Removing duplicate rows from your data using Power Query in Excel is a straightforward process that ensures your dataset remains clean and accurate. Here’s how you can remove duplicate rows step-by-step:

Steps to Remove Duplicate Rows in Power Query

1. Open Power Query Editor:
- Launch Excel and load your dataset.
- Go to the `Data` tab and click on `Get & Transform Data` > `From Table/Range` to open the Power Query Editor.

2. Identify Duplicate Rows:
- In the Power Query Editor, select the column(s) that you want to check for duplicates. You can select multiple columns if needed.

3. Remove Duplicate Rows:

- Click on the `Home` tab in the Power Query Editor.
- Locate and click on `Remove Rows` in the `Home` tab.

- Choose `Remove Duplicates`. This will open a dialog box listing all columns from your dataset.

4. Select Columns:
- In the `Remove Duplicates` dialog box, select the checkboxes next to the columns where you want to identify and remove duplicates.
- Power Query will consider rows duplicates if all selected columns have identical values.

5. Apply Changes:
- After selecting the columns, click `OK`.
- Power Query will instantly remove duplicate rows based on the selected columns and display the cleaned data in the editor.

6. Review and Load:
- Review the data in the Power Query Editor to ensure that duplicate rows have been removed as expected.
- Click `Close & Load` to apply the changes and load the cleaned data into Excel.

Example: Removing Duplicate Rows

Suppose you have a dataset `SalesData` with columns `OrderID`, `CustomerID`, `Product`, `Quantity`, and `Revenue`. To remove duplicate rows based on the `OrderID` column:

1. Open Power Query Editor:
- Select the dataset `SalesData` in Excel.
- Go to `Data` > `Get & Transform Data` > `From Table/Range` to open the Power Query Editor.

2. Remove Duplicates:
- In the Power Query Editor, click on the `OrderID` column header to select it.
- Go to `Home` > `Remove Rows` > `Remove Duplicates`.

3. Apply Changes:
- Confirm that `OrderID` is selected in the dialog box that appears.
- Click `OK` to remove duplicate rows based on the `OrderID` column.

4. Load Data:
- Review the cleaned dataset in the Power Query Editor.
- Click `Close & Load` to load the cleaned data into Excel.

Advanced Tips:

- Multiple Columns: You can select multiple columns in the `Remove Duplicates` dialog box to identify duplicates based on multiple criteria.
- Preserve First or Last Occurrence: Power Query defaults to keeping the first occurrence of each duplicated row. If you need to preserve the last occurrence, sort your data accordingly before removing duplicates.
- Customize Duplicates Removal: Use the `Advanced Editor` under the `Home` tab to modify the M code for more complex deduplication scenarios.

By following these steps, you can effectively remove duplicate rows from your dataset using Power Query in Excel, ensuring data cleanliness and accuracy for further analysis and reporting tasks.