Course Overview

Power Query For Excel At Work

Duration: 2 Days

Power Query for Excel at Work is a practical, business-focused Power Query Training program designed to help professionals automate data preparation, improve reporting efficiency, and reduce repetitive manual work in Microsoft Excel. Participants will learn how to use Power Query in Excel to connect, import, clean, transform, combine, and organize data from multiple sources, creating reliable and repeatable workflows that can be refreshed quickly whenever new data is available.

Through guided demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and real-world departmental case studies covering Management, Administration, Accounts, Sales, HR, Production, QA, and Dispatch, participants will develop practical Excel data cleaning, data transformation, and data consolidation skills. The course covers importing data from different files and sources, removing duplicates, correcting inconsistent data, combining multiple Excel files and tables, merging and appending datasets, and preparing clean data for reporting and analysis. Participants will also learn how to create automated Excel data workflows that reduce manual data entry and improve reporting accuracy.

The Power Query for Excel at Work course also emphasizes good data management practices, including data governance, credentials, privacy levels, documentation, query management, and performance optimization. By the end of the program, participants will be able to apply Power Query automation to their daily work, standardize data preparation processes, reduce reporting time, improve data quality, and create efficient Excel workflows that can be refreshed with minimal manual intervention.

Course Objectives

Power Query for Excel at Work is designed to equip participants to:

• Build reliable, repeatable data-preparation workflows in Excel.
• Connect to diverse data sources.
• Profile and cleanse messy datasets.
• Combine files and tables.
• Load clean outputs for one-click refresh.
• Apply governance and best practices covering credentials, privacy levels, documentation, and performance.
• Standardise processes, reduce manual effort, and improve reporting accuracy.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the Power Query for Excel at Work training, the participants should be able to:

• Connect to Excel/CSV/PDF/Web/Folder sources and manage credentials & privacy levels.
• Profile data (quality, distribution, data types) and resolve common issues (dates, text, locale).
• Shape data using split/merge columns, conditional logic, pivot/unpivot, and type management.
• Combine datasets with Append and Merge (inner/left/right/full/anti/cross) for real scenarios.
• Load to tables or the Data Model and enable reliable, one-click refresh.
• Use Formulas & Functions settings together with Power Query.
• Use Pivot Table & Power Pivot with Power Query.

Methodology

The Power Query for Excel at Work course is a practical, business-focused course conducted through:

• Guided demonstrations
• Departmental case studies
• Practical data-preparation workflows
• Real scenarios
• Hands-on data transformation and consolidation activities

Departmental case studies include:

• Management
• Admin
• Accounts
• Sales
• HR
• Production
• QA
• Dispatch

Who Should Attend

Managers, Analysts, Admin & Operations staff, Finance/Accounts, Sales & Marketing, HR, Production, QA, and Dispatch teams—anyone who prepares data in Excel and needs consistent, refreshable results.

Prerequisites

Participants should:

• Be able to build and apply basic formulas in Excel.
• Have basic Pivot Table and Pivot Chart knowledge, which is helpful, but expertise is not necessary.
• Be able to create simple chart.
• Have Power Query for Excel 2021/2024/365.

Course Content

Introduction To Power Query

Learn the fundamentals of Power Query and how it helps automate data preparation and reporting tasks efficiently.

• Understanding Power Query
• Benefits of Using Power Query
• Accessing the Power Query Editor
• Understanding Different Data Types in Power Query

Importing Data Into Power Query

Learn how to connect and import data from various sources into Power Query for analysis and reporting.

• Import Data from Files
• Import Data from Excel Workbooks
• Import Data from Text/CSV Files
• Import Data from PDF Documents
• Import Data from Web Sources
• Import Data from Tables and Ranges
• Load and Refresh Queries When Source Data Changes
• Understanding Power Query Data Types

Data Cleansing And Quality Management

Improve data accuracy and consistency using Power Query’s data profiling and error-handling tools.

• Column Quality, Distribution, and Profile Tools
• Detect Data Types and Use Locale Settings for Dates/Currency
• Keep Errors, Remove Errors, and Error Diagnostics

Data Transformation Techniques

Transform and reshape raw data into a structured format suitable for analysis and dashboards.

Column Transformations

• Pivoting and Unpivoting Columns
• Splitting Columns into Multiple Columns
• Transforming and Adding Columns

Row Transformations

• Filtering and Removing Rows

Text Transformations

• Text Transformations

Number Transformations

• Number Transformations

Date Transformations

• Date Transformations

Conditional Logic

• Creating Conditional Columns

Consolidating And Appending Data

Combine and manage data from multiple files, folders, and queries efficiently.

• Append Data from Multiple Excel Tables
• Append, Duplicate, and Reference Queries
• Import Files from a Folder
• Combine Multiple Excel Files Automatically
• Manage Folder File Listings
• Change File Paths for Source Data

Merge Queries And Table Joins

Learn how to combine related datasets using different join techniques in Power Query.

• Merge Queries in Power Query
• Understanding Different Join Types
• Performing Multiple Table Joins
• Creating Cross Joins Between Tables

Introduction To M Language

Understand the core building blocks of M Language to create more flexible and advanced transformations.

• Introduction to M Language Concepts
• Text Functions in Power Query
• Date Functions in Power Query
• Conditional Functions (IF, AND, OR Logic)

Using Pivot Tables And Pivot Charts With Power Query

Prepare and connect transformed data for dynamic reporting using Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts.

• Preparing Data with Power Query
• Connecting Pivot Tables to Power Query Data
• Managing Data Connections
• Refreshing Pivot Reports Automatically

Integrating Power Query With Power Pivot

Build a powerful Excel Data Model by combining Power Query and Power Pivot together.

• How Power Query and Power Pivot Work Together
• Understanding the Excel Data Model
• Loading Data into the Data Model
• Important Power Pivot Rules
• Designing an Effective Data Model
• Using Data View and Diagram View
• Creating and Managing Data Relationships

Refresh Management And Data Governance

Manage data refresh processes, credentials, and query dependencies for reliable reporting.

• Refresh on Open and Background Refresh
• Using “Refresh All” and Query Dependencies
• Managing Source Credentials
• Understanding Privacy Levels

Best Practices And Performance Optimization

Apply industry best practices to improve query performance, organization, and maintainability. 

• Creating Staging Queries and Disabling Load
• Applying Data Types Early and Removing Unused Columns
• Understanding Query Folding Best Practices
• Using Query Groups and Naming Standards

• Documenting Queries Using Description Properties

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