How to Combine Excel Files from SharePoint Online Folder and Automatically Include New Files
You are combining data from multiple Excel files stored in SharePoint Online. Each file has the same structure but different data. You need to create a solution that automatically includes new files added to the SharePoint folder without manual intervention. What should you use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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Use 'Get Data from SharePoint Online Folder' and then 'Combine files' transform.
The correct option is C: use 'Get Data from SharePoint Online Folder' and then the 'Combine files' transform. In Power Query, connecting to the SharePoint Online folder connector retrieves all files in that folder, and the 'Combine files' transform automatically applies the same parsing/template to every file, so newly added files with the same structure are included on refresh without manual work. Option A adds unnecessary copying to blob storage and still requires orchestration, while B is manual and defeats the automation requirement. Option D targets a SharePoint list rather than the folder's files and loads them separately, which does not automatically combine new files.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Use Power Automate to copy new files to a blob storage, then import from there.
Why it's wrong here
Using Power Automate to copy files to blob storage introduces an unnecessary intermediary that breaks the direct query connection Power BI requires to automatically detect new files added to a SharePoint folder. This option is tempting because Power Automate is commonly used for file movement and orchestration, and would be correct if the requirement were to archive or transform files before ingestion, rather than to maintain live, automatic inclusion of new data from the same source location.
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Use 'Merge queries' to append each new file manually.
Why it's wrong here
The 'Merge queries' feature is a transformation step that appends or joins data from existing queries; it does not automatically discover files in a folder. To use it for this scenario, you would need to manually create a separate query for each new Excel file, then edit the merge/append step to include it — and repeat that process every time a file is added. This approach is static, error-prone, and does not scale to a growing SharePoint folder, since it relies on human intervention to add each new source.
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Use 'Get Data from SharePoint Online Folder' and then 'Combine files' transform.
Why this is correct
The SharePoint Online Folder connector retrieves metadata and binary content for all files in a document library, and the 'Combine files' transform then generates a parameterized function that uses a sample file to infer parsing logic. During each data refresh, the folder query re-enumerates the library, so any newly added Excel file is automatically detected, read, and combined with the rest using that same function. This is the intended, scalable pattern for loading multiple similarly structured Excel files from SharePoint without manual query updates.
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Use 'Get Data from SharePoint Online List' and load each file separately.
Why it's wrong here
The SharePoint Online List connector is designed for reading list items and column metadata, not for accessing the binary contents of individual Excel attachments in a document library. Choosing this option forces you to manually import each file as its own separate source query and assign a distinct query to each file, with no automatic enumeration of new files. This approach does not use Power Query's folder-based dynamic discovery, so it will never meet the requirement to automatically include new Excel files as they are added.
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