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What is Power Query ?

Power Query is a data transformation and data preparation tool that is part of Microsoft Excel and Power BI (Business Intelligence) applications. It allows users to connect to various data sources, transform and shape the data, and load it into Excel, Power BI, or other data analysis tools for further analysis and reporting.

Here are some key features and functionalities of Power Query:

1. Data Source Connectivity: Power Query supports connections to a wide range of data sources, including databases, spreadsheets, web services, text files, and more. It can connect to both on-premises and cloud-based data sources.

2. Data Transformation: Power Query provides a user-friendly interface for performing data transformations such as filtering, sorting, merging, splitting, pivoting, and aggregating data. Users can apply these transformations step by step to clean and reshape data as needed.

3. Query Folding: Power Query is designed to optimize query performance by pushing some data transformations back to the data source whenever possible. This can improve performance when working with large datasets.

4. Formula Language: Power Query uses a functional language called "M" for defining data transformations. Users can write custom M expressions to perform advanced data transformations that may not be achievable through the graphical user interface alone.

5. Data Load Options: Once data is transformed, users can load it into their Excel worksheets or Power BI data models. Power Query offers options for loading data into tables, connections, or the data model for further analysis.

6. Data Refresh: Power Query allows users to schedule automatic data refreshes, ensuring that the data in their reports and dashboards remains up-to-date without manual intervention.

7. Power Query Editor: In both Excel and Power BI, there is a dedicated Power Query Editor where users can build and fine-tune their data transformation queries. This editor provides a visual interface and allows users to view and edit the applied transformations.

8. Data Mashup: In Power BI, Power Query enables data mashup, where users can combine data from multiple sources and shape it into a single, coherent dataset for analysis.

Power Query is a powerful tool for data preparation and cleaning, and it's particularly useful for analysts and data professionals who need to work with diverse and messy data from various sources before conducting data analysis and reporting tasks.

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