Difference between ‘Append Query’ and ‘Merge Query’ in Power BI

Question

Eliana Blake · Answer

Absolutely! I'd be happy to clarify the difference between 'Append Query' and 'Merge Query' in Power BI for you. In Power BI, 'Append Query' and 'Merge Query' are both methods used for combining data from multiple sources or tables, but they serve different purposes: 1. Append Query : - Purpose : Append Query is used to stack or concatenate data from two or more tables with the same columns. - Functionality : When you append tables, the resulting table will have all the rows from the first table followed by all the rows from the second table. - Example : If you have two tables with the same columns representing sales data for different regions, you can append them to create a single table with all the sales data. 2. Merge Query : - Purpose : Merge Query is used to combine data from different tables based on a common column (similar to SQL JOIN operations). - Functionality : When you merge tables, Power BI matches rows based on a key column and combines columns from both tables into a single result. - Example : If you have a table with customer information and another table with sales data, you can merge the tables based on a common customer ID to create a single table that combines customer information with sales data. In summary: - Use Append Query when you want to stack or combine tables with the same structure. - Use Merge Query when you want to combine tables based on a common column. These operations are fundamental in shaping and transforming your data within Power BI to create insightful visualizations and reports. Let me know if you have any more questions or if you need further clarification on this topic!