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Skillwave Training
@skillwave.training
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Your #1 resource for online training on Power BI, Power Query, Power Pivot, and Excel. View our course catalog at skillwave.training/learn
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Ever had a #PowerQuery load fail after a new column shows up in your CSV file? An AKA attendee did and the fix was surprisingly simple. @excelguru.ca revealed that PQ sometimes locks the column count when you first import a file. When the data source later adds new fields, it breaks the connection.🧵
What do you do when Power Query says, “Column Not Found”? (Image of a man sitting in front of a laptop with his hands on his temples and a confused look on his face) (Skillwave Training logo)
November 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
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See why students love our #PowerQuery course!✨
We'll help you unlock the true power of your data in #Excel and #PowerBI! Say goodbye to hours of manual #DataManipulation and hello to quick #DataInsights and informed decisions. Join our course now to make data work for you: skw-t.com/pqa
See what our students are saying! "It was very thorough. Great course, learned a ton!" TJ (5 stars) "I loved the practical examples and timing of lessons (5-15 minutes each). I can only recommend this course!" Lukas (5 stars) Power Query Academy skillwave.training (Skillwave Training logo)
November 17, 2025 at 6:26 PM
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In our latest AKA session, @excelguru.ca was asked how to handle sales items that shouldn’t count toward commissions in a #PowerBI report. 🤔
Rather than filtering out rows, he suggested adding a Y/N flag column in the data model and then use #DAX to calculate commissions only where flag = “Yes.”🧵
A More Dynamic Commission Report A student asked what do if you have sales items that shouldn’t count towards a team member’s commission earnings? Instead of filtering out rows in the report, Ken Puls suggested creating a column in the underlying data model to flag the item Yes/No and then add a simple DAX formula to the report so that only commissionable items are included: =CALCUALTE( [Sales $], Product[Commissionable] = "Yes" ) (Skillwave Training logo)
November 14, 2025 at 6:54 PM
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The latest edition of "News from the Data Monkey" has just been sent! 🐵📃 Our twice-monthly newsletter includes what's new in #Excel and #PowerBI, features from our AKA sessions, the latest meet-up recording, and info on our courses, events, promotions, and more! Sign up today at skw-t.com/news
News from the Data Monkey Brought to you by Excelguru and Skillwave (Image of a cyborg monkey in a superhero-type crouch) November 12, 2025 In This Issue: - From the AKA Sessions - What's New in Excel - Recent Meet-up Recording - Upcoming Courses and Conferences - Available Training Options Ken had a great time in Bulgaria and Germany at the end of October, but is glad to be back home now. This month he's leading several training sessions for CPABC and private clients, as well as hosting the 'Ask Ken Anything' calls and welcoming a new batch of registrants for the Self Service BI and Excel Fundamentals Academies. Our team is also busy preparing for our annual Cyber Week sale - stay tuned for details starting the last week of November!
November 12, 2025 at 7:59 PM
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With 299 students trained and an average rating of 4.9 / 5 stars, see why our #SelfServiceBI Academy by @excelguru.ca is so popular! 😍

