QUALIFY *; UNQUALIFY CustomerID;

QUALIFY and UNQUALIFY in Power BI

QUALIFY prefixes field names with the table name so Qlik doesn't associate tables on shared names. Power BI doesn't associate tables on shared names at query time. Relationships are model objects, and the same column name can exist in several tables. Desktop's "Autodetect new relationships" option (Options > Data Load) can create relationships from matching names at load, so check the Model view or turn it off. Most QUALIFY statements can simply be dropped. If you want prefixed names, use Table.PrefixColumns.

Partial / different approach Power Query Modeling

Short answer: Drop QUALIFY and UNQUALIFY and create the relationships you want in the Model view. To keep prefixed names anyway, use Table.PrefixColumns(T, "Orders"), which gives Orders.OrderID.

What it does in Qlik

QUALIFY field_list renames the listed fields, or * for all, to table.field in the following loads.
UNQUALIFY exempts fields, usually the keys you do want to associate on.

Qlik example

Qlik script

QUALIFY *;
UNQUALIFY CustomerID;
Orders:   LOAD * FROM orders.qvd (qvd);     // Orders.Status, Orders.Date, CustomerID
Invoices: LOAD * FROM invoices.qvd (qvd);   // Invoices.Status, Invoices.Date, CustomerID
UNQUALIFY *;

Power BI equivalent

Usually: nothing

Load both tables as they are. In the Model view, create only the relationships you need, for example on CustomerID. Columns with the same name in different tables don't interact.

If you want prefixes

Power Query M

= Table.PrefixColumns(Orders, "Orders")        // Orders.OrderID, Orders.Status ...
// rename the key back if you like
= Table.RenameColumns(Prefixed, {{"Orders.CustomerID", "CustomerID"}})

Gotchas and behaviour differences

"Autodetect new relationships after data is loaded" in Desktop options can create relationships on matching names, which is a little like Qlik's association. Turn it off and create relationships deliberately.
Field names must be unique within a table, but not across tables. In DAX you always reference them as Table[Column], which is effectively qualified.

Official documentation

Qualify - script statement (Qlik Help)
Unqualify - script statement (Qlik Help)
Table.PrefixColumns (Power Query M) (Microsoft Learn)
Create and manage relationships in Power BI Desktop (Microsoft Learn)

$Syn tables (automatic) Synthetic keys and associative linking Qlik links tables automatically on every field with the same name and builds synthetic keys when they share several fields. Power BI doesn't link on every shared name. Relationships are model objects (autodetect may suggest some from matching names at load, so check them), use a single column and have a direction, so migrations usually remodel to a star schema. No 1:1 equivalent DROP TABLE Temp; RENAME FIELD Cust TO Customer; DROP and RENAME (tables and fields) Dropping a temporary table in Qlik maps to a staging query with Enable load unchecked. It feeds other queries but doesn't reach the model. DROP FIELD maps to Table.RemoveColumns, and RENAME FIELD to Table.RenameColumns. Qlik's "RENAME FIELDS USING map" maps to Table.RenameColumns with a list built from a mapping table. Direct equivalent [Inner|Left|Right|Outer] Join / Keep Join and Keep Qlik joins on all fields with the same name, and a plain Join is a full outer join. Power Query merges need explicit key columns and a join kind. Keep filters a table without merging, which maps to a semi-join filter or an inner merge you don't expand. Partial / different approach

Spotted an error or a better pattern? QlikToDax is maintained by a working BI consultant; corrections are welcome via the About page. Last reviewed 2026-10-25.