Combine Multiple Excel Files Into One: A Simple and Powerful Approach

📚The traditional approach of using VBA to combine Excel files can be complex and time-consuming.

💪The Get & Transform feature, also known as Power Query, offers a simpler and more efficient method to consolidate data.

🗂️By connecting directly to the folder containing the files, you can easily combine data from multiple files into one.

🔎Power Query allows you to filter and exclude files that do not meet specific criteria, ensuring only relevant data is combined.

📊Once the data is combined, you can further analyze it by creating PivotTables or tables, providing valuable insights.

Is VBA the only way to combine Excel files?

—No, the Get & Transform feature, also known as Power Query, provides a simpler and more efficient method to combine data from multiple Excel files.

Can I exclude certain files from the consolidation process?

—Yes, Power Query allows you to filter and exclude files based on specific criteria, ensuring only relevant data is combined.

What if the structure of the files is different?

—Power Query can handle variations in file structure, as long as the column headers in each file are identical. It can even handle changes in column positions.

Can I further analyze the combined data?

—Yes, once the data is combined, you can create PivotTables or tables to perform further analysis and gain valuable insights.

Is Power Query available in all versions of Excel?

—Power Query is available in Excel 2010 and later versions, but the steps and interface may vary slightly.

00:00Combining multiple Excel files into one is a common task that can be efficiently achieved using the Get & Transform feature in Excel.

00:24Traditionally, the complex and time-consuming approach of using VBA was used to combine Excel files.

00:58The Get & Transform feature, also known as Power Query, offers a simpler and more efficient method.

01:17You can connect directly to the folder containing the files and filter and exclude specific files based on criteria.

02:42After combining the data, you can further analyze it by creating PivotTables or tables, providing valuable insights.

04:52Ensure that the column headers in each file are identical for smooth data consolidation.

08:19You can add new data by simply dropping the file into the combined dataset, regardless of the column order.

09:53The combined data can be loaded as a PivotTable or a table, depending on your preference.