Power Query in the Modern Excel Workflow

This lesson places Power Query inside the modern Excel workflow: how it changes data preparation from manual editing into a repeatable refresh process. Students learn what Power Query is, where it fits between source data and analysis, and why it is especially useful for messy business files, exports, and recurring reports.

The lesson focuses on workflow concepts rather than deep transformation techniques. By the end, students should understand the role of queries, applied steps, refresh, source preservation, and load destinations, so later lessons can build practical cleaning patterns on a solid foundation.