About this course
Power Query is the data-wrangling engine inside modern Excel and Power BI. It turns the manual cycle of copy, paste, clean, repeat into a recorded sequence of steps that refresh on demand. For analysts who spend more time preparing data than analysing it, learning Power Query is the single biggest leverage point in the Excel toolkit.
Jordan Goldmeier teaches this introductory course from the ground up. You will work through the Power Query Editor, build a feel for Applied Steps, learn how the M-code that sits behind the GUI is generated, and apply the “Column From Example” tool to the kinds of messy real-world data that defeat formulas. The course then moves into merging datasets and reading data from a folder of files — two patterns that come up in nearly every reporting workflow.
What you’ll learn
- Navigate the Power Query Editor with confidence
- Build repeatable transformations using Applied Steps
- Use “Column From Example” to parse text that’s hard to handle with formulas
- Find and read the M-code Power Query generates behind the scenes
- Merge data from two or more sources into a single table
- Read all files from a folder dynamically
Who this course is for
Excel users who spend repeated time on manual data prep. Analysts who want to move toward semi-automated workflows. Anyone preparing to learn Power BI, where Power Query is the default data-shaping layer.
Prerequisites
Comfort with Excel formulas and tables. No prior Power Query experience required.
What’s in this course
Get the Course Files
- Download the course files
Introduction to Power Query
- Intro to Power Query
- A Short History of Power Query
Manipulating Data
- Workflow Description
- Data Wrangling Steps
- Understanding “Applied Steps”
- What is M Code and where to find it
- Tour of Power Query Features
- “Column From Example” for Tough Problems
- Sending Feedback to Microsoft
Merging Datasets
- Introduction to Merging Data Case Study
- Merge Query
Reading Data from Folders
- Description of Case Study
- File From Folder
- Editing the Sample File