title: Power Query won't read from .xls files
body: <p>I am using Office 2010. I have a query that combines data from several excel files in a folder. ".xlsx" files load fine, but when a ".xls" file exists in the folder, the query will not run (Gives error message: "Data could not be retrieved from database". In the query editor, when I click on the row for the file with an error, I see the message here: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/xmh0E.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Error Message</a> ). Resaving the files to ".xlsx" works, but I'd rather be able to use them as-is.</p>
  
  <p>I have installed the MS Access Database Engine here: <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13255" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13255</a> but it doesn't seem to help.</p>
  
  <p>Any other ideas? Thanks!
  Edit: Added the two queries. First is the query applied to each file, second is the query that combines them.</p>
  
  <p>Query "Transform Sample File from Supplier CMRTs":</p>
  
  <pre><code>let
      Source = Excel.Workbook(#"Sample File Parameter1", null, true),
      #"Smelter List_Sheet" = Source{[Item="Smelter List",Kind="Sheet"]}[Data],
      #"Removed Top Rows" = Table.Skip(#"Smelter List_Sheet",3),
      #"Promoted Headers" = Table.PromoteHeaders(#"Removed Top Rows", [PromoteAllScalars=true]),
      #"Removed Other Columns" = Table.SelectColumns(#"Promoted Headers",{"Smelter Identification Number Input Column", "Metal (*)", "Smelter Look-up (*)", "Comments"}),
      #"Filtered Rows" = Table.SelectRows(#"Removed Other Columns", each [#"Metal (*)"] &lt;&gt; null and [#"Metal (*)"] &lt;&gt; "")
  in
      #"Filtered Rows"
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Query "Supplier CMRTs":</p>
  
  <pre><code>let
      Source = Folder.Files("O:\Supplier CMRTs"),
      #"Invoke Custom Function1" = Table.AddColumn(Source, "Transform File from Supplier CMRTs", each #"Transform File from Supplier CMRTs"([Content])),
      #"Filtered Rows" = Table.SelectRows(#"Invoke Custom Function1", each [Extension] &lt;&gt; ".txt"),
      #"Renamed Columns1" = Table.RenameColumns(#"Filtered Rows", {"Name", "Source.Name"}),
      #"Removed Other Columns1" = Table.SelectColumns(#"Renamed Columns1", {"Source.Name", "Transform File from Supplier CMRTs"}),
      #"Expanded Table Column1" = Table.ExpandTableColumn(#"Removed Other Columns1", "Transform File from Supplier CMRTs", Table.ColumnNames(#"Transform File from Supplier CMRTs"(#"Sample File")))
  in
      #"Expanded Table Column1"
  </code></pre>