Binary.Type

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Binary.Type is a type facet in the Power Query M language. It represents the default type claim for the ‘type binary’. It is used primarily for interacting with external systems, where handling binary data like files and images is crucial. The base type of ‘type binary’ in Power Query is for specialized handling (such as file or image processing) in external systems or tools.

Examples

Generally, you will face a facet when transforming column types. You can transform a column into the specified type by using Table.TransformColumnTypes:

Table.TransformColumnTypes( Source, {{ "myColumn", Binary.Type }} )

Or when adding a column using Table.AddColumn:

Table.AddColumn( Source, "myColumn", 11, Binary.Type" )

To inspect the kind of value you are dealing with, you can make use of the Table.Schema function. Applying it to a table returns a table with information about your columns. The Table.SingleRow function then transforms the result into a record, for easier reading.

let 
  a =  11,
   // Ascribes the default type claim facet for 'type binary'
  b = Value.ReplaceType( a, Binary.Type ),
  // Returns a table containing a value with the ascribed "Binary.Type" 
  c = #table(type table [Col1 = Value.Type( b ) ], { b } ), 
  // Shows the Table information, including typeName and value kind
  d = Table.Schema( c ),
  // For easier viewing, return table as record
  e = Table.SingleRow( d )
in 
  e

Related facets

Other related facets are:

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