Question

Standardizing Customer Names to Proper Case in Power Query
Your dataset contains customer names with inconsistent formatting (e.g., "John DOE", "jane smith", "MARK JONES"). What is the best way to standardize the names to proper case in Power Query while ensuring data integrity?

Answer 1

To standardize customer names to Proper Case in Power Query, follow these steps to ensure consistency and data integrity.

1. Use the Text. Proper function

Power Query uses the Text. Proper function to convert Text into Title Case (First Letter Capitalized).

Via User Interface (No Code Required)

• Open the Power Query Editor.
• Select the Customer Name column.
• Go to Transform Tab → Click Format → Select Capitalize Each Word.
• This automatically applies to Text.Proper([Customer Name]).
• Custom Column (M Code)

You could instead provide a custom formula:

= Table.AddColumn(Source, "Proper Case Name", each Text.Proper([Customer Name]), type text)

This will create a new column with suitable names and keep the original.

2. Special Cases

Acronyms or Mixed Case Names (e.g., "McDonald," "IBM"):

Power Query cannot automatically tell those apart. Thus, either a look-up table or some manual imposition would account for exceptions.