Power Query vs Analistable for combining files
By the Analistable team · Updated · 2 min read
Choose Power Query when the same Excel report is rebuilt every week from files in a folder: build the query once and Refresh. Choose Analistable for one-off combines without setup, for mixing Excel files with Google Sheets, and for asking questions of the combined data in plain language. Both keep your data on your own machine.
Part of our guide: How to merge Excel files: every method compared
Side by side
| Power Query (Excel / Power BI) | Analistable | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Build a query (minutes to hours) | Drop files or connect sheets |
| Repeatable | Yes — Refresh | Re-drop files or reconnect sheets |
| Stack files | Yes (From Folder, Append) | Yes |
| Join tables | Yes (Merge Queries, 6 join kinds) | Yes, on a column you confirm |
| Google Sheets as a source | Not built in to Excel | Yes |
| Ask questions in plain language | No | Yes (generates read-only SQL) |
| Where it runs | Excel / Power BI on your computer | Your browser (DuckDB-WASM) |
| Data uploaded to a server | No | No |
| Cost | Included with Excel | Free tools; account needed for AI questions |
Power Query is better when…
- The same files arrive every period and the output feeds a fixed Excel report.
- You need detailed transformations — unpivoting, custom columns, parameters.
- Your organisation standardises on Excel and Power BI.
Start with combining files from a folder.
Analistable is better when…
- You need the combined data now and won't repeat the job.
- Some data is in Google Sheets and some in Excel or CSV files.
- The goal is an answer (“top 10 customers by growth across both sources”), not a merged file.
- Colleagues without Power Query skills need to combine data themselves.
Try the free Excel combiner or the Sheets & Excel combiner.
Many teams use both: Power Query for the monthly report, Analistable for the ad-hoc questions in between.
The same task in each
Task: stack twelve monthly sales files and find the top five products by revenue.
| Step | Power Query | Analistable |
|---|---|---|
| Get the files in | Data → Get Data → From Folder → Combine | Drop the files or connect the sheets |
| Fix types and headers | Edit Transform Sample File | Columns matched by header automatically |
| Answer the question | Load to a pivot, sort by revenue, filter top 5 | Ask “top 5 products by revenue” |
| Next month | Add the file, Refresh All | Add the file and ask again |
Power Query takes longer the first time and is faster every month after that. Analistable is faster for the first answer and for questions you didn't plan for.
Privacy in both
Power Query reads files from your disk or your organisation's SharePoint and processes them in Excel on your computer. Analistable reads files in your browser tab using an in-memory database, and never stores spreadsheet contents on its servers — only the model settings, such as which sheets are linked. See our privacy policy for details.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Analistable a replacement for Power Query?
- For ad-hoc combining and questions, often yes. For scheduled, heavily transformed Excel reports, Power Query remains the better fit.
- Does Analistable upload my files?
- No. Files are processed in your browser; only model settings are stored.
- Can Power Query read Google Sheets?
- Not directly in Excel. You can publish a sheet as CSV or export it first; Power BI has a Google Sheets connector.