Can power Query solve this issue?

[drewbny]

i have hundreds of files that have data with the same column headers but in different order. i only need to pull the same 24 headers across all of those files .
How am i able to do that quickly. if i use a lookup formula, id have to manually change the formula for each file which will take hours.
Can power query do this easily?

 

[alansidman]

Possibly. Need more . Are you looking to consolidate the data and if so, how? Give us a brief description of what you mean by pull the same 24 headers. This is a statement that could have many meanings so we need for you to be more precise in your explanation.

 

[drewbny]

Possibly. Need more . Are you looking to consolidate the data and if so, how? Give us a brief description of what you mean by pull the same 24 headers. This is a statement that could have many meanings so we need for you to be more precise in your explanation.

Hi i got locked out of old account. for example, i have one file where user id is in the first column. then i have 100 other files where user id is in a different spot. however i need to pull user id from all the files together. user id is an example of a column that i need . there are 23 other criteria that i need as well from different files. the issue is that the criteria is in different columns in each file. also each file has a different number of columns. but all the files have the 24 criteria i need.
can i do this in power query?

 

[drewbny]

i just need to pull to consolidate just the data that fall under the 24 columns i need from across all different files.

 

[alansidman]

If you are looking to append each file to the other and they all have the same name for the fields (columns) you wish to grab, then the answer is a definite yes.

 

[drewbny]

If you are looking to append each file to the other and they all have the same name for the fields (columns) you wish to grab, then the answer is a definite yes.

the files have the same names for the 24 fields that i want. the issue is that each file has a different number of fields. all of the files have more than 24 fields. how am i able to get the data for the 24 fields that i want?
what are the technical steps?

 

[alansidman]

Merege data from multiple sheets with same name as RAW from different workbooks in a folder to seperate workbook.

Hello, I have a folder with 7 workbooks and each workbook has multiple sheets out of which there's a sheet named RAW which I want to extract from all the sheets. The columns in sheet RAW are not the same in each sheet.....I want a specific order of columns in the new workbook. Can someone help...

www.mrexcel.com

Once you have appended the files. Highlight the 24 columns you wish to keep and then click on the Delete Columns and then select delete other columns.

 

[drewbny]

is this method time consuming given that i have over 1000 files to pull in?
wondering if power query could just pull the data for the headers i specify?
thx for your help

 

[alansidman]

My experience has been limited to max of a half dozen files and the time spent is insignificant. 1000 files may take a while. No way to evaluate, but what choice do you have if you need this done? The column elimination will be almost instantaneously.