Question

You import a sales table into Power Query. The 'OrderDateKey' column contains integer values in the format YYYYMMDD (for example, 20240315). Your data model requires a proper Date column to establish a relationship with your date dimension. In Power Query, what is the most reliable way to convert this integer column into a Date data type?

Accepted Answer

Add a custom column with Date.FromText applied to the text representation of the integer, ensuring the value is formatted as a valid date string

Answer

Change the column data type directly from Whole Number to Date, letting Power Query auto-detect the format

Answer

Convert the column to Text, then change the data type to Date using the locale-based 'Using Locale' option to interpret YYYYMMDD

Answer

Split the column by 4 and 2 character positions, then multiply the parts together to form a date serial number