What is data type detection in Power Query?

< 1 min read

Data type detection in Power Query means automatically identifying the type of each column in a dataset.
It checks whether a column is text, number, date, datetime, boolean, or other type.
In my project, Order Date was detected as text initially and then converted to Date type.
Power Query applies detected types during the “Changed Type” step in Applied Steps.
Correct types are essential for calculations, aggregations, and visuals in Power BI.
Incorrect detection can cause errors, like summing text numbers or failed joins.
We can override automatic detection to enforce the correct data type manually.
It ensures transformations and derived columns work correctly.
Proper type detection improves model reliability and reporting accuracy.
So data type detection is a key step in preparing clean, usable data.

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