Power Query

🖼️ Tool Name:
Power Query

🔖 Tool Category:
AI-assisted Data Preparation & Cleaning tool; also falls under Analytics & Dashboards (secondary).

✏️ What does this tool offer?
Power Query is Microsoft’s built-in data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) tool integrated into Excel and Power BI.
It allows users to import data from multiple sources (Excel files, CSVs, SQL databases, web pages, APIs), clean, reshape, and combine datasets — all through a visual interface without coding.
It’s widely used in education, finance, and analytics to automate recurring data-cleaning workflows and reduce manual spreadsheet labor.

⭐ What does the tool actually deliver based on user experience?
• Import data from dozens of sources (files, databases, cloud, web, APIs).
• Clean and transform data visually — remove duplicates, split/merge columns, change data types, handle missing values.
• Combine data from multiple sources (like JOINs in SQL) with just a few clicks.
• Automatically record every transformation as repeatable “steps” that can be refreshed at any time.
• Seamlessly integrates with Power BI to create dynamic dashboards.
• Significantly reduces the time spent on manual data cleaning in Excel.

🤖 Does it include automation?
Yes —
• Every transformation is automatically recorded as a repeatable M-code script.
• Refresh your entire data workflow with one click (or on a schedule).
• Integrates with Power Automate and Power BI Service for scheduled updates and end-to-end automation.

💰 Pricing Model:
Free — Power Query is included by default in:
• Microsoft Excel (2016 and later)
• Power BI Desktop (Free)
• Power BI Service (Subscription-based for cloud sharing)

🆓 Free Plan Details:
• 100% free within Excel and Power BI Desktop, including all transformation capabilities.

💳 Paid Plan Details:
• No paid plan for Power Query itself.
• A Power BI Pro license ($10/month) adds collaboration, sharing, and cloud refresh features.

🧭 Access Method:
• In Excel: Data tab → Get & Transform Data → Launch Power Query Editor.
• In Power BI Desktop: Home → Transform Data.
• Also accessible via Power Automate and Power Apps for enterprise workflows.

🔗 Experience Link:

https://www.microsoft.com