Microsoft has created a Power Query add-in for Excel to make it easier to import data into Excel from sources. It is a component of the Power BI toolkit, so you can use it with other tools to create “self-service business intelligence solutions” in Excel. “Self-Service Business Intelligence” is a fancy name for the reports and dashboards you create. The goal of a business intelligence solution, often known as “management information systems” or “decision support systems”, is to make business information available to employees so they can use it to make decisions about how to do their jobs. .
This process allows users to extract data from their favorite databases or other data sources and quickly bring it into Excel; it’s also a great tool for quickly working with large amounts of data. It is a free add-on available on both Windows and Mac platforms.
Power Query Licensing and Pricing Structure
The license structure for Query and Power BI for Office 365 is complex and self-explanatory. However, it is licensed similarly to Power Pivot and Power View for Excel users (but not Power Map, which is only available with an Office 365 subscription), and is free if you purchase one of the following:
Standalone version of Excel.
Desktop license for Office Professional Plus.
An Office 365 subscription entitles you to the desktop experience in Office Professional Plus.
Multiple subscription SKUs available; however, all Office 365 ProPlus, E3, and E4 SKUs ship with the correct version of Excel.
Power Query and Power BI for Excel are two powerful tools that let you create Data Visualization Services in Excel. They are available in Office Professional Plus Service Pack 1 (SP1), which supports all editions of Excel.
Excel SP1 doesn’t have access to Power View or Power Map, but it does have Power Pivot. You can use Power Pivot to analyze, process, and visualize large amounts of data. The ability to view Excel workbooks stored locally in SharePoint in a web browser is only available in SharePoint Enterprise Edition, and SharePoint is recommended for best results. You need to install Power Pivot for SharePoint.
Power BI Sites, Power BI Data Catalog, and Mobile BI app are now available in Cloud Functions, which is part of Power BI for Office 365 and is covered by a different subscription plan. An Office 365 subscription that includes SharePoint Online is required to use these services; you must then purchase a separate subscription to use the services themselves
