Prepare a UTF-8 CSV with the right delimiter for Power BI

Match Power BI's File origin and delimiter to the source

When Power BI puts every value in one column or shows garbled text, the file origin or delimiter is usually wrong. Check the actual source encoding and separator instead of repeatedly changing the query preview.

• A comma file is opened as one column because the source uses semicolons or tabs
• Japanese or accented values are damaged after the Text/CSV step
• Quoted commas or line breaks create unexpected rows

• Convert the CSV encoding or delimiter →Set source and output formats explicitly and create a separate CSV.
• Diagnose CSV column counts and quoted fields →Review structural findings before changing a value or header.

Separate a format problem from a Power Query problem

Use the Text/CSV connector documentation as the destination contract. LocaCSV can make the bytes and structure explicit; Power Query still controls types, transformations, and refresh behavior.

• Record the input encoding, BOM state, and delimiter
• Treat commas and newlines inside quotes as one field
• Keep an untouched export so a refresh can be reproduced

• Diagnose CSV column counts and quoted fields →Review structural findings before changing a value or header.
• Check the CSV character encoding →Choose the source encoding from the preview instead of guessing from the country.

Convert the file in LocaCSV

LocaCSV does not infer Power Query data types or silently repair malformed quotes. It creates a traceable file with the format you selected.

1. 1Open a copy of the export and run the CSV diagnostic
2. 2Choose the input encoding and delimiter that produce the expected columns
3. 3Convert to UTF-8 and select the BOM option required by your Power BI environment
4. 4Load a small output first and inspect the Power Query preview

Verify the file before refreshing the model

• The column count and header names match the query step
• UTF-8 text, quoted commas, and embedded line breaks remain intact
• Input and output row counts reconcile, including any excluded rows
• The Power Query preview assigns the intended columns before type conversion

• Convert the CSV encoding or delimiter →Set source and output formats explicitly and create a separate CSV.
• Diagnose CSV column counts and quoted fields →Review structural findings before changing a value or header.
• Select the columns required by the template →Remove export-only fields while keeping all data rows.

If Power BI still reports a refresh error

A structurally valid CSV can still fail because a query step expects a renamed column, a date format, or a numeric value. Check the failing step before changing the file again.

• Diagnose CSV column counts and quoted fields →Review structural findings before changing a value or header.
• Select the columns required by the template →Remove export-only fields while keeping all data rows.
• Check the CSV character encoding →Choose the source encoding from the preview instead of guessing from the country.

Prepare the Power BI CSV