Power Query Masterclass

Learn by watching, then master by doing.

Core Concepts Visualized

Before you touch the simulators, click "Play Demo" on each card below to see exactly how data moves and transforms.

Unpivot Columns

Wide Data (Input)

ProductJanFeb
Apple1015
Pear2025

Tall Data (Output)

ProductAttributeValue
Click play to watch data move...

Pivot Column

Tall Data (Input)

StoreMetricValue
ASales$50
ACosts$20

Wide Data (Output)

Store......
Click play to reshape...

Group By (Summarize)

Detailed Data (Input)

RegionAmount
North100
North50
North200
RegionTotal (Sum)
Click play to aggregate...

Case 1: The Expense Report

The Analytical Goal

You need to build a PivotTable to sum up "Total Q1 Expenses" by Store Location.

The Data Problem

"Month" is not a column you can filter by; the months are spread horizontally as headers. You must Unpivot the data, then Group By store.

Store Location Account Name Jan 2026 Feb 2026 Mar 2026
SpokaneRent$5,000$5,000$5,000
SpokanePayroll$12,400$12,100$12,800
SeattleRent$8,500$8,500$8,500
SeattlePayroll$18,200$18,400$19,100
Store Location Account Name Attribute (Month) Value (Amount)
SpokaneRentJan 2026$5,000
SpokaneRentFeb 2026$5,000
SpokaneRentMar 2026$5,000
SpokanePayrollJan 2026$12,400
...
Store Location Total Q1 Expenses
Spokane$52,300
Seattle$81,200
Query Settings

APPLIED STEPS

    Case 2: Logistics Report

    The Analytical Goal

    Calculate exact fleet costs grouped by Location AND Vehicle Type.

    The Data Problem

    The Location and Vehicle are mashed together into one string. You must Split the column first, Unpivot, and do an Advanced Group By.

    Loc_Vehicle Jan 2026 Feb 2026 Mar 2026
    Spokane_Forklift$1,200$1,400$1,300
    Spokane_DeliveryVan$2,500$2,200$2,600
    Seattle_Forklift$1,800$1,900$1,700
    Location Vehicle Jan 2026 Feb 2026 Mar 2026
    SpokaneForklift$1,200$1,400$1,300
    SpokaneDeliveryVan$2,500$2,200$2,600
    SeattleForklift$1,800$1,900$1,700
    Location Vehicle Attribute Value
    SpokaneForkliftJan 2026$1,200
    SpokaneForkliftFeb 2026$1,400
    ...
    Location Vehicle Total Cost
    SpokaneForklift$3,900
    SpokaneDeliveryVan$7,300
    SeattleForklift$5,400
    Query Settings

    APPLIED STEPS

      Case 3: Spokane Hardware POS

      The Analytical Goal

      Find out exactly which products are selling the most by counting the total number of times each unique item was purchased today.

      The Data Problem

      The Point of Sale system lumps all items from a single receipt into one comma-separated cell. You must Split the text, Unpivot the resulting columns, and group them to Count Rows.

      Receipt ID Items
      1001Hammer, Nails
      1002Wrench
      1003Paint, Brushes, Tape
      1004Nails, Tape
      Receipt ID Items.1 Items.2 Items.3
      1001HammerNailsnull
      1002Wrenchnullnull
      1003PaintBrushesTape
      1004NailsTapenull
      Receipt ID Attribute Value (Product)
      1001Items.1Hammer
      1001Items.2Nails
      1002Items.1Wrench
      1003Items.1Paint
      ... remaining items below
      Value (Product) Total Sales Count
      Hammer1
      Nails2
      Wrench1
      Paint1
      Brushes1
      Tape2
      Query Settings

      APPLIED STEPS

        Case 4: River City Roasters

        The Analytical Goal

        You want a clean summary table with one row per store and separate columns for each inventory item to quickly compare stock levels across the chain.

        The Data Problem

        The inventory system exports data in a 'tall' attribute-value structure. You need to Pivot the 'Metric' column to turn its contents into wide column headers.

        Store Metric Value
        DowntownCoffee Beans (lbs)50
        DowntownMilk (gal)20
        ValleyCoffee Beans (lbs)45
        ValleyMilk (gal)18
        Store Coffee Beans (lbs) Milk (gal)
        Downtown5020
        Valley4518
        Query Settings

        APPLIED STEPS