Merge data with excel

Every day, most analysts merge data in Excel and other spreadsheet programs to get better insights. Consolidating data in Excel is part of a bigger process called data preparation, but as the number of new data sources increases, if you want to merge data in excel spreadsheets, it is getting harder to do.

At Trifacta we are passionate about creating radical productivity for business analysts, so we became experts in data preparation. Even though we make software that replaces Excel in some cases, inside our company we still merge data in Excel just like you do, because sometimes it’s still the right tool for the right job. So, we know from firsthand experience when consolidating data in excel with a spreadsheet is a good idea, and how to do it well.

As it turns out,  the terms “Merge” and “Consolidate” in Excel, refer to two separate functions. Because of that, we created a short guide to understanding them both, as well as what to do when consolidating data in Excel is no longer an option.

How to Consolidate Data in Excel

For this example, let’s say you are given two sets of data about the amount of loans a group of members have borrowed per year, each in an independent Excel workbook. You want to understand the total amount of loans borrowed by each member, so you may naturally wonder how to combine data in Excel.

If both sets of numeric data are already formatted in a similar way, such as prices always formatted as $1.00, you can use the Excel consolidate feature (under the ‘Data’ dropdown menu).

Open each sheet you plan to use and confirm that the data types you want to consolidate in Excel match.

1. In a new empty worksheet, select ‘Consolidate.’
2. In the ‘Function’ box, select the function you want to use. In this example, we’re using “Sum” to add together the total loans borrowed per member. 
3. Under ‘Reference,’ select ‘Browse’ to identify the Excel workbooks you want to consolidate the data from. Add the source(s).
4. Important: Make sure the labels match. Then hit ‘OK,’ watch the data propagate, and begin reviewing or analyzing the new sheet.

How to Merge Data from Two Excel Worksheets

Traditionally, VLookup has been one of the most important tools for merging data in Excel, but the process requires multiple steps and can easily tire analysts who must merge multiple columns across many datasets. Instead, let’s take a look at how we can do this same process all within the Excel Power Query editor. 

In this example, we’re using two individual datasets, the first containing basic member information, such as income, education, phone number, etc., and the second containing member loan information, such as the loan amount, interest rate, loan status, etc. Each dataset also contains a member ID, which will allow us to join the data on that common field in order to compare all of this data side by side. Here’s how to proceed:

1. First, we’ll take a look at each dataset to roughly analyze their contents, and then open up a new worksheet for our merged dataset. 
2. Next, we’ll click on the “Data” tab of our new worksheet and select “From Text/CSV” because the files that we’re working with are csv files. You can also import Excel files by selecting “Get Data.” 
3. We’ll start by importing our file on basic member info, which will bring us into the Power Query editor. 
4. Next, we’ll bring in our other dataset by selecting “New Source” and “Text/CSV” and we’ll see the dataset on loan information added to the left-hand side. 
5. To merge these two datasets, we’re going to select “Merge Queries” and “Merge as New” so that we can have a separate space for our new dataset. 
6. We know that the common data field is “member ID” so we’re going to select that column for both datasets. 
7. Now, we’re going to delete some of the columns that we don’t need from our member information dataset. When we’re finished, we’re going to click on the icon next to “member_loans” to expand the dataset we just brought in. 
8. Here, we’re going to select the columns that we want from our member loans dataset. We don’t need to bring in member ID, as it’s already a column in our member info dataset. 
9. Once we’re finished selecting, we can rearrange these columns as it makes sense for our analysis. 
10. And finally, we’ll hit “Close and Load” to see the finished, merged dataset in our blank worksheet.

Merge Data In Excel with Designer Cloud

As the scale and complexity of your data sources grow, you might find merging data with Excel is harder to do. For large and varied data sets, Excel becomes too complicated, cumbersome and slow to use when you are trying to merge data in Excel. That’s where Designer Cloud comes in. Designer Cloud is specifically designed to make this preparation process easier and more intuitive.

