Class Introduction
The meeting focused on teaching the merge queries concept in Power Query. Team explained the different types of joins, including inner join, left outer join, right outer join, full outer join, left anti-join, and right anti-join, using examples like bank reconciliation and event attendance. The group practiced these concepts using a dataset with 2024 and 2025 Qatar Expo data. Team also demonstrated how to merge three different tables—attendance, HRMS, and sales—by first merging attendance into HRMS and then merging sales into the result. During the session, Team showed how to use the add column and transform tabs to calculate total hours and employee age. Some participants, including shabeeba and ROMMEL, encountered software bugs in the latest Power BI version, which Team explained would be fixed in a future update. ROMMEL asked about using multiple criteria for merging, and Team demonstrated that it was possible but recommended using a unique primary key like employee ID.
Power BI Merge Queries Training
The team conducted a Power BI class focused on merge queries, covering six different types of joins. The instructor demonstrated how to use Power Query to merge Excel sheets containing Expo data from 2024 and 2025, explaining concepts like inner join, left outer join, right outer join, full outer join, and left anti-join. Students practiced these concepts through hands-on exercises, with the instructor providing guidance on screen sharing and troubleshooting. The class concluded with an assignment for students to review a shared blog on merge types and practice at least one example with their company data, with plans to cover advanced concepts involving three Excel sheets in the next class.
Related Offerings
Power Query Training Session
The team took a 15-minute break and returned to continue a Power Query training session focused on merging three Excel sheets with different column types. The instructor explained the complexity of merging three tables (attendance, HRMS, and sales) and demonstrated the proper approach of first merging two tables and then merging the result with the third table, using HRMS as the common denominator. The session covered the importance of giving proper names to merged sheets rather than using default names like "Merge 1" for the PL300 exam preparation.
Power BI Training Session
The team conducted a training session on Power BI, focusing on data transformation and merge queries. Dinesh guided participants through exercises including calculating employee working hours from time-in/time-out data and extracting age from date of birth information. The session encountered technical issues with the new October 2026 software version, particularly with the subtract time function and aggregate options, which Dinesh explained would be fixed in the November update. Dinesh assigned participants to practice the employee attendance calculations independently without watching the video, emphasizing the importance of independent practice for learning. The next class will cover data modeling and address questions from the practice session.
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