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A guide to Fabric Dataflows for Azure Data Factory Mapping Data Flow users

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Microsoft Fabric’s Data Factory experience provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface using Power Query Online that can help you streamline your data transformation workflows when authoring Dataflow Gen2. If you’re a developer with a background in Azure Data Factory's Mapping Data Flows, you’ll find this guide helpful in mapping your existing Mapping Data Flow transformations to the Dataflow Gen2 Power Query user interface.

When first starting to author Dataflows, you can also leverage the Global search box (shortcut: Alt + Q) found in the middle of the editor to search for connectors, transformations (actions), queries, and more while you learn your way around the Power Query Online interface.

Screenshot of the Global search box feature.

Note

Learn more about Global search box.

Transformations

When authoring Dataflow Gen2 using the Power Query Online interface, you can use the following table to understand how the current Mapping Data Flows capabilities translate and their equivalent toolbar navigation location in Dataflow Gen2 where applicable.

Multiple inputs/outputs

Mapping Data Flow Dataflow Gen2
New branch Reference
Screenshot of the New branch transformation icon. Screenshot of the Reference transformation icon in Power Query.

Important: Right click a query and select Reference.
Join Merge queries
Screenshot of the Join transformation icon. Screenshot of the Merge queries transformation icon.

Navigation:
Home > Merge queries

Important:
Merge queries – Merge this query into another query in this project.
Merge queries as new – Merge this query into another query in this project to create a new query.
Conditional Split Reference
Screenshot of the Conditional Split transformation icon. Screenshot of the Reference transformation icon.

Important: Right click a query and select Reference, you can then apply additional transformation logic to limit specific rows manually.
Union Append queries
Screenshot of the Union transformation icon. Screenshot of the Append queries transformation icon.

Navigation:
Home > Append queries

Important:
Append queries – Append this query into another query in this project.
Append queries as new – Append this query into another query in this project to create a new query.
Lookup Merge queries
Screenshot of the Lookup transformation icon. Screenshot of the Merge queries transformation icon.
Screenshot of the Join kinds.

Navigation:
Home > Merge queries

Important: Select Left outer from the Join kind options.

Schema modifier

Mapping Data Flow Dataflow Gen2
Derived Column Custom column
Screenshot of the Derived Column transformation icon. Screenshot of the Custom Column options transformation icons.

Navigation:
Add column > Custom column

Important:
Column from examples - Use examples to create a new column in this table. (Ctrl + E)
Custom column - Create a new column based on other columns, or a custom expression.
Invoke custom function - Invoke a custom function for each row of this table.
Conditional column - Create a new column that conditionally adds the values in the currently selected column.
Replace values
Screenshot of the Replace values transformation icon.

Navigation:
Transform > Replace values
Select Choose columns
Screenshot of the Select transformation icon.
Note: Includes the ability to select, drop and rename (Name as) columns and whether to drop or pass on duplicate columns		 Screenshot of the Choose columns transformation icon.

Navigation:
Home > Choose columns
(Remove Mapping) Remove columns
Screenshot of the Remove columns transformation icon.
Navigation:
Home > Remove columns
(Name as) Rename
Screenshot of the Rename columns transformation icon.
Navigation:
Transform > Rename
Aggregate Group by
Screenshot of the Aggregate transformation icon. Screenshot of the Group by transformation icon.
Navigation:
Transform > Group by
Surrogate Key Index column
Screenshot of the Surrogate Key transformation icon. Screenshot of the Index column transformation icon.
Navigation:
Add column > Index column

Important:
From 0 - Create a new column with an index starting at 0.
From 1 - Create a new column with an index starting at 1.
Custom... - Create a new column with an index starting at a specified value and a specified increment.
Pivot Pivot column
Screenshot of the Pivot transformation icon. Screenshot of the Pivot column transformation icon.
Navigation:
Transform > Pivot column
Unpivot Unpivot columns
Screenshot of the Unpivot transformation icon. Screenshot of the Unpivot columns transformation icon.
Navigation:
Transform > Unpivot columns

Important:
Unpivot columns - Translate all but the currently unselected columns into attribute-value pairs.
Unpivot other columns - Select all but the currently selected columns into attribute-value pairs.
Unpivot only selected columns - Translate only the currently selected columns into attribute-value pairs.
Rank Rank column
Screenshot of the Rank transformation icon. Screenshot of the Rank column transformation icon.
Navigation:
Add column > Rank column
External Call Custom column
Screenshot of the External Call transformation icon. Screenshot of the Custom column transformation icon.

Navigation:
Add column > Custom column

Expression:
Web.Contents
Cast Data type
Screenshot of the Cast transformation icon. Screenshot of the Data type transformation icon.

Navigation:
Transform > Data type

Formatters

Mapping Data Flow Dataflow Gen2
Flatten (Expand column)
Screenshot of the Flatten transformation icon. Screenshot of the Expand column icon.
Important:
The expand option is available when structured data types exist in your column.
Parse Parse
Screenshot of the Parse transformation icon. Screenshot of the various File connector icons.

Navigation:
Transform > Text column > Parse

Row modifier

Mapping Data Flow Dataflow Gen2
Filter Filter rows
Screenshot of the Filter transformation icon. Screenshot of the Filter rows transformation icon.

Navigation:
Home > Filter rows
Sort Sort
Screenshot of the Sort transformation icon. Screenshot of the Power Query Sort transformation icon.

Navigation:
Home > Sort

Flowlets

Mapping Data Flow Dataflow Gen2
Flowlet (Custom functions)
Screenshot of the Flowlet transformation icon. Learn more about how to Create a custom function

Destination

Mapping Data Flow Dataflow Gen2
Sink Add data destination
Screenshot of the Sink transformation icon. Screenshot of the Add data destination icon.

Navigation:
Home > Add data destination

Considerations and limitations

The following mapping data flow transformations are not supported in Dataflow Gen2. To vote for support of these operations, please visit Fabric ideas.

  • Assert
  • Alter Row
  • Stringify
  • Window