Power Query – Introduction
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Module 1: Introduction to Power Query
Objective
Get familiar with the Power Query interface and understand what it can do.
Files Used
What is Power Query?
Power Query is a data connection and transformation tool built into Microsoft Excel. It allows you to import, clean, reshape, and combine data from multiple sources.
You can find Power Query in Excel 2016 and later, under the Data tab in the section called Get & Transform Data.
Where to Find It
Steps:
- Open Microsoft Excel
- Go to the Data tab
- Locate the Get & Transform Data group
- Click Get Data to begin importing
Hands-on Exercise: Opening Power Query
Goal: Open Power Query Editor and explore its interface.
Steps:
- Create a new Excel workbook
- Go to the Data tab → Get Data → From File → From Workbook...
- Select the file Sales_January.xlsx and click Import
- In the Navigator window, select the worksheet and click Transform Data
- In the Power Query Editor, explore:
- Query Pane – on the left, showing query name
- Preview Grid – data preview in the middle
- Applied Steps – list of transformations on the right
- Ribbon Tabs – Home, Transform, Add Column, View
Additional Exercise: Explore Other Data Sources
Goal: Explore available data sources and create dummy connections.
Steps:
- In Excel → Data tab → Get Data
- Browse the full list: try connecting to:
- Web (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population)
- Blank Query | Get Data → From Other Sources
- Recent Sources
- Discuss which sources may be useful in your work.
Extension: Enable and Explore Formula Bar
Power Query has a powerful formula language (M). Let’s enable the formula bar.
Steps:
- In Power Query Editor, go to the View tab
- Tick the checkbox for Formula Bar
- Select a step in the Applied Steps list
- Observe the M code being generated
- Try editing a step manually (e.g., changing a column name)
Return to Main Page
→ Continue to Module 2: Importing and Managing Data.