This hands-on training will teach you how to use #Excel, #PowerQuery, #PowerBI, #DAX, and #DimensionalModeling together. Join us today at skw-t.com/ssbi
Testimonial "Lots of examples, very knowledgeable instructor, comprehensive instructions" J.P. (5 stars) Self Service BI Academy (Caricature of Ken Puls) Developed and delivered by Microsoft MVP and Chartered Professional Accountant, Ken Puls (Skillwave Training logo)
November 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
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It's common to need to transform data from one “shape” to another before it can be used in #PowerBI or #Excel for #DataAnalysis, eg. left-hand data needs to look like the table on the right. 👉 In this classic article, Matt Allington shows you how to pivot text using #PowerQuery: buff.ly/3Ol967I
Screenshot of two worksheets: Left-hand worksheet has Column1 and Column2 with a pattern of 4 rows containing information about a specific employee. Right-hand worksheet has separate columns for Employee, Employee Number, Start Date, and Salary, with each row containing the information for an individual employee.
November 11, 2025 at 5:56 PM
skillwave.training
Are you an experienced #PowerBI user thinking of taking the PL-300 PBI #DataAnalyst exam from Microsoft? Matt Allington has you covered with this on-demand video training. Understand the depth and breadth of the exam, and see where you need to spend more time preparing. Go to skw-t.com/pl300prep
Microsoft PL-300 Exam Prep Give yourself the best chance of passing the exam the first time! Topics covered include: - Gather & transform data - Model & optimize data - DAX formulas & functions - Data visualization - Publish & share reports - Prepare for the exam PL-300 Exam Preparation for Power BI (Headshot of Matt Allington) Developed & delivered by Matt Allington https://skw-t.com/pl300prep (Skillwave Training logo)
November 10, 2025 at 5:35 PM
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#BusinessIntelligence and #DataAnalytics are the driving force behind informed decision-making and sustainable growth for organizations of all sizes. Investing in your knowledge can be a game-changer for your career or business, and our #Excel and #PowerBI training can help. Go to skw-t.com/courses
November 5, 2025 at 5:46 PM
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#DAX can be intimidating, even for experienced users of #PowerBI and #Excel #PowerPivot. 😫 But our Supercharge Power BI training by expert Matt Allington will walk you through writing and understanding DAX measures, turning you data into actionable insights. 😀 Enroll today at skw-t.com/supercharge
Testimonial The content and structure was perfect for the way I learn. I've been using Power BI almost entirely self taught for the past few months and I can see many areas that I need to fix to become more efficient and with DAX now no longer being a scary language, I'm excited to update my original projects to put the learnings into practice. Matthew G. (5 stars) Supercharge Power BI Online (Caricature of Matt Allington) Developed and delivered by Microsoft MVP alumnus and best-selling author, Matt Allington (Skillwave Training logo) skillwave.training
November 4, 2025 at 6:03 PM
skillwave.training
A lively debate broke out in our latest Ask Ken Anything (AKA) when one of our attendees asked, “When should I use a timeline instead of a slicer to filter dates?”

Cue @excelguru.ca's favorite answer: “It depends.” 😄

#DataAnalysisTools #financialanalytics #BusinessIntelligence
Timelines vs Slicers: When ‘It Depends’ Actually Means Something Understanding the subtle differences between slicers and timelines can completely change how your audience explores a PivotTable: - Timelines force users to select contiguous date ranges - Slicers permit non-contiguous selections (Screenshot of a timeline with Jan-Feb-Mar selected vs a slicer with just Jan and Mar selected) (Skillwave Training logo)
November 3, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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Don't forget: daylight savings ends in North America on Sunday, November 2. ☀️ Luckily, our #PowerQuery recipe for converting a UTC DateTime to a Local DateTime is daylight savings aware. Get the full recipe collection at skw-t.com/pqrecipes

