There's a quiet frustration in the post from Escaping_Peter_Pan, and it's one we hear echoed in countless workflows: the daily grind of manual data entry that shouldn't exist. The MT 940 statement is a perfect example of a system that works, but only if you're willing to be its operator. The format is rigid, the field separators are cryptic, and the fact that a single day's transactions arrive across multiple files only compounds the problem. The user isn't asking for a miracle. They're asking for a way to make Power Query see past the noise and pull out the one field that matters.
The good news is that this isn't a dead end. It's a parsing problem, and parsing problems have solutions. The key is to stop treating the MT 940 as a spreadsheet and start treating it as a text file with a predictable structure. Field line 61 is the target, and while the special characters make it look messy, they also give you the markers you need to split, extract, and clean the data. Power Query can handle this, but it requires a shift in approach: instead of trying to make the entire file fit a clean table, you focus on isolating the lines you need, then transform those lines into rows and columns. It's not a one-click fix, but it's a repeatable process that turns a daily chore into a refresh button.
What stands out here is the gap between what the tool promises and what users expect from it. Power Query is powerful, but it assumes a certain level of comfort with data shaping. The person asking this question has already tried and hit a wall, not because they're inexperienced, but because the format doesn't surrender easily. That's not a failure on their part. It's a sign that the real problem isn't technical skill; it's the mismatch between legacy file formats and modern automation expectations. The solution isn't to abandon Power Query, but to approach it with a clearer strategy: combine the multiple files first, filter for line 61, then parse the fields with deliberate steps.
The practical takeaway is this: automate the boring parts, but don't expect the tool to read your mind. Start by consolidating the daily files into a single folder, let Power Query pull them all in, then filter to the lines that start with ":61:". From there, split on the delimiters and use the Swift code numbers to keep the fields straight. It won't be elegant at first, but it will be reliable. And once it's working, you're not just saving twenty minutes a day, you're removing the risk of typos and freeing yourself to focus on the analysis that actually matters. The format isn't going to change, but your workflow can.