[SOLVED] Import selected columns from .csv files in Power Query

Import selected columns from .csv files in Power Query

I'm looking to import data with known required column headers, from a variable list of .csv files, some of which have columns I don't need. For example:

File 1 maybe has: NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL

File 2 has: NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL, CELL_PHONE

I need to append all csv files into a single table but I only want NAME, ADDRESS, and EMAIL data.

This needs to be a dynamic solution because in future the data supplier may add other new fields in their .csv files, and this is out of my control.

Solution

You can combine data from your CSV files then select the columns you want to keep:

let
    Source = Folder.Files("C:\MyFolder\"),
    #"Filtered Rows" = Table.SelectRows(Source, each [Extension] = ".csv"),
    #"Added CSVdata" = Table.AddColumn(#"Filtered Rows", "CSVdata", each Table.PromoteHeaders(Csv.Document([Content])), type table),
    #"Combined CSVdata" = Table.Combine(#"Added CSVdata"[CSVdata]),
    #"Selected Columns" = Table.SelectColumns(#"Combined CSVdata",{"Project ID", "Material ID", "Material Description"})
in
    #"Selected Columns"