This document contains the agenda for a Power Query event. It includes sections on the sponsor, organizers, presenter Marco Pozzan, and an agenda with topics like Power Query basics, functions, error handling, privacy settings, and demos. The event aims to teach participants about Power Query's capabilities for data transformation, integration, and analysis.

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Power Query
Marco Pozzan
@marcopozzan.it
www.marcopozzan.it

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Sponsors

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Organizers
getlatestversion.it

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Marco Pozzan | @marcopozzan.it
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www.beantech.it
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• www.innovazionefvg.net
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– info@marcopozzan.it
– www.marcopozzan.it
– http://www.scoop.it/u/marco-pozzan
– http://paper.li/marcopozzan/1422524394

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– Power Pivot (analysis)
– Power View (reporting)
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– Query sharing with other subscribers

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• You get prompted the first time you try to connect to a data source
• Edit or remove credentials using the Data Source Settings button
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• Prevents Power Query from sending private data to public data sources
• You get prompted the first time you join/merge the data source with another
• Levels: Public,Organizational, Private

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– Merge two Power Query queries by matching values in columns
– Like SQL inner join and left join
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– Append output of Power Query query into another query, it combines
columns with the same name
– Like SQL Union

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DEMO 0
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• http://www.comuni-italiani.it/001/033/index.html

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– There are no real looping constructs but objects like lambda functions
– is a functional language Nothing like Excel formula language or VBA 
– Understanding M for writing more complex transformations and calculations
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– Can be invoked dynamically with Evaluate
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o Familiar, easy to remember
o Easy to read and write; limited syntax, use of non standard symbols
o A superset of the Excel formula language
o Powerful capabilities for the advanced user

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– 3 + 3 is an expression
– 3 + 3 return the value 6
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– Primitives types like: Boolean , text , number, null, logical, number, text, binary, any,
none, Time, date, datetime, datetimezone, duration
– Complex types like: record, list, table, function, user defined, (data and code)!

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[
Man = [Athletic = 10 , NonAthletic = 50 ],
Woman = [Athletic = 20 , NonAthletic = 40 ],
Total = Man[Athletic] + Woman[Athletic]
]
= [Athletic = 10 , NonAthletic = 50]

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– to a position N of a list
– a row in a table
[
Data = {
[Athletic = 10 , NonAthletic = 50 ],
[Athletic = 20 , NonAthletic = 40 ]
},
Total = data{0}[Athletic] + data{1}[Athletic]
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= { 1..7 }

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=#table(
{"A", "B"},
{
{1, 2},
{3, 4}
}
)

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– Result of previous step typically used in the next step
– Step can be defined and reused later on
– Step isn’t evaluated if it isn’t used
let
Source = Sql.Database(".", "AdventureWorksDW2012"),
Sales = Table.FirstN(Source{[Schema="dbo",Item="Sales"]}[Data],10),
Rank = List.Sort(Sales[SalesAmount] ,Order.Ascending),
in
Rank
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– These become the steps in a query
– Each query created by the UI consist of a let single expression
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– This is the output of the query
– It can reference any of the expressions

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DEMO 1

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– A function is a value which, when invoked with arguments, produces a new value.
– Function are written by listing the function’s parameters in parentheses, followed
by the goes-to symbol =>, followed by the expression defining the function.
(x) => (x*x) //Multiply the value x to x
(x,y) => (x*y) //Multiply the value x to y
[
Mol = (x,y) = > x*y
]

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DEMO 2
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DEMO 3
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DEMO 4
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– = Table.RemoveRowsWithErrors(#"Changed Type", {"Età"})
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– Table.ExpandRecordColumn(#"Inserted Eta_Try", "Eta_Try", {"HasError", "Value",
"Error"}, {"Eta_Try.HasError", "Eta_Try.Value", "Eta_Try.Error"}),

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o Attempts evaluation
o Encodes results and errors as record values
o Optional otherwise clause
=Table.AddColumn(Source, “Eta_Bis", each try Number.From([Età]) otherwise 0)
try error "Bad"
// [ HasError = true,
// Error = [
// Reason = "Expression.Error",
// Message = "Bad",
// Detail = null
// ]
// ]
try error "Bad" otherwise 42 // 42

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DEMO 5

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– When?
o Column filters, row filters, joins, group by, pivot, unpivot
o Numeric calculations, aggregations
– Functionality depends on the data source
o Relational sources (SQL Server, Oracle, etc) support the
most functionality
o Also fold to OData, Active Directory, Exchange, and others
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o Use Table.Buffer() or List.Buffer()
o By combining data from multiple data sources with different privacy level
o Preventing query folding with custom SQL (Sql.Database("localhost","adventureworkdw",[Query="select * from dimdate"])

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– if you provide a native SQL query this is performed directly in the source data
– that the queries are optimized (i.e. nolock ) .
– Useful when user does not want rewrite in M language an existing query
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– Query isn't parsed before sending it to the source
– Can’t guarantee how often it is executed

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DEMO 6
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– Different visibility levels: private, group, public (within the company)
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– In this case the query is copied and executed locally, there are not processing on the
server

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DEMO 7
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– Generate steps using the UI, then tweak the code
– Formatting is easier in the UI
– Some things only work through the UI (“auto steps”)
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– Use #shared to see all exported functions (and keywords)
– Typing in the function name will display its help, and prompt for parameter
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– Use try/catch to isolate errors
– Select and remove rows with errors
– Table.Buffer will stop folding from occurring

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– Certify query
– Consume views
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http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39933
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=235475
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=320634
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=398594

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Q&A
Questions?

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THANKS!
http://speakerscore.com/PowerQuery
https://app.bingpulse.com/eventspulse/sqlsaturday462
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