M Code Syntax¶

Column/Field Name Quoting (CRITICAL)¶

M code requires #"..." quoting for identifiers with hyphens, spaces, or special characters:

Column Name	Syntax	Notes
`Amount`	`[Amount]`	Simple alphanumeric names work without quotes
`Non-Recurring`	`[#"Non-Recurring"]`	Hyphen requires quoting — without it, M parses as subtraction!
`List Price (USD)`	`[#"List Price (USD)"]`	Spaces/parens require quoting

Common mistake: [Non-Recurring] parses as [Non] - [Recurring] (subtraction!) and fails with cryptic "The name 'X' wasn't recognized" errors.

Rule: If a column name contains anything other than letters, numbers, and underscores, use [#"Column Name"] syntax.

Excel.CurrentWorkbook(){[Name = "Param_Name"]}[Content]{0}[Column1]

Reference other queries by name directly: Source = OtherQueryName