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Introduction to Power Query in PowerBI

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In this blog you will learn about the Power Query in PowerBI. With the help of this tools you can do the transformation using easily in PowerBI itself.

What is Power Query in PowerBI?

Power Query is an engine that is usually being use for data transformation and preparation with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for importing data from different sources. With it, we can perform ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load) process on data to make it crucial useful tool for data analysis. It is a part of Microsoft Excel and Power BI and it simplify the process of importing, cleaning, transforming and combining data comes from different sources.

Extract – Importing data from different sources (storage, web, cloud etc.)

Transform – Performing cleaning process on data e.g., Dropping Null values, Duplicate values etc.

Load – The process apply after transform and then user can perform data visualization.

Benefits of Using Power Query

  • Simple and User friendly Interface: Power Query Editor provide drag and drop, simple visual to understand that makes more understandable to do transformations without writing code.
  • Connectivity Options: It allow import data from many different sources like, storage, cloud, databases, web etc.
  • Automated Data Process: It allow automating data retrieval and transformations that save time and reduce risk of error.
  • Integration with Microsoft ecosystem: It integrate with Excel and Power BI that make you familiar with it.
  • Transformations Capabilities: It provides set of tool for cleaning, shaping, filtering, pivoting, aggregating etc.
  • Repeatable Steps: Every step recorded and can reviewed, modified or delete at any stage and can save them to use in another dataset.
  • M Language: Power Query uses functional language called M and it used to write custom script to transform data like splitting columns, adding measure column, filtering etc.
  • Collaboration and Sharing: Queries created with Power Query can shared across the organization, promoting collaboration and consistency in data preparation processes. In Power BI, users can publish datasets and share them with colleagues, facilitating collaborative data analysis and decision-making.

Power Query Interface Overview

  • Ribbon: Place at top of the Power Query Editor and provide various tools and commands for transformations like Home, Transform, Add Columns and View that contain relevant tools.
  • Navigator: A pane show when we first connect to data source and it allows browsing and selecting table or data set.
  • Query Editor: The main area where we perform data transformation like filtering and view the preview of changes.
  • Query Setting Pane: A pane that show the properties and taken transformation steps on data set. With the help of it, we can modify and delete steps.
  • Formula Bar: It allows manually writing and editing complex transformations code using M Language. Example – Table.SelectRows(#”Previous Step”, each [Sales] > 1000)
  • Data Preview: The central area that shows data that used for view real-time changes.
  • Column Header: It is header of every column in your dataset and provide various transformation including Type Changing, Replace value etc.
  • Status Bar: It is located in bottom of Power Query Editor that show how many column and rows loaded and query status.
  • Tab or Ribbon Tab: Locate at the top inside the ribbon with naming Home, Transform, Add Column and View.

Conclusion

With this documentation, now we get what is Power Query in PowerBI, how it is so useful and platform where we can perform transformations called Power Query Editor. Overall with this editor you can do the data cleaning in the PowerBI itself.

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