Chapter 8
Introducing Power Query
IN THIS CHAPTER
Spelling out the Power Query basics
Understanding Query steps
Managing existing queries
Overviewing query actions
In information management, the term ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) refers to the three separate functions typically required to integrate disparate data sources: extract, transform, and load. The extraction function refers to the reading of data from a specified source and extracting a desired subset of data. The transformation function refers to the cleaning, shaping, and aggregating of data to convert it to the desired structure. The loading function refers to the actual importing or writing of the resulting data to a target location.
Excel analysts have been manually performing ETL processes for years — although they rarely call it ETL. Every day, millions of Excel users manually pull data from a source location, manipulate that data, and integrate it into their reporting. This process requires lots of manual effort.
Power Query enhances the ETL experience by offering an intuitive mechanism to extract data from a wide ...