#Excel #PowerBI #DataAnalytics #DataAnalysisTools
(Skillwave Training logo) Image of a cyborg monkey leaping into the air, cheering with its fist raised. A thought bubble next to the monkey says: "Let’s see, it’s fall back, spring ahead... YES, an extra hour of sleep this weekend!" (Skillwave Training logo) Screenshot of the Power Query Recipe card 60.910.x, which outlines the steps to convert UTC DateTime to local DateTime NOTE: This recipe is Daylight Savings Time aware! If you do not want this volatility in your transformation, see Recipe 60.920.x to lock in a time zone.
October 31, 2025 at 4:20 PM
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Another happy student! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Elevate your #FinancialReporting game with our advanced #Excel #PowerPivot course by CPA and FCMA, @excelguru.ca. Learn how to correctly lay out chart of accounts, build P&L measures, and generate Balance Sheet measures using #DAX. Enroll today at skw-t.com/buildfs
Testimonial "The course was clear, complete, and very useful." Pascal I. (5 stars) Building Financial Statements in Excel with Power Pivot (Caricature of Ken Puls) Developed and delivered by Microsoft MVP and Chartered Professional Accountant, Ken Puls (Skillwave Training logo) https://skillwave.training
October 29, 2025 at 4:24 PM
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The latest edition of our newsletter has just gone out! 📧
If you'd like to stay up-to-date on what's new in #PowerBI, #Excel, and Monkey Tools, content from our experts, and info on specials, events, and courses, subscribe at skw-t.com/news
We'll also send your our free #PowerQuery eBook. 📗
News from the Data Monkey Brought to you by Excelguru and Skillwave (Image of a cyborg monkey in a superhero-style crouch) October 28, 2025 In this issue: • From the AKA Sessions • Latest Monkey Tools Updates • What's New in Power BI • Recent Meet-up Recording • Upcoming Courses and Conferences • Available Training Options
October 28, 2025 at 5:30 PM
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Ever wondered how to make a #PowerPivot-backed #PivotTable suppress rows full of zeros? Someone asked that exact question in our last AKA session, so @excelguru.ca demonstrated a simple #DAX pattern to suppress zeros dynamically so only meaningful values remain.
Zero Means Nothing... Literally! iEver wondered how to make a PowerPivot-backed PivotTable suppress rows full of zeros? In our last Ask Ken Anything session, Ken Puls wowed the group with a simple DAX pattern to suppress zeros dynamically so only meaningful values remain. Screenshot of DAX formula: =VAR vAmount = SUM( Sales[Amount] ) VAR vResult = IF( vAmount = 0, BLAND(), vAmount) RETURN vResult (Skillwave Training logo)
October 27, 2025 at 4:11 PM
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One of our newest AKA attendees joined this week with a familiar #Excel headache: “Every month I download new CSVs from our billing system – and every month I spend hours cleaning them up.” 😭
@excelguru.ca walked her through how #PowerQuery can automate every step, all in a single refreshable query.
Goodbye Manual Cleanup, Hello Power Query! (Image of a woman sitting at a desk with a big smile on her face, laptop open in front of her) (Skillwave Training logo)
October 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
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With an average rating of 4.92 ⭐ / 5, students LOVE Power Query Academy!
Want to focus on the #DataAnalysis you were actually hired for? Stop repetitive #DataCleansing and #DataPreparation, and start gaining more insights from your data. 📊🔍
Enroll today at skw-t.com/pqa
#Excel #PowerBI
(Skillwave Training logo) Review inside speech bubble: "Excellent sequence of information. Videos provide good examples." M.W. (5 stars) Power Query Academy Free eBooks with registration: - Master Your Data with Excel and Power BI - Power Query Recipes
October 21, 2025 at 4:16 PM
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Following up on the Monkey Shorts episode shared yesterday, here's our #PowerQuery Recipe card that outlines the steps to number your data by grouped rows. 👩🍳 You can get the full collection (over 90 handy recipes!) at skw-t.com/pqrecipes

#Excel #PowerBI #DataTransformation #DataPreparation
October 17, 2025 at 4:43 PM
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In an AKA session, we had a spontaneous question about budgeting and #FinancialForecasting techniques. That led us through several #Excel features including Goal Seek, Data tables and Excel’s built-in Forecast Sheet function, which resulted in a nice forecast sheet built against a #DataModel.
Dynamic Financial Forecasts In an ‘Ask Ken Anything’ session, Ken Puls and the attendees worked together to build a forecast sheet that is fully dynamic so that is would update upon a data model refresh, forecasting the next two years of sales! (Image of the forecast sheet showing sales from 2020-01-31 to 2021-11-30 and forecasted sales from 2022-01-31 to 2024-11-30) (Skillwave Training logo)
October 15, 2025 at 4:53 PM
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Hey newsletter subscribers, time to check your inbox as the latest edition has just been sent! 📬

