How to consume a Flat file (CSV/Text) into Power BI

Flat files like CSV or Txt are one of the most common formats used to exchange data between systems, vendors, or legacy applications. Power BI’s ability to consume, clean, and analyze these files allows teams to quickly turn raw, disconnected data into actionable insights — without needing complex databases or APIs.

Steps to consume a Flat File into Power BI

1. Below is the sample flat file that we are going to consume in Power BI
   

2. Open Power BI Desktop 

3. Go to the Home tab and click Get Data → Text/CSV.
   

4. Browse to your local or network location and select the .txt file you want to load.
   

5. Power BI automatically shows a preview of the file with detected delimiters (e.g., comma, tab, pipe |).

6. You can change the delimiter from the dropdown if required. Choosing the right delimiter prevents data misalignment or loading issues in Power BI. Always ensure the delimiter used in the file matches the one selected during import for accurate parsing.

7. Click Load if the data looks good Or click Transform Data if you need to clean it first (recommended).

8. Below is the table that has been successfully loaded into Power BI