Introduction to Power Query Part 1

Author: David H. Ringstrom

In this course, author and Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA, will delve into the powerful capabilities of Power Query within Microsoft 365 for Windows. Participants will learn how to efficiently list all worksheets and create hyperlinks to an index, transforming their data management processes. David will guide attendees through essential techniques such as overwriting data sources, dispatching external data security warnings, and utilizing the Queries & Connections task pane. Additionally, he will demonstrate how to combine multiple worksheets seamlessly and extract data from PDFs using Power Query. Join us for this comprehensive session that equips you with the skills to enhance your Excel proficiency and streamline your data workflows.

David H. Ringstrom, CPA, has more than 30 years of experience as a spreadsheet and accounting software consultant and speaker. He has presented over 2,500 live webinars and is the author or co-author of ten books, including “Microsoft 365 Excel All-in-One for Dummies”, “Microsoft 365 Excel for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and “QuickBooks Online for Dummies”.

In this course, David demonstrates every technique twice: first on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps and then live in Excel for Microsoft 365 for Windows. He highlights any differences in Excel 2024, 2021, or 2019 during the session and in his detailed handouts. Attendees also receive an Excel workbook containing most of the examples he uses, making it easy to follow along and apply the techniques later. David additionally supports Excel for Mac users by answering their follow-up questions via email.

Publication Date: April 2026

Designed For
Professionals seeking to enhance their data management skills, streamline reporting processes, and leverage Power Query for efficient data transformation and integration in Microsoft Excel.

Topics Covered

• Cleaning accounting reports in Power Query by removing blanks, merges, and missing data
• Importing a live list of worksheet names from your workbook
• Exploring the Queries & Connections task pane that shows data connections used within a given workbook
• Configuring Power Query queries to update automatically in the most efficient manner possible
• Most features and functions work in Excel for Mac as well but expect differences
• Filtering a cleaned-up accounts receivable aging report to display only overdue amounts
• Understanding how you can work backwards through applied steps in Power Query to visually step through data transformations
• Introducing the Power Query feature in Excel
• Appending data from two or more worksheets into a self-updating consolidated list with Power Query
• Extracting data from PDF files with Power Query in Excel 2021 and later
• Transforming an accounting report by way of Power Query
• Managing the external data security warning that may appear when you link external data into Excel spreadsheets

Learning Objectives

• Identify the number of arguments that the HYPERLINK function has
• State the location of the Refresh All command in Excel
• Recognize the types of data-cleaning issues Power Query can and cannot resolve
• Identify a key risk when manually preparing data using a copy-and-paste workflow in Excel
• Identify the sequence that best describes the Power Query process in Excel

Level
Intermediate

Instructional Method
Self-Study

NASBA Field of Study
Information Technology (2 hours)

Program Prerequisites
Basic understanding of Power Query

Advance Preparation
None