Power Query – Importing and Managing Data

Module 2: Importing and Managing Data

Objective

In this module, you'll learn how to import data from various sources and manage basic data loading settings in Power Query.

Files Used

• Download Sales_January.xlsx
• Download Sales_February.xlsx
• Download Employees.csv
• Download ProductList.txt

Importing Data from Excel

Steps:

1. Open Excel
2. Go to the Data tab → Get Data → From File → From Workbook...
3. Select Sales_January.xlsx and click Import
4. In the Navigator window, select the sheet and click Transform Data
5. The data will open in Power Query Editor

Importing Data from CSV

Steps:

1. Go to the Data tab → Get Data → From File → From Text/CSV
2. Select Employees.csv
3. Review the preview window, then click Transform Data to load it into Power Query

Importing Multiple Excel Files

Scenario: You want to combine all monthly sales files into a single dataset.

Steps:

1. Place all monthly files (e.g. Sales_January.xlsx, Sales_February.xlsx) in one folder
2. Go to the Data tab → Get Data → From File → From Folder
3. Browse to the folder containing the Excel files
4. Click Transform Data
5. In Power Query Editor:
   • Click Combine → Combine & Transform Data
   • Select the sheet to combine from each file
6. Power Query will generate a sample query and combine all files into one table

Importing from a Text File

Steps:

1. Go to the Data tab → Get Data → From File → From Text/CSV
2. Select the file ProductList.txt
3. Choose delimiter: Tab
4. Click Transform Data to edit it in Power Query

Managing Queries

In Power Query Editor, you can:

• Rename queries (right-click query name → Rename)
• Disable load (right-click query → uncheck Enable Load to Worksheet)
• View query dependencies: go to the View tab → click Query Dependencies

Merging Queries (Preview)

You’ll later learn how to join data sources together using merges and appends. For now, make sure you have both Sales and Employees queries loaded.

---

Return to Main Page

→ Continue to Module 3: Data Transformation Techniques