For example, imagine being able to save the specific merge functions you use to merge data in Excel, customized to each unique data source,  and then reuse and share them with your colleagues effortlessly.

With Designer Cloud, data preparation is accessible, intuitive, and scalable across the organization. By providing a connected application for users to explore, structure, and produce dashboard-ready datasets, Designer Cloud helps users deliver faster, more accurate analysis.

Designer Cloud was designed from the ground up to help reduce data cleansing and data preparation time. At Alteryx, we live and breathe data in order to provide easy-to-use, intelligent, visual data analysis that improves data understanding for any project or organization. Sign up for Free Designer Cloud today.

A good database is always structured. It means different entities have different tables. Although, Excel is not a database tool but is often used to maintain small chunks of data.

Many times we get the need of merging tables in order too see a relationship and churn out some useful information.

In databases like SQL, Oracle, Microsoft Access, etc, it is easy to join tables using simple queries. But in excel we don’t have JOINs but we can still join tables in excel. We use Excel Functions to merge and join data tables. Perhaps it is a more customizable merge than SQL. Let’s see the techniques of merging excel tables.

Merge Data in Excel Using VLOOKUP Function

To merge data in excel, we should have at least one common factor/id in both tables, so that we can use it as a relation and merge those tables.
Consider these two tables below. How can we combine these data tables in Excel?

The Order Table has order details and the Customer table contains customer details. We need to prepare a table that tells which order belongs to which customer name, customer’s points, house number, and his joining date.

The common id in both tables is Cust.ID which can be used for merging tables in excel.

There are three methods of merging tables using VLOOKUP Function.

Retrieve Each Column With Column Index

In this method, we will use simple VLOOKUP to add these tables in one table. So to retrieve name write this formula.

[Customers is Sheet1!$I$3:$M$15.]

=VLOOKUP(B3,Customers,2,0)

To merge points in table, write this formula.

=VLOOKUP(B3,Customers,3,0)

To merge house no in table, write this formula.

=VLOOKUP(B3,Customers,4,0)

Here we merged two tables in excel, each column one by one in the table. This is useful when you have only few columns to merge. But when you have multiple columns to merge, this is can be a hectic task. So to merge multiple tables we have different approaches.

Merge Tables Using VLOOKUP and COLUMN Function.

When you want to retrieve multiple adjacent columns, use this formula.

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value,table_array,COLUMN()-n,0)

Here the COLUMN function just returns the column numbers in which the formula is being written.

n is any number which adjusts the column number in table array,

In our example, the formula for table merging will be:

=VLOOKUP($B3,Customers,COLUMN()-2,0)

Once you write this formula, you will not have to write the formula again for other columns. Just copy it in all other cells and columns.

How It Works

Ok! In the first column, we need a name, which is the second column in customer table.

Here the main factor is COLUMN()-2. The COLUMN function returns the column number of current cell. We are writing the formula in D3, hence we will get 4 from COLUMN(). Then we are subtracting 2 which makes 2. Hence finally our formula simplifies to =VLOOKUP($B3,Customers,2,0).

When we copy this formula in E columns we will get the formula as =VLOOKUP($B3,Customers,3,0). Which retrieves 3rd column from customer table.

Merge Tables Using VLOOKUP-MATCH Function
This one is my favorite way of merging tables in excel using the VLOOKUP function. In the above example, we retrieved column in serial. But what if we had to retrieve random columns. In that case above Techniques will be useless. The VLOOKUP-MATCH technique uses column headings to merge cells. This is also called VLOOKUP with Dynamic Col Index.

For our example here, the formula will be this.

=VLOOKUP($B3,Customers,MATCH(D$2,$J$2:$N$2,0),0)

Here, we are simply using MATCH function to get the appropriate column number. This called Dynamic VLOOKUP.

Using INDEX-MATCH to Table Merging in Excel
The INDEX-MATCH is very powerful lookup tool and many time it is referred as better VLOOKUP function. You can use this to for combining two or more tables. This will also allow you to merge columns from left of the table.

