What is this meeting about?
Do you recognize this?
Repetitive manual work in Excel-combining data from multiple sheets and sources, with a constant risk of errors?
Why attend?
Manual processes are time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies. This session shows how to improve accuracy, completeness, and cycle time by reducing manual effort through applying Power Queries.
What & how?
In this practical session, you'll learn how to use Power Query in Excel to combine data, create a controlled and repeatable process, and build a more reliable way of working-through hands-on examples you can apply immediately.
Presentation:
Stream:
Key take-aways:
- Power Query shifts reporting effort from preparation to analysis
Many HR, Reward, Payroll, and Compensation teams spend significant time manually combining files, correcting formats, and maintaining complex formulas. The session demonstrated how Power Query can automate these repetitive activities through structured extraction, transformation, and loading processes. This allows teams to focus more on analysis, insight generation, and business decision support rather than data preparation.
- Good data organization is the foundation of automation
Successful Power Query implementations start with disciplined folder structures, naming conventions, consistent file layouts, and clearly defined reporting objectives. The presenter emphasized that automation becomes more scalable, maintainable, and reliable when source data is organized consistently before any transformations are created.
- Merge operations can replace traditional Excel lookup approaches
The session showed how Power Query merge functionality can perform the same business purpose as VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, and similar formulas while providing a more scalable and maintainable solution. Mapping tables, payroll elements, general ledger accounts, and reporting periods were successfully connected through merge logic during the live demonstration.
- Shared folder-based reporting models improve sustainability
Instead of linking reports to individual files, participants were encouraged to connect Power Query solutions directly to shared folders, preferably in SharePoint. This approach improves maintainability, supports collaboration, reduces dependence on individual users, and enables automated consolidation of new reporting files through simple refresh processes.
- AI can accelerate Power Query learning and troubleshooting
The presenter shared practical experience using AI tools to review M-code, identify errors, simplify logic, and improve query efficiency. AI was positioned as a learning accelerator that can help users understand Power Query concepts faster and resolve common transformation challenges more effectively.
AI generated by Copilot from designated meeting content only | Rumbold
