, minutes, seconds )
text "hello" Just text in quotes
Special characters. Carriage return:
="#(cr,lf)" same as ="#(cr)#(lf)",
string to check ="a#(cr,lf)b"
= "a#(tab)b" // a b
= "a" & "b""c" // ab"c
binary #binary("AQID") If you work with binary – you know
list { 1, 2, 3 }, { 1 .. 10 }, Comma separated values in curly brackets
{"A".."Z", "a".."z"}
record [ A=1, B=2 ] Comma separated "Field Name = Value" in square
brackets
table Simple way: result:
#table( { "X", "Y" }, { { 1, 2 }, { 3, 4 } } )

Preferable: with specified column types #table( list of field names,

#table( type table list of lists with values for rows of future table )
[Digit ID = number, Name = text],
{ {1,"one"}, #table( { "Field1 Name", "Field2 Name" },
{2,"two"}, { { "Field1 Value1", "Field2 Value1" },
{3,"three"} } ) { "Field1 Value2", "Field2 Value2" },
{ "Field1 Value3", "Field2 Value3" } } )

Empty table: #table( {"A", "B"}, {} )

function (x) => x + 1 ( arguments ) => some operations.
(optional num as nullable number) =>
let
step1 = if num = null then 0 else num,
step2 = step1 * 2
in
step2
type type{ number } // list Type of “data type”
type table [A = any, B = text]

Power Query (M language) cheat sheet 1

 Operator x=y Equal
x>y Greater than x<>y Not equal
x >= y Greater than or equal x or y Conditional logical OR
x<y Less than x and y Conditional logical AND
x <= y Less than or equal not x Logical NOT

Expressions Recursion (blog post)

"Hello World" // a text value Factorial = (n) =>
123 // a number if n <= 1 then
1 + 2 // sum of two numbers 1
else
{1, 2, 3} // a list of three numbers n * @Factorial(n - 1),

[ x = 1, y = 2 + 3 ] // a record containing two fields: x and y x = Factorial(5)

(x, y) => x + y // a function that computes a sum // @ is scoping operator

if 2 > 1 then 2 else 1 // a conditional expression

let x = 1 + 1 in x * 2 // a let expression

error "A" // error with message "A"

Relative dates

Today= Date.From(DateTime.FixedLocalNow()),
Yesterday= Date.AddDays(Date.From(DateTime.FixedLocalNow()), -1),
#"End of last month" = Date.EndOfMonth(Date.AddMonths(DateTime.FixedLocalNow(), -1)),
#"Start of Current Year"= Date.StartOfYear( DateTime.FixedLocalNow() ),
#"Start of Previous Year"= Date.AddYears(Date.StartOfYear(DateTime.FixedLocalNow()), -1),

#"ISO Date format"=Date.ToText( Date.From(DateTime.FixedLocalNow()), "yyyy-MM-ddT00:00:00"),

#"Start of Month 12 months ago Excluding cur month"=

Date.StartOfMonth(Date.AddMonths(DateTime.FixedLocalNow(), -12)),
#"Start of Month 12 months ago Including cur month"=
Date.StartOfMonth(Date.AddMonths(DateTime.FixedLocalNow(), -11)),

// Generate Calendar – (blog post), solution for Power BI

// List of dates for PrevYear - Today
let
start = Date.AddYears(Date.StartOfYear(DateTime.FixedLocalNow()), -1), // start of prev year
end = Date.From(DateTime.FixedLocalNow()), // today
duration = Duration.Days(end - start) + 1,
list_of_dates = List.Dates(start, duration, #duration(1,0,0,0)),

#"Table from List" = Table.FromList(list_of_dates, Splitter.SplitByNothing(), null, null, ExtraValues.Error)

in
#"Table from List"

Get working days – try solution from Marco Russo

Option 1: Parse table from TimeAndDate.com
Option 2: Use API TimeAndDate.com
Russia: читать в блоге, function on GitHub

Power Query (M language) cheat sheet 2

Power Query code shortcuts
IF / THEN / ELSE

Result = if [Column1]>0 then [Column A] else [Column B] // low case if / then / else, M is case sensitive

TRY / CATCH – error handling

Result = try A/B otherwise 0 // low case “try [some action] otherwise [some action/object]”

Excel cell value (Named Range consisting of one cell)

Result = Excel.CurrentWorkbook(){[Name="CELLNAME"]}[Content]{0}[Column1]

Rename Columns according to “Renaming Table”

Renamed_Columns = Table.RenameColumns(TARGET,
Table.ToColumns(Table.Transpose(RENAMING_TABLE)), MissingField.Ignore),

where RENAMING_TABLE looks like

Old Name New Name
A B
C D
Rename using List.Zip, when you know order of your columns (blog post)

Renamed_Columns = Table.RenameColumns(TARGET,

List.Zip( { Table.ColumnNames( Source ), { "Sales Org", "Territory Key" } } ) , MissingField.Ignore),

Create a table from thin air

For example, when response is null but you want to keep structure of your PowerPivot table

= #table( {"A", "B"}, {} ) – empty table, simple approach

Or with defined column types

= #table( type table [A = text, B = number], {} ) – empty table

= #table( type table [My Column A = text, B = number], { {"one", 1}, {"two", 1} } )

ISNUMBER() analog

= Value.Is(Value.FromText( VALUE ), type number)

Or:

= "sample" is number // false, = 123 is number // true

ISTEXT() analog

= Value.Is(Value.FromText( VALUE ), type text)

Or:

