M Language Basics
M is a powerful language designed for data transformation and manipulation within the Power Query ecosystem. Understanding the basics of the M language is essential for effectively leveraging its capabilities. In this section, we delve into the fundamental elements and concepts of the M language.Here are some important fundamentals regarding the M language:
- Expressions and Functions – In M, expressions form the building blocks of data transformations. An expression represents a computation or operation that evaluates to a value. M provides a wide range of built-in functions that can be used to perform operations on data. Functions in M are called using a syntax where the function name is followed by arguments within parentheses. For example, the function
Text.Start("Hello, World!", 5)returns the substring "Hello" from the input text. - Data Types – M supports various data types, including text, numbers, dates, times, lists, tables, and...
