Power BI - Resolve data import errors (PL-300)

Introduction

Errors are an inevitable part of working with data. When preparing and transforming data, you may encounter various errors that can disrupt your workflow. Understanding how to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve these errors is crucial. In this hands-on Power BI tutorial, we’ll explore different types of errors and learn how to resolve them using Power Query. Since this topic is highly relevant for the PL-300 exam, this guide will serve as a helpful resource in preparing for the exam.

🔍 Error Types

Import Errors in Power BI are primarily categorized into two types:

• ⚠️ Cell-level errors
• 🚧 Step-level errors

⚠️ Cell-level errors

Example: Data Type Mismatch

One example of a cell-level error is a Data Type Mismatch. This occurs when values in a column do not match the expected data type.

In the following example the column birthdate contains valid dates for most records, but for some records, it contains the text value Unknown.

When trying to convert this column to a Date data type, an error occurs because Unknown cannot be interpreted as a valid date:

✅ Solution 1: Remove Errors

One way to solve the issue is to eliminate rows containing invalid values. Simply right-click on the column and select Remove Errors.

The rows with errors will be removed.

✅ Solution 2: Replace Errors

Alternatively, you can resolve the issue by replacing the invalid values. Simply right-click on the column and select Replace Errors.