Updated: May 31, 2023 (January 10, 2021)

Excel Data Types Expand

Andrew analyzes and writes about Microsoft's data management, business intelligence, and machine learning solutions, as well as aspects of licensing... more

Microsoft continues to invest in Excel as a data analytics tool with expanded Data Types.
Power Query adds support for Excel Data Types that can help analysts reduce the complexity of spreadsheets.
New Power BI linked Data Types provide secure, controlled access to Power BI data to improve data governance.

Excel, a component of the Office suite that is commonly used for data analytics, has expanded its Data Type capabilities for both individual analysts and enterprises. Updates for individuals will appeal to data analysts who create complex queries and prefer to simplify the format of their data, potentially making it easier to share with others. Enterprise updates will interest customers using or planning to use Power BI’s data hosting features.

Excel Data Types Overview

Excel Data Types, introduced in 2018, allow worksheet cells to contain structured data like a row in a table, simplifying control of data and reducing the need to create multiple columns to hold each data element. (For more details, see the illustration “Excel Data Types Overview.”)

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