This was a quick tutorial about merging and joining tables in excel. We explored several ways of merging two or more tables in excels. Feel free to ask question about this article or any other query regarding excel 2019, 2016, 2013 or 2010 in the comments section below.

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With Power Query, working with data dispersed across worksheets or even workbooks has become easier.

One of the things where Power Query can save you a lot of time is when you have to merge tables with different sizes and columns based on a matching column.

Below is a video where I show exactly how to merge tables in Excel using Power Query.

In case you prefer reading the text over watching a video, below are the written instructions.

Suppose you have a table as shown below:

This table has the data I want to use, but it’s still missing two important columns – the ‘Product Id’ and the ‘Region’ where the sales rep operates.

This information is provided as separate tables as shown below:

To get all this information into a single table, you will have to merge these three tables so that you can then create a Pivot Table and analyze it, or use it for other reporting/dashboarding purposes.

And by merging, I don’t mean a simple copy paste.

You’ll have to map the relevant records from Table 1 with data from Table 2 and 3.

Now you can rely on VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH to do this.

Or if you’re a VBA whiz, you can write a code to do this.

But these options are time-consuming and complicated as compared with Power Query.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to merge these three Excel tables into one.

For this technique to work, you need to have connecting columns. For example, in Table 1 and Table 2, the common column is ‘Item’, and in Table 1 and Table 3, the common column is ‘Sales Rep’. Also, note that there should be no repetition in these connecting columns.

Note: Power Query can be used as an add-in in Excel 2010 and 2013, and is an inbuilt feature from Excel 2016 onwards. Based on your version, some images may look different (image captures used in this tutorial are from Excel 2016).

Merge Tables Using Power Query

I have named these tables as shown below:

1. Tabel 1 – Sales_Data
2. Table 2 – Pdt_Id
3. Table 3 – Region

It isn’t mandatory to rename these tables, but it’s better to give names that describe what the table is about.

At one go, you can merge only two tables in Power Query.

So we will first have to merge Table 1 and Table 2 and then merge Table 3 into it in the next step.

Merging Table 1 and Table 2

To merge tables, you first need to convert these tables into connections in Power Query. Once you have the connections, you can easily merge these.

Here are the steps to save an Excel table as a connection in Power Query:

1. Select any cell in Sales_Data table.
2. Click the Data tab.
3. In the Get & Transform group, click on ‘From Table/Range’. This will open the Query editor.
4. In the Query editor, click the ‘File’ tab.
5. Click on ‘Close and Load To’ option.
6. In the ‘Import Data’ dialog box, select ‘Only Create Connection’.
7. Click OK.

The above steps would create a connection with the name Sales_Data (or any name that you have given to the Excel Table).

Repeat the above steps for Table 2 and Table 3.

So when you’re done, you will have three connections (with the name Sales_Data, Pdt_Id, and Region).

Now let’s see how to merge the Sales_Data and Pdt_Id table.

1. Click on the Data tab.
2. In the Get & Transform Data group, click on Get Data.
3. In the drop-down, click on Combine Queries.
4. Click on Merge. This will open the Merge dialog box.
5. In the Merge dialog box, select ‘Sales_Data’ from the first drop down.
6. Select ‘Pdt_Id’ from the second drop down.
7. In ‘Sales_Data’ preview, click on the ‘Item’ column. Doing this will select the entire column.
8. In ‘Pdt_Id’ preview, click on the ‘Item’ column. Doing this will select the entire column.
9. In the ‘Join Kind’ drop-down, select ‘Left Outer (all from first, matching from second)’.
10. Click OK.

The above steps would open the Query editor and show you the data from the Sales_Data with one additional column (of Pdt_Id).

Merging the Excel Tables (Table 1 & 2)

Now the process of merging the tables will happen within the Query editor with the following steps:

1. In the additional column (Pdt_Id), click on the double pointed arrow in the header.
2. From the options box that opens, uncheck all the column names and only select Item. This is because we already have the product name column in the existing table, and we only want the product ID for each product.
3. Uncheck the option ‘Use original column name as prefix’.
4. Click Ok.

