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Power Apps - Power Query
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Power Query returns dates from empty Project Web Access fields, but I need them to remain empty.

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Posted on by 6
Hi All.
 
The Q&A forum suggested that I raise this here.  There are plenty of cases where people want to return dates in empty/null fields but I need the reverse, if the field is empty I need it to remain so in the extract so we can report reality.

I am using Excel to extract data from Project Web Access using Power Query.

I can connect to the PWA database without any issues and extract/manipulate extracted data as I want.

However, when planning projects, our project managers leave task dates blank until they have enough information to populate these fields. If I use Project's built in reports this behaves as expected and the dates are left blank. However, when I extract using Power Query, the data source is populated with a date, often, but not always the task's creation date, into what should be an empty/null/whatever blank field.

This is visible in the preview, so the problem isn't when the data hits Excel.

Here's a screenshot of what the fields I'm interested in look like in Project:

User's image 

As you can see, some dates are missing as the project manager doesn't know what they will be yet until they have finished planning.

If you run a report from Project it shows the blanks.  For example:

User's image

But when I run Power Query, I see this:

User's image

Note that it has assumed that all of the start and finish dates are the same as the Engineer Booking #1 task - except Execution, but that's a summary task - although this has blanks in it which have been auto-populated. The latter is probably another manifestation of the problem I expect.

 
Given Project's less than great reporting tools, we need to manipulate the data elsewhere so any help much appreciated!
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  • IF-01070831-0 Profile Picture
    6 on at
    Power Query returns dates from empty Project Web Access fields, but I need them to remain empty.
    Thanks stampcoin,
     
    That pointed me in the right direction.
     
    If TaskFinishDateString is null, then Query is extracting the date from PWA as expected.  However, if it isn't null, it's generating a guess, basically, to fill in an absent date.  The same applies for TaskStartDateString as well.  Without checking, I don't know if this applies to other dates, but I suspect that it might.
     
    Why it just can't extract absent dates as nulls or blank text is another matter, as project managers in the early planning stages often can't even guess at dates.
  • Verified answer
    stampcoin Profile Picture
    3,314 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at
    Power Query returns dates from empty Project Web Access fields, but I need them to remain empty.
    I think those fields in the database are not NULL, all the sub tasks will use the parent's value ( here is 2026-01-01) as default if not specify value assigned.
    In power query, you have to tailor the datetime column to a text column. see below for example.
     
    StartDateFixed= Table.AddColumn(
                    #"Added Custom", "FinishDateFixed", 
                     each if [IsManuallyScheduled] = true and [FinishText] = null
    
    FinishDateFixed= Table.AddColumn(
                    #"Added Custom", "FinishDateFixed", 
                    each if [IsManuallyScheduled] = true and [FinishText] = null
    use the customized columns for StartDate and FinishDate for the report.
     
     
    hope that make sense to you.
  • IF-01070831-0 Profile Picture
    6 on at
    Power Query returns dates from empty Project Web Access fields, but I need them to remain empty.
    Hi Stampcoin,
     
    I'm trying to work out why Power Query is returning dates that don't exist in PWA and whether there is, for example, a configuration setting in the data extract that I have missed.
  • stampcoin Profile Picture
    3,314 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at
    Power Query returns dates from empty Project Web Access fields, but I need them to remain empty.
    Not quite what your meaning is...
    are you wondering if power platform ( power automate) can help you to handle the date problem ?
    or you post to the wrong forum.
     

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