# How to Escape Special Characters in M Language for Power BI - User-Friendly Guide
Handling special characters in any programming language can be a tricky business. When it comes to Power BI’s M language, special characters often pose a challenge, especially for those new to data analytics or coming from different programming backgrounds. However, with a clear understanding and the right techniques, escaping special characters in M language becomes straightforward. This article aims to shed light on this very process, focusing on an increasingly common scenario encountered by Power BI users.
## Understanding the Challenge with Special Characters in M Language
Before we dive into the solution, let’s understand why special characters pose a challenge in M language. Special characters, such as quotation marks, are often used in programming languages to define strings. However, when these characters appear within the string data you're trying to process, they can lead to errors or unexpected behavior unless properly escaped.
M language, used within Power BI for data transformation and preparation, follows its syntax rules for escaping characters. Escaping a character typically involves preceding it with another character, signaling to the compiler or interpreter to treat it differently from its standard meaning.
## The Simple Trick to Escaping Special Characters
Luckily, the fix for dealing with special characters in M language is simple. It involves using the `#"` and `"` escaping mechanism. Let's take a closer look at the lines you’ll need to change:
1. `#"ebsaz-ddbesb-telemetry-o" = Source{[id="ebsaz-ddbesb-telemetry-o"]}[Collections],`
2. `#"ebsaz-ddbesb-telemetry-o_ElectricityTelemetryData" = #"ebsaz-ddbesb-telemetry-o"{[db_id="ebsaz-ddbesb-telemetry-o",id="ElectricityTelemetryData"]}[Documents],`
3. `#"Expanded Document" = Table.ExpandRecordColumn(#"ebsaz-ddbesb-telemetry-o_ElectricityTelemetryData", "Document", {"dataAccessPointid", "eanCode", "electricityUsageLowkWh", "electricityUsageNormalkWh", "id", "dataSource", "timeStamp"}, {"Document.dataAccessPointid", "Document.eanCode", "Document.electricityUsageLowkWh", "Document.electricityUsageNormalkWh", "Document.id", "Document.dataSource", "Document.timeStamp"}),`
In this example, the use of `#"` at the beginning and `"` at the end of the identifier allows it to include special characters, making it a valid identifier in M language. When dealing with table names, column names, or identifiers that include spaces or other special characters, this straightforward technique ensures that your M code runs without hitches.
## Applying the Solution: A Step-by-Step Guide
Let’s break down how you can apply this escaping technique in your Power BI projects:
### Step 1: Identify the Special Characters
First, identify the strings in your M code that contain special characters. This could be in table names, column names, or other data identifiers.
### Step 2: Apply the Escaping Mechanism
For each identifier that includes special characters, enclose it with `#"` at the beginning and `"` at the end. This tells Power BI's M language processor to interpret it correctly.
### Step 3: Test Your Code
After making the changes, run your Power BI report or data transformation process again. You should now see that the errors caused by special characters are resolved.
## Why This Matters for Power BI Users
Ensuring your M code is error-free plays a crucial role in the reliability and performance of your Power BI reports. Properly escaping special characters prevents data processing errors, thereby enhancing the accuracy of your analyses and visualizations.
Moreover, mastering this aspect of M language allows for smoother data integration processes, especially when dealing with external data sources that may not adhere to naming conventions suitable for direct use within Power BI.
## Conclusion
Escaping special characters in M language doesn’t have to be a stumbling block in your Power BI projects. By following the simple steps outlined in this guide, you can quickly resolve such issues, ensuring your data transformations and reports run smoothly. This level of attentiveness also contributes to data integrity and the reliability of your analytics insights.
For those looking to delve deeper into optimizing their Power BI setups, tools like [Flowpoint.ai](https://flowpoint.ai) can offer further assistance. Flowpoint helps identify all technical errors impacting conversion rates on a website and directly generates recommendations to fix them, facilitating a more seamless data analysis and visualization process within Power BI.
By embracing these strategies, Power BI users can ensure their reports and dashboards are not only visually compelling but also built on a foundation of reliable and accurately processed data.