This would give you the resulting table that has every record from Sales_Data table and an additional column that has product ids as well (from the Pdt_Id table).

Now if you only want to combine two tables, you can load this Excel you’re done.

But we have three tables to merge, so there is more work to be done.

You need to save this resulting table as a connection (so that we can use it to merge it with Table 3).

Here are the steps to save this merged table (with data from Sales_Data and Pdt_Id table) as a connection:

1. Click the File tab
2. Click on ‘Close and Load to’ option.
3. In the ‘Import Data’ dialog box, select ‘Only Create Connection’.
4. Click OK.

This will save the newly merged data as a connection. You can rename this connection if you want.

Merging Table 3 with the Resulting Table

The process of merging the third table with the resultant table (that we got by merging Table 1 and Table 2) is exactly the same.

Here are the steps to merge these tables:

1. Click on the Data tab.
2. In the Get & Transform Data group, click on ‘Get Data’.
3. In the drop-down, click on ‘Combine Queries.
4. Click on ‘Merge’. This will open the Merge dialog box.
5. In the Merge dialog box, Select ‘Merge1’ from the first drop down.
6. Select ‘Region’ from the second drop down.
7. In ‘Merge1’ preview, click on the ‘Sales Rep’ column. Doing this will select the entire column.
8. In Region preview, click on the ‘Sales Rep’ column. Doing this will select the entire column.
9. In the ‘Join Kind’ drop-down, select Left Outer (all from first, matching from second).
10. Click OK.

The above steps would open the Query editor and show you the data from Merge1 with one additional column (Region).

Now the process of merging the tables will happen within the Query editor with the following steps:

1. In the additional column (Region), click on the double pointed arrow in the header.
2. From the options box that opens, uncheck all the column names and only select Region.
3. Uncheck the option ‘Use original column name as prefix’.
4. Click Ok.

The above steps would give you a table that has all the three tables merged (Sales_Data table with one column for Pdt_Id and one for Region).

Here are the steps to load this table in Excel:

1. Click the File tab.
2. Click on ‘Close and Load to’.
3. In the ‘Import Data’ dialog box, select Table and New Worksheets options.
4. Click OK.

This would give you the resulting merged table in a new worksheet.

One of the best things about Power Query is that you can easily accommodate any changes in the underlying data (Table 1, 2 and 3) by simply refreshing it.

For example, suppose Laura gets transferred to Asia and you get new data for the next month. Now you don’t have to repeat the above steps again. All you need to do is refresh the table and it will do everything it all over again for you.

Within seconds you’ll have the new merged table.

You May Also Like the Following Power Query Tutorials:

• Combine Data from Multiple Workbooks in Excel (using Power Query).
• Combine Data From Multiple Worksheets into a Single Worksheet in Excel.
• How to Unpivot Data in Excel using Power Query (aka Get & Transform)
• Get a List of File Names from Folders & Sub-folders (using Power Query)

In this blog, we would learn how to merge data in excel from two or more different tables using the Excel Power Query feature.

Difference Between Merge and Append Data in Excel

Merging Data and Appending Data are two different terms and are used for two different purposes. By merging tables in Excel, it means combining two or more excel tables and create one table based on unique records (key field). Whereas, by appending tables in excel, it means to put the table data from two or more excel tables one below the other. It is important to keep in mind that in order to append the tables in excel, the column headers in all the tables should be the same.

Sample Data for Merging Data in Excel

Suppose we have three tables, as shown in the image below:

The first table shows the region-wise number of units sold per material during the month of December 2020. The second one shows the respective material code against the material number. And the third table shows the sales officer’s name deployed in each of the five regions.

Now, we want to create one single table using these three tables. The new table should contain the following columns – Date, Material, Material Code, Region, Sales Officer, and Unit Sold.

