The course will be presented in four parts.
First, a brief introduction to Power Query and discuss reasons it has become very popular in Finance and Accounting: o No more copy and paste of data; o No more links to source files; o No more repetitive and manual data processing; o No VLOOKUP needed; o Brings AI in data transformation; o Fill the gap in Excel that cannot perform instant consolidation before, as can most cloud-based systems; o Feed into Pivot table and pivot chart to allow for self-service reporting
The second part is to demonstrate 6 basic skills in data transformation with Power Query: o Remove columns o Remove rows o Promote headers o Advanced query editor o Query from Folder o Data Type
Third, we will accelerate our learning with 3 bonus functions that will dramatically increase our productivity. They are: o Merge to replace VLOOKUP() o Unpivot o Exploration of AI and machine learning-enabled in Power Query
Last, the course will culminate through the concept of “Instant Consolidation”, which has never been around in MS Excel until Power Query. Instant consolidation is prevalent in cloud-based accounting software.
Prerequisites and Advanced Preparation ● Basic Excel knowledge ● Example: be able to open one Excel file and add a new sheet, etc.
Field of Study: Computer Software & Applications
Financial Reporting Expert
Lenny is Senior Financial Analyst at Ausenco. Lenny has over 15 years combined experience in financial planning and analysis (FP&A), financial reporting and modeling, and compliance auditing. Lenny supervises Adaptive Insights system budgeting, and is a CPA, CGA, and a Certified Adaptive Insights Professional and Certified Xero Partner. Lenny is a proponent for "One-click Reporting" for analysts and "Self-service Reporting" for executives. He has strong belief that reporting and closing should be hours rather than days or even weeks. Lenny also acted as local CPA chapter board officer and volunteered for Canada Revenue Agency as a Community Volunteer Income Tax Program consultant. Education MBA, Finance : George Washington University - SBPM (School of Business and Public Management) - [1998 to 2000]
