Discover Patterns in Your Data with Power Query

Excel
Written By Jonathan Burks

Summary:
Excel's Power Query is a transformative tool, designed to streamline the process of data analysis. Through this step-by-step tutorial, we aim to empower even the novice Excel user to make the most of Power Query's capabilities. Grab your dataset, open Excel, and let's dive in.

Step 1: Accessing Power Query

  • Open Excel.
  • Go to the 'Data' tab in the Ribbon.
  • You'll find the 'Get & Transform Data' group. This is your gateway to Power Query.

Step 2: Import Data into Power Query

  • Click on 'Get Data' in the Ribbon.
  • Choose your data source (e.g., Excel workbook, SQL Server, Web page).
  • Follow the prompts to select and import your dataset.
Getting data for Power Query in microsoft excel

Step 3: Basic Data Cleaning

  • Once your data is loaded, you'll see it in the Power Query Editor.
  • Use the 'Remove Rows' or 'Remove Duplicates' buttons to clean your data.
  • To split a column into multiple columns (for example, separating names), right-click the column, select 'Split Column', and choose your criteria.
Using power query to clean up data in microsoft excel

Step 4: Combining Data from Different Sources

  • Click on 'Home' then 'Combine Queries.'
  • Choose 'Merge' for combining tables based on common columns or 'Append' for stacking data tables.

Step 5: Pivoting and Unpivoting Data

  • Right-click the column header you'd like to pivot.
  • Choose 'Pivot Column' and specify values you'd like to use.
  • For unpivoting, the process is similar, but you'll select 'Unpivot Columns' instead.
Pivoting and unpivoting data using power query in microsoft excel

Step 6: Setting Data Types

  • Hover over a column header to see its data type icon.
  • Click the icon to change the data type, ensuring your data's consistency.

Step 7: Conditional Transformations

  • Click the 'Add Custom Column' button.
  • Input a formula or condition to create a new column based on existing data.
Adding a custom column in microsoft excel using power query

Step 8: Grouping Data

  • Highlight the column(s) you'd like to group.
  • Right-click and select 'Group By.' This will allow you to create summaries based on your chosen criteria.
Using the group by function in power query in a microsoft excel table of data

Step 9: Advanced Data Manipulations

  • For users familiar with M-code, navigate to the 'Advanced Editor' from the 'Home' tab.
  • Manually adjust data transformations by writing or modifying the M-code.

Step 10: Finalizing and Loading Data

  • Once you've made all desired changes, click 'Close & Load' on the 'Home' tab.
  • Your transformed data will now be loaded back into Excel.
Close and load data in power query

Step 11: Integrating Power Query with Power Pivot

  • After loading data into Excel using Power Query, click on the 'Power Pivot' tab in the Ribbon.
  • Here, you can create advanced calculations and relationships for more in-depth data analysis.
More advanced power query techniques for editing data in microsoft excel

Step 12: Sharing Your Transformations

  • In Power Query Editor, click 'File' and select 'Export.'
  • You can save your query and share it with colleagues to ensure consistent data transformations across your team.

Conclusion:
Congratulations on making your way through this Power Query tutorial in Excel! By now, you should have a foundational understanding of how to harness this powerful tool to refine and analyze data. If at any point you're left with questions or you'd like to share your experience, please comment below. Dive deeper, explore more, and happy data analyzing!

Jonathan Burks
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