Mapping UUIDs to Display Names

In ENLYZE, every data entity—such as Sites, Machines, Products, Downtimes, etc.—has a unique identifier (UUID). These UUIDs are essential for referencing elements across tables but can make the data model less readable.

When analyzing data in Power BI, it is often more convenient to use display names instead of UUIDs. This guide explains different methods to map UUIDs to their corresponding display names. Depending on where the mapping takes place, you may need to use DAX formulas or Power Query transformations.

There are two common scenarios where mapping UUIDs to display names is useful:

• Adding a new column within a table, such as including machine names in the Production Runs table.

• Renaming columns after querying time-series data for machine variables.

Adding a New Column with Display Names

Let’s consider the Production Runs table, which stores information about:

• Which machine an order was running on.

• Which product was being produced.

Since the Production Runs table stores machine and product references as UUIDs, we want to replace them with readable names using the Machines and Products tables.

Method 1: Using DAX with LOOKUPVALUE

In this method, we use DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) to look up and retrieve display names.

To add the machine name, follow these steps:

1. Open Power BI and go to the Table View.

2. Select the Production Runs table.

3. Under Table Tools tab, click New Column.

4. Enter the following formula in the column definition bar:

   machine_name = LOOKUPVALUE(Machines[name], Machines[uuid], 'Production Runs'[machine])

How It Works

• LOOKUPVALUE searches for the machine name in the Machines table,

• It finds the row where Machines[uuid] matches Production Runs[machine],

• It returns the corresponding machine name.

Now, the Production Runs table will have a machine_name column with readable names instead of UUIDs.

Method 2: Using a Merge Operation in Power Query Editor

This method uses Power Query to merge data tables and replace UUIDs with display names.

To add the product name, follow these steps:

1. Open Power Query Editor (Transform Data in Power BI).

2. Select the Production Runs table.

3. Under Combine, click Merge Queries (Merge Queries as New if you want a new table).

4. In the pop-up window:

   • The Production Runs table will already be selected.

   • Select Products as the second table.

   • Choose Product UUID in both tables as the matching key.

   • Under Join Kind, select Left Outer to keep all records from Production Runs.

   • A message will appear showing how many rows found a match. Ideally, all rows should match.

5. Click OK.

6. Expand the newly created column by clicking the expand button on the right of the column name.

7. Select Product Name and click OK.

Now, the Production Runs table will include a product_name column with readable product names instead of UUIDs.

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Both methods allow you to replace UUIDs with display names, improving readability and usability in Power BI:

• Use DAX (LOOKUPVALUE) if you prefer calculations inside your Power BI model.

• Use Power Query (Merge Queries) if you want to transform the data before loading it into Power BI.

Renaming Columns in Time Series Data using Power Query

When using the Timeseries function from the connector, the column names don’t show variable names but variable UUIDs. Many times, It is convenient to rename those columns and use the machine and variable display names to improve readability of the data.

We have created a function that will do this name mapping automatically after querying the time series data.

The Mapping Function

let
    // Step 1: Call the Timeseries function
    Source = Timeseries(FilteredVariables, #datetimezone(2025, 2, 25, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0), #datetimezone(2025, 2, 26, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0), "1m", "avg"),

    // Step 2: Rename Machine UUID columns to Machine Names
    MachineMapping = Table.SelectColumns(Machines, {"uuid", "name"}),
    MachineRenamePairs = Table.ToRows(MachineMapping),
    RenamedMachines = Table.RenameColumns(Source, MachineRenamePairs, MissingField.Ignore),

    // Step 3: Rename Variable UUIDs Inside Each Table
    RenamedTables = Table.TransformColumns(RenamedMachines, {}, (x) => try Table.RenameColumns(x, Table.ToRows(Table.SelectColumns(FilteredVariables, {"uuid", "display_name"})), MissingField.Ignore) otherwise x)
in
    RenamedTables

How it works

1. Fetch Time-Series Data

The function starts by calling the Timeseries function from the ENLYZE connector with:

• FilteredVariables – A filtered version of the Variables table with the variables that should be used in the query.

• A start and end time – Currently set from February 25, 2025, to February 26, 2025.

• A sampling interval of 1 minute.

• An aggregation method of average ("avg").

All these inputs can be modified as needed

2. Rename Machine UUIDs to Machine Names

• Machine UUIDs in the result are mapped to their corresponding machine names.

• The function retrieves the mapping from the Machines table (uuid → name).

• Machine column names are updated accordingly.

3. Rename Variable UUIDs

• Inside each machine column, variable UUIDs are replaced with their display names.

• The function extracts variable mappings from FilteredVariables (uuid → display_name).

How to use it

To use the function, you will need:

• The Machines table from the ENLYZE Connector

• The Timeseries function from the ENLYZE Connector

• A table called FilteredVariables, which should be a copy of the Variables tables from the ENLYZE Connector with a filter on the variables needed for the time series query

To use the function

1. Go to New Source > Blank Query to add a new empty query

2. Open the Advance Query editor under View > Advanced

3. Copy and paste the function code

4. Adapt the inputs of the Timeseries function to your necessities

5. Click on Done

After running the function, the final table will have machine and variable names instead of UUIDs in the column names