Step by Step Guide To Merge Data in Excel

In order to merge data tables in excel, there are two main activities involved:

1. Firstly, to store the three tables as connections
2. Merge the connections to create a new table in excel

Let us deep dive into each of these and learn the technique of merging data tables in excel using poower query.

Get Table from Excel File and Store it As Connections

In order to use the get data from a table into the power query, it is must that the dataset table should be a proper excel table. To convert a normal tabular dataset into an excel table, simply select any of the cells within the dataset area, and use keyboard shortcut Ctrl + T. You can find more details about excel table format in this link.

Now, follow the below steps to create connections for tables in power query.

• Select any of the cells in the first table and navigate to the ‘Data’ tab > ‘Get & Transform Data’ group > ‘Get Data’ > ‘From Other Sources’ > ‘From Table/Range’ as shown below:

• As a result, a new window named ‘Power Query Editor’ will pop out on your screen showing the data records of the first table.

• In this window, simply go to Home Tab > Close & Load > Close & Load To as shown below:

• In the dialog box that appears, select the option – ‘Only Create Connections’ radio button and click OK, as shown in the image below:

• As a result, excel would create a connection for the selected table (the first table). You can check this connection in the ‘Queries and Connections’ pane on the right side of the excel work area.

In a similar way, perform all the above steps and create connections for the other two tables (one by one) as well. Finally, you would have three connections listed in the ‘Queries and Connections’ pane, as shown below:

If you are not able to see the ‘Queries and Connections’ pane (image above) in the excel or it is by mistake closed, then you can bring it back by navigating to ‘Data’ Tab > ‘Connections’ group > ‘Queries and Connections’

Merging Power Query Connections to Create One Table

Once we have stored the tables in the form of connections, now we are ready to merge these connections. Follow the undermentioned steps:

• In the ‘Queries and Connections’ pane, right-click on the ‘Units_Sold’ connection and select the option ‘Merge’.

• In the ‘Merge’ dialog box that appears, select the tables ‘Unit_Sold’ and ‘Mat_Code’, as shown below. You can select only two tables at a time for joining.

• The next step is to select the lookup unique columns. In our case, the lookup column is – ‘Material’. Click on the column headers ‘Material’ in both the tables. Finally, click on ‘OK’ as shown below:

• As a result, excels opens up the ‘Power Query Editor’ window. In this window, now you have the new column ‘Mat_Code’ added to the table. Simply, click on the two-side facing arrow on the column header. In the drop-down window that appears, uncheck the checkbox for ‘Material’ and click OK.

• Finally, you can see the material codes listed against respective materials.

• Now, load this table again, as a new connection by navigating to the ‘Home’ tab > ‘Close & Load’ > ‘Close & Load To’ > ‘Only Create Connection’ > OK. As a result, excel creates a new connection for it (as highlighted below).

Now, perform all the above steps to merge this new connection table ‘Merge1’ with the ‘Sales_Officer’ table. As a result of this, you would have a final table ready with you having the new column ‘Sales Officer’, as shown below:

Let us finally, load this table to excel. To do so, Home tab > Close & Load.

That’s it, excel would create a new worksheet with the final data table loaded to it. There are in total of 441 rows of data.

What is So Special About Power Query

The main reason why people choose to use the power query excel feature to import data to excel from other sources is that it is quite easy to use, and no complex coding knowledge is required.

However, apart from its user-friendly interface, the best part of the power query is that the connections stored here at reusable ones.

This means that in an event of any change in the source data table, the power query can incorporate those changes to the table at a click of a mouse.

Let me give you one example to support this. Suppose, I delete a few of the records from the first table – ‘Units_Sold’. Now, I want this change in the source table to get incorporated into the final merged table.

To do so, simply go to the final merged table, right click on any of the cell and select the option ‘Refresh‘.

As a result, excel would perform all the steps one by one and get the latest data.

With this we have completed with this blog on how to merge data in excel from two or more different tables.