= "sample" is text // true, = 123 is text // false

Convert all columns of table Source to text data type

= Table.TransformColumnTypes(Source,

List.Transform( Table.ColumnNames(Source), each { _, type text } ) )

Power Query (M language) cheat sheet 3
Expand from nested table all not existing in current table
= Table.ExpandTableColumn( buffer, "NewColumn",
List.Difference( Table.ColumnNames( buffer[NewColumn]{0} ), Table.ColumnNames( buffer ) ),
List.Difference( Table.ColumnNames( buffer[NewColumn]{0} ), Table.ColumnNames( buffer ) ) )

Expand from nested table only specified in list "fields"

Safe way to expand - it takes only intersection of Difference vs fields
// take column Attribute from INPUT_TABLE
fields = List.Buffer( InputTable[Attribute] ),
#"Expanded NewColumn" = Table.ExpandTableColumn( buffer, "NewColumn",
List.Intersect( { List.Difference( Table.ColumnNames( buffer[NewColumn]{0} ),
Table.ColumnNames( buffer ) ), fields } ) ,
List.Intersect( { List.Difference( Table.ColumnNames( buffer[NewColumn]{0} ),
Table.ColumnNames( buffer ) ), fields } ) ),

Expand from nested table specified in special list "fields" + rename + add prefix

fields = List.Buffer( InputTable[Attribute] ),

#"Expanded NewColumn" = Table.ExpandTableColumn( buffer, "NewColumn",
List.Intersect( { Table.ColumnNames( buffer[NewColumn]{0} ), fields } ),
// add prefix to each field
List.Transform( // rename according to RENAME_TABLE by replacing items in list
List.ReplaceMatchingItems( List.Intersect( { Table.ColumnNames( buffer[NewColumn]{0} ),
fields } ),
Table.ToColumns( Table.Transpose(RENAME_TABLE)) ),
each "Parent " & _ )
),

Query Folding for SQL (blog post)

// Use filter as one of the first actions in Power Query after Sql.Database

// replicate “IN” clause using List.Contains

Table.SelectRows( Source, each [OrganizationKey]=11 and

List.Contains( {6,7}, [DepartmentGroupKey] ) )

Libraries with custom Power Query functions

https://github.com/Hugoberry/PowerQueryExtensions + Hugoberry’s Gist

https://github.com/tycho01/pquery

https://github.com/tnclark8012/Power-BI-Desktop-Query-Extensions

https://github.com/ImkeF/RM

https://github.com/hohlick/PowerQueryModules

https://github.com/acaprojects/m-tools

Power Query (M language) cheat sheet 4

Operations with date and time in Power Query
Time
#time( hour, minute, second )

Operator Left Operand Right Operand Meaning

x+y time duration Date offset by duration
x+y duration time Date offset by duration
x-y time duration Date offset by negated duration
x-y time time Duration between dates
x&y date time Merged datetime

Date
#date( year, month, day)

Operator Left Operand Right Operand Meaning

x+y date duration Date offset by duration
x+y duration date Date offset by duration
x-y date duration Date offset by negated duration
x-y date date Duration between dates
x&y date time Merged datetime

DateTime
#datetime( year, month, day, hour, minute, second )

Operator Left Operand Right Operand Meaning

x+y datetime duration Datetime offset by duration
x+y duration datetime Datetime offset by duration
x-y datetime duration Datetime offset by negated duration
x-y datetime datetime Duration between datetimes

Duration
#duration( days, hours, minutes, seconds )
#duration(0, 0, 0, 5.5) // 5.5 seconds
#duration(0, 0, 0, -5.5) // -5.5 seconds
#duration(0, 0, 5, 30) // 5.5 minutes
#duration(0, 0, 5, -30) // 4.5 minutes
#duration(0, 24, 0, 0) // 1 day
#duration(1, 0, 0, 0) // 1 day

Operator Left Operand Right Operand Meaning

x+y datetime duration Datetime offset by duration
x+y duration datetime Datetime offset by duration
x+y duration duration Sum of durations
x-y datetime duration Datetime offset by negated duration
x-y datetime datetime Duration between datetimes
x-y duration duration Difference of durations
x*y duration number N times a duration
x*y number duration N times a duration
x/y duration number Fraction of a duration

Power Query (M language) cheat sheet 5

Main source is M language specification: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt211003.aspx

Actual version of cheat sheet: https://github.com/IvanBond/Power-Query-Cheat-Sheet

Recommended blogs
https://bondarenkoivan.wordpress.com/ - Ivan Bondarenko (@_Ivan_Bond)

https://blog.crossjoin.co.uk/ - Chris Webb (@Technitrain)

http://datachant.com/ - Gil Raviv (@gilra)

https://www.excelguru.ca/blog - Ken Puls (@kpuls)

https://querypower.com/ - Igor Cotruta (@igocrete)

http://exceleratorbi.com.au/ - Matt Allington (@ExceleratorBI)

http://excel-inside.pro/ - Maxim Zelensky (@Hohlick)

http://www.thebiccountant.com/ - Imke Feldman (@TheBiccountant)

https://powerpivotpro.com/ - Rob Collie, Avi Singh and others (@powerpivotpro)

In Russian:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Excelforever/

http://www.excel-vba.ru/?s=power+query

http://needfordata.ru/blog/

Author – Ivan Bondarenko

https://bondarenkoivan.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @_Ivan_Bond

Ivan Bondarenko - 19-Oct-2017

Power Query (M language) cheat sheet 6