Using column transformations

Columns in a query can be transformed in multiple ways. The simplest transform that can take place on a column is to rename it. Often, columns in source systems are named in a meaningful way within the context of the source system. For example, within a point-of-sale system, there might be a table to record each sale transaction. This table would contain a column named UnitPrice, which is used to record the price of each item in a sales transaction. When this data is summed to get total sales for the hour or for the day, then the name UnitPrice no longer makes sense in the context of an analytical data model, so it would be best to rename this column to be TotalSales.

To rename a column, right-click the column name and click Rename. Columns can also be renamed by selecting the column (clicking on the column name) and then clicking Rename under the Any Column group in the Transform tab on the ribbon.

Another key aspect of column transformations in...