Chapter 41: Enhancing Power Query Productivity
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FIGURE 41.7
Use the Global Data Load options to set a default load behavior.
Preventing automatic data type changes
One of the more recent additions to Power Query is the ability to detect data types auto-
matically and proactively change data types. This type detection is most often applied when
new data is introduced to the query.
For instance, Figure 41.8 shows the query steps after importing a text file. Note the
Changed Type step. This step was automatically performed by Power Query as part of its
type detection feature.
FIGURE 41.8
Power Query automatically adds a step to change data types when data is imported.
Although Power Query does a decent job at guessing what data types should be used,
automatic data type changes can cause unexpected issues. Some veterans of Power Query
frankly find the type detection feature annoying. If data types need to be changed, they
want to be the ones to make that determination.