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Power Query: Home Tab – Transform & Sort Section

  • Writer: Fakhriddinbek
    Fakhriddinbek
  • 6 days ago
  • 4 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

In today’s data-driven world, cleaning and shaping data is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Whether you're preparing financial reports, analyzing survey results, or building dashboards in Excel or Power BI, Power Query is your go-to tool for efficient data transformation.


Two of the most powerful sections in Power Query’s Home tab are Transform and Sort. These tools allow you to reshape, reformat, and organize your data with precision and speed—without writing a single line of code.


In this guide, we’ll explore the full capabilities of the Transform and Sort sections, explain how each feature works, and show you how to use them effectively in real-world scenarios.


Spreadsheet interface with data columns labeled Country and Year. Dropdown menus highlighted, showing sorting options. Centre of Power logo.
Data transformation and management process showcased in Power Query, highlighting options for sorting, splitting, and setting data types, with a focus on using headers effectively.

Where to Find Power Query: Home Tab – Transform & Sort Section

When you open Power Query Editor, the Home tab is your command center. Within it, you’ll find:

  • Transform Section: Tools for changing data types, formatting, replacing values, and more.

  • Sort Section: Options to sort data ascending or descending by one or more columns.

These sections are essential for shaping raw data into clean, structured datasets ready for analysis.


Transform Section: Reshape Your Data

The Transform section includes a wide range of tools that help you manipulate column values, change data types, and apply logic to your dataset.


Data Type Conversion

Change the data type of a column to:

  • Text

  • Whole Number

  • Decimal Number

  • Date/Time

  • Boolean

  • Currency

Use Case: Convert a column of dates stored as text into actual date format for time-based analysis.

Replace Values

Replace specific values in a column with new ones. You can do this manually or dynamically.

Use Case: Replace “N/A” or “null” with “0” or “Unknown” to clean up missing data.

Format Column

Apply formatting to text columns:

  • Trim: Removes leading/trailing spaces

  • Clean: Removes non-printable characters

  • Lowercase/Uppercase/Capitalize Each Word

Use Case: Standardize customer names to proper case for reporting.

Detect Data Type

Automatically detects and applies the most appropriate data type for each column.

Use Case: Quickly clean up imported CSV files with mixed formats.

Pivot & Unpivot Columns

  • Pivot: Turns row values into columns

  • Unpivot: Turns columns into row values

Use Case: Reshape survey data where each question is a column into a long format for analysis.

Transpose Table

Flips rows into columns and vice versa.

Use Case: Reorient data for better readability or compatibility with other tools.

Use First Row as Headers

Promotes the first row of data to become column headers.

Use Case: Clean up imported data where headers are in the first row.

Sort Section: Organize Your Data

The Sort section allows you to arrange your data in a meaningful order.


Sort Ascending

Sorts the selected column from lowest to highest (A–Z, 0–9).

Use Case: Sort sales data by region name alphabetically.

Sort Descending

Sorts the selected column from highest to lowest (Z–A, 9–0).

Use Case: Sort revenue data to highlight top-performing products.

Multi-Level Sorting

Apply sorting to multiple columns by selecting them in sequence.

Use Case: Sort by department first, then by employee name.

Why Transform & Sort Are Essential

These Power Query: Home Tab – Transform & Sort Section tools help you:

  • Clean messy data from external sources

  • Standardize formats for consistency

  • Prepare datasets for analysis and visualization

  • Automate repetitive tasks with reusable queries

Together, they form the backbone of any data preparation workflow in Power Query.


Real-World Use Cases


Financial Reporting

  • Use Transform to convert currency columns and clean up transaction descriptions.

  • Use Sort to organize expenses by category and date.


Academic Research

  • Use Unpivot to reshape survey results.

  • Use Replace Values to standardize response options.


Dashboard Building

  • Use Detect Data Type to clean up imported Excel sheets.

  • Use Sort Descending to highlight top metrics in Power BI visuals.


FAQs About Transform & Sort in Power Query


Q: Can I undo a transformation or sort?

Yes! Power Query is step-based. You can remove or edit any step in the Applied Steps pane.


Q: Does sorting affect the original data source?

No. Power Query works on a copy of the data. The original source remains unchanged.


Q: Can I sort by multiple columns?

Yes. Select columns in the order you want to sort and apply sorting sequentially.


Q: What’s the difference between pivot and transpose?

  • Pivot reshapes data based on values.

  • Transpose flips the entire table structure.


Advanced Tips for Power Users

  • Combine Transform with Conditional Columns: Create logic-based transformations.

  • Use M Code for Custom Logic: Power Query’s formula language lets you go beyond the UI.

  • Group By + Sort: Summarize and organize data in one step.

  • Use Query Dependencies View: Visualize how your transformations connect.


Ready to Transform Your Data Workflow?

If this guide helped you, there’s more waiting for you at CentreOfPower.com. We’re here to help you master office software and unlock your full potential.


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