Power Query
I started working on this website over a year ago in May of 2019. The plan was to create a website that people could go to and find the best available Excel resources on the web. In the meantime life happened the project got put on the shelf and a few weeks ago I decided it was time to start blogging, and finally finished my first blog.
My blogs will be focused on providing information on where you can find great resources and courses on the web for Excel, Power Query, Power BI, and Financial Modeling.
Today's blog is going to be about a tool that many people who use excel either do not know exists or have not used it, despite being available for a decade. The tool is Power Query and for anyone who deals with data a lot, Power Query is a most and will quickly become your best friend and your go tool method for working with data.
I did not learn about Power Query until nearly four years ago when I started working at Solera, and today I or someone on my team uses it on a daily basis. So what is Power Query?
According to Microsoft:
Power Query is the Microsoft Data Connectivity and Data Preparation technology that enables business users to seamlessly access data stored in hundreds of data sources and reshape it to fit their needs, with an easy to use, engaging, and no-code user experience. <https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/power-query-what-is-power-query>
In simple terms it is a tool that allows you to clean, and transform your data in a few easy recordable steps.
Key reasons someone should learn Power Query:
Makes combining multiple files simple
Easier to learn than VBA
Makes performing the same cleansing task on those monthly files repeatable with a few clicks
Makes Unpivoting data a breeze
It is where data tables are prepared prior to creating data models for Power Pivot/Power BI
The rest of this article is going to be focused on providing the best websites, books, Youtube Channnels, and courses available for one to learn Power Query. So lets get started with some of the best resources on the web.
BEST WEBSITES
https://www.excelguru.ca/blog/ - This website hosted by Ken Puls is one of the first websites cam across when I was first learning about Power Query. It has a ton of great articles and resources for learning Power Query. The website contains a lot of valuable blogs, a user resource forum, courses, and a link to free utilities. I recommend this site to anyone wanting to learn Power Query, and would add it to your bookmarks.
3. https://www.howtoexcel.org/power-query/the-complete-guide-to-power-query/ - John MacDougall runs the website howtoexcel.org. This site has a great guide that will help you get started with Power Query, the article is free and includes all the files used in the examples available for downloading. It covers the basics and when your done with the article you will have enough knowledge to get started in Power Query and start simplifying your data cleansing tasks.
4. https://www.skillwave.training/ - This is a fairly new site that was started by three of the best resources available for learning Power Query, Excel, and Power BI. The site includes outstanding resources like the easy to use Power Query Recipe cards, one of the first Power Query courses available through the Power Query Academy. If your serious about Power Query and looking for some quality paid training then check this site out.
5. Excel Get and Transform (Power Query) Tutorial | Toptal® - Another blog to consider is this one from Toptal as it does a good job of introducing one to the basic concepts of Power Query. The blog includes animated images that walk you through the examples they share in detail.
BEST YOUTUBE CHANNELS
ExcelisFun
Mike Girvin runs the ultra popular and helpful “ExcelisFun” YouTube Channel and if you are serious about excel subscribing to his channel is a must. He has a ton of great Power Query videos and above is his first in the Microsoft Power Tool set and below is a link to his Power Query Playlist. When you are done you will have a solid understanding of Power Query and learn some cool tips and tricks for using it in the real world.
Power Query (Get & Transform) Video Playlist of Videos
2. ExcelonFire
Excel on Fire is run by Oz du Soleil one of the best excel follows on the web. He has a very unique style and it may not be for everyone but he is a greater teacher. I wold recommend you should subscribe to his channel to see all the different videos he has for Powery Query. In addition to his videos he has a lot of great courses on LinkedIn.
3. Mr Excel
When it comes to Excel, Bill Jelen is called Mr. Excel and for good reason. He has one of the most popular websites, a great collection of books and one of the best Excel Youtube channels available. He has a lot of great content and a whole video series on learning Excel.
BEST BOOKS
Very few books have been written with a focus exclusively on only Power Query. I have read some books that contain tutorials on Power Query but that are focused more on Power Pivot and Power BI which I will talk about in later blogs. However I only own two books, “M is for Data Monkey” and “Collect, Combine, and Transform Data using Power Query in Excel and Power BI” focused exclusively on Power Query. After doing some searching on the web I have listed 4 books that I believe are good resources to have for learning Power Query. I am sure others books exist so please leave details on books you have read in the comments below.
M is for Data Monkey - This is the first book I bought on Power Query and I recommend anyone wanting to learn the basics start with this easy to read book. Every chapter has easy to follow examples with downloadable files. Ken Puls & Miguel Escobar are a most follow for those wanting to learn Power Query
2. Master Your Data - This is the second Edition of M is for Data Monkey and is updated with new content and to cover the many changes that have been made to Power Query since the first book came out. This book is scheduled to come out in November and is a great book to pre-order if your serious about learning Power Query.
3. Collect, Combine, and Transform Data Using Power Query in Excel and Power BI (Business Skills) - This is the most comprehensive book I have found focused only on Power Query. It is written by Gil Raviv who worked as a Senior Program Manager on the Microsoft Excel Product team and I would recommend anyone serious about learning Power Query order this book.
I have not read this book but came across it in my research and from the reviews (4+ Stars) and comments on Amazon it looks like a good read. The books is written by Chris Webb who runs a popular BI blog on the web.
I hope you found the above resources beneficial. I look forward to your comments and feedback below on the resources on the blog, on what blog articles you would like to see next.
Note: If you purchase any of the books listed on my blog from Amazon I receive an affiliate fee. This website will be a free resource for users to learn Excel but you will see links to affiliate sites, and advertising links for which I earn a small commission.