2. Load or Transform Data
At this stage, you can choose to either:
- Load the data directly into Power BI, or
- Transform Data to make changes before loading it.
If you select Transform Data, the Power Query Editor will open, showing a preview of your table. The Query Options will appear on the right, or you can always access them by clicking on Query Options in the View tab:
3. Shaping the Data
Once your data is connected, you can start customizing it. Shaping means changing the data by:
- Renaming columns or tables
- Deleting rows or columns
- Changing data types
For example, if you need to change the data type of a column, select the column (or multiple columns by holding Shift for contiguous columns or Ctrl for non-contiguous columns). Right-click the column header, choose Change Data Type, and select the new type from the options in the Transform section: