{"id":173859,"date":"2026-02-18T11:42:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:42:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/?p=173859"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:42:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:42:54","slug":"power-query-what-is-it-whats-it-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/power-query-what-is-it-whats-it-for","title":{"rendered":"Power Query: What is it? What’s it for?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If data analysis is increasingly valued by companies, data analysts must undertake a significant amount of preparation work before they can make use of the available information. Fortunately, there are tools that facilitate data processing from various sources. This is particularly the case with Power Query. So, what is it? What is its purpose? What are its features? And its advantages? Find all the answers in this article.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Power Query all about?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Power Query<\/strong> is a data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) tool<\/a> that allows users to connect, import, and prepare data from various sources for subsequent analysis in Excel, Power BI, or other applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of Power Query<\/strong> is to help you standardize your databases to simplify post-analysis. The idea is to facilitate data processing, from collection to update. To achieve this, Power Query<\/strong> offers a multitude of features, such as importing from different data sources, connecting the query editor to the source file, data transformation, reporting, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Data Analysts<\/a>, automating these tasks saves valuable time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn to use Power Query<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How does Power Query work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Power Query<\/strong> is directly integrated into Microsoft tools such as Power BI and Excel<\/a>. It is very easy to use Power Query in Excel. However, please note that this solution is only available in the most recent versions (starting from Excel 2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have one of these versions, you can simply:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Go to the “Data” tab.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Under the “Get & Transform Data” section.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Click on “Get Data” and then use the Power Query Editor.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    From there, the query editor opens in a new window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, for Excel 2010 and 2013 versions, Power Query is not integrated automatically. In this case, you need to go to the Microsoft website to download Power Query and then install it on your Excel worksheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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    Learn Power Query<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    What are Power Query’s features?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To simplify analytics work, Power Query provides several features aimed at improving data quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Data import<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Power Query can import data from a wide variety of sources, including an Excel workbook, a text file, a SQL database, a website, an API,<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To do this, you should follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Go to the “Data” tab.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Click on “Get Data.”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Select the data source you need.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      If the information is usable as-is, you can add it directly to your worksheet. However, if you want to change the format, Power Query’s<\/strong> query editor allows you to transform the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Transforming data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Once the data is loaded into Power Query<\/strong>, you can transform it as you wish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It’s important to note that Power Query works by column. The goal is not to modify individual cells but columns. This saves time when processing data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      With Power Query, you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n