Hiding Tables in Desktop

[ascott]

We are looking into hiding tables in Desktop. I have already created the reports and dashboards for our clients but I want to hide the tables now. I am finding that I can only hide tables that are linked with a relationship. Single table have the option to hide but when you choose that option the table disappears for a moment and then comes right back.

Also, I want to find out more information on hiding tables and columns but I am having a hard time finding and detailed information. Can anyone point me in the right directions.

[v-caliao-msft]

Hi Ascott,

According to your description, you are trying to hide tables in your Power BI desktop, the issue is that the table disappears for a moment and then comes right back, rigth?

I am tring to reproduce this issue without success. After hidden the table, I close the Power BI desktop and reopen it, the tables are still hidden. So in your scenario, please provide us more information, if possbile provide us some screenshot about it, so that we can reproduce this issue and make further analysis.

Regards,

[Sean]

@ascott

Has anyone been able to really hide a table? In either PBI or PowerPivot?

Hide in Report View is the only option I see in PBI. In PowerPivot Hide from Client Tools.

In both cases the table only gets dim. Saving the file, closing and opening again - still dim - but clearly visible in Relationship View

Also still visible and accessible in Report View.

[Anonymous]

I´d love to see an answer to this one please?

At the moment I´m working on a project with 2 x 20 text files (don´t ask!) that I then combine into 2 tables with "Append Query". In Power Query I can at least group the two groups of text files, but I´d love to make them invisible other than there, as they are just clutter e.g. in the relationship view.

[MFelix]

Hi @Anonymous,

Instead of making two different queries have you tried to have one single querie compose by differente sources and then combining them in the append?

In the advance view you can add source and keep them as queries and the final result is just one.

See the example below:

let
    Source_1 = Table.FromRows(Json.Document(Binary.Decompress(Binary.FromText("i45WMlTSUUpUitWJVjICspLALGMgKxnMMgGyUsAsUyArVSk2FgA=", BinaryEncoding.Base64), Compression.Deflate)), let _t = ((type text) meta [Serialized.Text = true]) in type table [Column1 = _t, Column2 = _t]),
    Format_1 = Table.TransformColumnTypes(Source_1,{{"Column1", Int64.Type}, {"Column2", type text}}),
    Source_2 = Table.FromRows(Json.Document(Binary.Decompress(Binary.FromText("i45WMlPSUUpMVIrViVYyBzKTksBMCyAzORnMtAQyU1LATEMDIDs1VSk2FgA=", BinaryEncoding.Base64), Compression.Deflate)), let _t = ((type text) meta [Serialized.Text = true]) in type table [Column1 = _t, Column2 = _t]),
    
    Format_2 = Table.TransformColumnTypes(Source_2,{{"Column1", Int64.Type}, {"Column2", type text}}),
    Append = Table.Combine({Format_1, Format_2})
in
    Append

As you can see in my end result I only have one table and the two inputs are "hidden" in the code so the end user only can see the final result.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate the answer, I really do, but this is pushing the boundaries of my understanding of M. I´m only playing around with CSV files but it looks to me like the example is dealing with binary files.

I might give something like this a whirl one day, but the better strategy I think is to avoid having to work with dumps of text files and go directly to the source db.

Thanks - Ragnar

[MFelix]

@Anonymous,

The example is with binary but we can do it with all PBI source datas, I just wanted to show that we can have I single query that combines several data sources and the end user will only see the final result.

If you want something based on the CSV I can set up a small example also.

regards,

Mfelix

[Anonymous]

Mfelix,

I would be very glad if you did - thanks. And for extra bonus points, could you show how to pick out field names, change the field names, and set data types (e.g. specify text field, a date field etc)?

However I do worry that as I'm working with semicolons as the field delimiter, and the input files in a few cases have semicolons in them, I might run into trouble. At least when I used Power Query I could see by looking at the last column if the fields had shifted due to a semicolon in the text. 

But I'd still love to learn and understand the method you're describing.

Thanks again, R.

[MFelix]

Hi @Anonymous,

The Power BI works with power query to treat the file so if you already have knowledge in that part the transiction will be easy, so the picking fileds, changing names set data types you already now how to do it.

Just one additional question are all your CSV files equal or do they have different columns and the end result is differente from the starting files?

[Anonymous]

Happy New Year Mfelix!

The columns have different names (although some are the same) as they originate from different ERP systems.  And the end result is different as I only use a fraction of the columns.

Good point about just looking at the code generated from just using Power Query. Of course I could adopt those into a M script that does all sorts of clever things.

Regards,

Ragnar

[Anonymous]

Turns out the solution to my problem was very simple indeed - just right click on the table in Power Query and uncheck "Enable Load" (but leaving the "Include in Refresh"). 

🙂 Ragnar

[ImkeF]

Another option is to disable the load of the tables in the query editor like described here:

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Desktop/Prevent-Query-From-Loading-into-PBI-Desktop-quot-Data-quot-...

They will not be loaded into the datamodel, so this is only suitable for tables that are actually not going to be referenced in the data model.