Not subscribed? Sign up today at skw-t.com/news for what's new in #Excel and/or #PowerBI, the latest content from our experts, and info on courses, events, and specials. Plus, get our free eBook!
"News from the Data Monkey" Brought to you by Excelguru and Skillwave (Image of a cyborg monkey in a crouched superhero pose) October 14, 2025 In this issue: • From the AKA Sessions • What's New in Excel • Recent Meet-up Recording • Upcoming Courses and Conferences • Available Training Options Today is the first day of Excel Virtually Global, and there is a great line-up of speakers and topics over the next 3 days. Ken Puls is part of a panel discussion with good friend, Bill Jelen starting at 1800 UTC / 1100 PDT. There's still time to register, and most sessions will be recorded. Go to https://excelvirtuallyglobal.com for details, and then make a donation to the charity of your choice.
October 14, 2025 at 8:38 PM
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What would you do when faced with the following scenario? 🤔

“I have multiple Excel workbooks which include two worksheets (A and B) which are formatted differently. I need to import and combine these but am not sure how.”

A student wasn't sure, so they brought this to an Ask Ken Anything session.
October 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM
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We love hearing from happy students! 🤩
In the #Excel Fundamentals Academy, you’ll learn all the core skills needed by a #DataAnalyst, including #ExcelFormulasAndFunctions, #PivotTables, #DataVisualization, and #PowerQuery. Plus, @excelguru.ca is there for direct help. Register at skw-t.com/excelfun
Testimonial Great content overall, topped with some solid gold nuggets! I also love Ken's teaching style and rather dry sense of humour. Last but not least, I posted a question which was responded to in no time. Not only that, Ken went above and beyond to have it resolved. I was absolutely blown away by the level of service! Mark S. (5 stars) Excel Fundamentals Academy (Caricature of Ken Puls) Developed and delivered by Microsoft MVP and Chartered Professional Accountant, Ken Puls (Skillwave Training logo)
October 6, 2025 at 4:54 PM
skillwave.training
In our last Ask Ken Anything session, a student posed this question:
“I have to prepare a report quarterly, and every quarter the data I am receiving is sent to me in a different format. It takes me forever to clean it up and get it into the format for analysis… What can I do to make this easier?”
October 1, 2025 at 4:32 PM
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The inaugural edition of our new combined Skillwave Training and Excelguru newsletter, "News from the Data Monkey", has just been sent! 🐵📧
Learn more about our products, courses, and events, what's new in #PowerBI, recent meet-up recordings, and more. Not a subscriber? Sign up at skw-t.com/news
Screenshot of the "News from the Data Monkey" newsletter, September 2025 edition.
September 30, 2025 at 4:09 PM
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📣We've just launched a new product: the "Ask Ken Anything" subscription!
Join @excelguru.ca for his interactive coaching calls held twice each month. Get help with your questions on #Excel, #PowerQuery, #PowerBI, #DAX, #DataModelling, and more. Sign up today at skw-t.com/aka
Get help with all of your Business Intelligence questions & challenges from world-class expert Ken Puls (Image of a man sitting in front of a laptop with a cup of coffee next to him, wearing headphones and waving at the computer) (Inset image of Ken Puls in the top left corner) Direct coaching and support in Excel, Power BI, Power Query, DAX, Data Modelling, and more in our live, twice-monthly calls! Join Today! Ask Ken Anything Live Coaching Sessions (Skillwave Training logo) skillwave.training
September 29, 2025 at 10:38 PM
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Ready to elevate your #DataAnalytics and #BusinessIntelligence skills? 📊 Join today and unlock the full potential of #PowerBI, #PowerQuery, #PowerPivot, and #Excel. Our courses are designed by leading experts in the field—real professionals who’ve been in your shoes. View catalog: skw-t.com/courses
Power BI and Excel training created especially for data professionals (Image of a man by an office window working at a computer with a lamp beside him) (Skillwave Training logo)
September 26, 2025 at 4:31 PM