Ken Puls, FCPA, MS MVP
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excelguru.ca
Ken Puls, FCPA, MS MVP
@excelguru.ca
340 followers 64 following 650 posts
I teach people how to use Excel (https://skillwave.training), host an Excel website (https://excelguru.ca), build software (https://monkeytools.ca) and enjoy watching football (aka soccer).
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Ken Puls, FCPA, MS MVP @excelguru.ca · 6d
Dec 14 is International Monkey Day! 🐵
To celebrate, we're offering discounts on our Monkey Tools #Excel add-in. From Dec 14-20, 2025, simply go to monkeytools.ca and use the following codes at checkout:
🔵 20% off Annual Licenses = MDANNUAL20
🟢 15% off Lifetime Licenses = MDLIFETIME15

#DataModeling
December 14 is International Monkey Day! Save all week on our Monkey Tools Excel Add-in! - Annual Licenses: 20% off with code MDANNUAL20 - Lifetime Licenses: 15% off with code MDLIFETIME15 (Image of a monkey looking looking straight at the camera with its mouth open, creating an amazed looking expression) An Excel add-in by Excelguru Valid December 14-20, 2025 monkeytools.ca
excelguru.ca
It's the last day to save on our Monkey Tools #Excel add-in! ⏰ Don't miss out, go to monkeytools.ca and apply these these codes at checkout:
🔵 20% off Annual Licenses = MDANNUAL20
🟢 15% off Lifetime Licenses = MDLIFETIME15

#BusinessIntelligenceTools #DataAnalysis #DataModel #PowerBI
December 20, 2025 at 6:55 AM
excelguru.ca
In this Monkey Shorts video 🐵🩳, I'll show you how #PowerQuery's 'Column Profiling' tools work, and how I set my defaults for every day use: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtOw...

#Excel #PowerBI #DataAnalyticsTools #DataPreparation #DataAnalysis #BusinessIntelligence
Column Profiling in Power Query - Monkey Shorts Episode 005
In this episode, Ken shows how Power Query's 'Column Profiling' tools work, and how he sets his defaults for every day use.
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:30 PM
excelguru.ca
In this video, I demonstrate how to build a dynamic forecast sheet in #Excel that connects directly to a #PowerPivot #DataModel. 📉
This tutorial provides a practical, step-by-step approach to building an advanced, interactive forecasting solution: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1fz...

#FinancialModeling
Forecasting - Dynamically from Data Model
YouTube video by Skillwave Training
www.youtube.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:18 PM
excelguru.ca
Even though International Monkey Day was on December 14, we're celebrating all week long! 🐵
Until December 20, 2025, save on our Monkey Tools #Excel add-in by using these codes at checkout:
🔵 20% off Annual Licenses = MDANNUAL20
🟢 15% off Lifetime Licenses = MDLIFETIME15
Go to monkeytools.ca today!
December 14 is International Monkey Day! Save all week on our Monkey Tools Excel Add-in! - Annual Licenses: 20% off with code MDANNUAL20 - Lifetime Licenses: 15% off with code MDLIFETIME15 (Picture of a monkey facing straight at the camera with its mouth open in a surprised-looking expression) An Excel add-in by Excelguru Valid December 14-20, 202 monkeytools.ca
December 17, 2025 at 5:40 PM
excelguru.ca
The new edition of our newsletter is out! 📧
Want to get the latest content from our experts, what’s new in #Excel and #PowerBI, info on courses, events, promos, and more? Subscribe today at xlguru.ca/newsletter. Plus, we'll also send you our free 'DIY BI' eBook series! 📚
News from the Data Monkey Brought to you by Excelguru and Skillwave (Image of a cyborg monkey in a superhero-style crouch) December 16, 2025 In This Issue: - Catch PivotTable & Workbook Errors Video - From the AKA Sessions - What's New in Excel - Recent Meet-up Recording - Upcoming Courses and Conferences - Available Training Options Our team has had a busy month wrapping up our annual Cyber Week sale, hosting our final Vancouver Power BI and Modern Excel meet-up of the year, and welcoming the latest batch of registrants to the Self Service BI and Excel Fundamentals Academies. Ken also led several training sessions, both online and in-person, including with business and finance students at Vancouver Island University where he was stoked to share his love of all things Excel with the next generation of professionals!
December 16, 2025 at 6:44 PM
excelguru.ca
If you’ve ever added a column to your #PowerQuery-generated table to keep notes, flags, or status codes, you know the pain: as soon as new records arrive or sorting changes, your notes stay in the old row positions – now attached to the wrong records. 😬
A student asked about this in our AKA call. 🧵
Keeping Notes Attached to the Right Rows in Power Query Problem: You’ve added a “Notes” column to your Power Query-generated table, but when new records are added or sorting changes, the notes don’t stay with their records. Solution: Create a “History” query and merge the Notes column data into the original query! (Screenshot of two tables of data. The first shows rows of data with an entry in the Notes column for 2025-02-28 row highlighted. The second shows an additional row with the data from the Notes column now in the 2025-01-31 row, with an arrow pointing to the incorrectly positioned Note. Text says: “Oh no! Our Feb 28 note moved to Jan 31!”) (Skillwave Training logo)
December 16, 2025 at 5:12 PM
excelguru.ca
Nothing better than hearing from happy students! ❤️
skillwave.training Skillwave Training @skillwave.training · 8d
Woo hoo, another 5⭐️ review for @excelguru.ca's #SelfServiceBI Academy!

This premium, self-paced training is crafted for business professionals who demand excellence in #DataAnalytics using #Excel and #PowerBI. Get started today at skw-t.com/ssbi
Revolutionize your company’s reporting game forever! "The Self Service BI Academy is highly structured and straight to the point. Every lesson is practical, clear, and immediately useful—perfect for busy professionals. Honestly, if this course had existed ten years ago, it would have saved me a huge amount of time and effort. It’s exactly the kind of BI training I wish I had at the start of my Self Service BI journey." R.R. (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)
December 16, 2025 at 1:30 AM
excelguru.ca
While functions in #Excel and #PowerQuery are often quite similar, there are some key differences. The most important thing to remember is that all functions in Power Query, whether text, logic or anything else, are case sensitive - “if” is not the same as “IF”.

#DataAnalytics #DataPreparation
The IF Function in Power Query
Today we’re going to look at another compare/contrast scenario between Excel and Power Query, but this time it’s going to be the IF function in Power Query
excelguru.ca
December 15, 2025 at 5:36 PM
excelguru.ca
Dec 14 is International Monkey Day! 🐵
To celebrate, we're offering discounts on our Monkey Tools #Excel add-in. From Dec 14-20, 2025, simply go to monkeytools.ca and use the following codes at checkout:
🔵 20% off Annual Licenses = MDANNUAL20
🟢 15% off Lifetime Licenses = MDLIFETIME15

#DataModeling
December 14 is International Monkey Day! Save all week on our Monkey Tools Excel Add-in! - Annual Licenses: 20% off with code MDANNUAL20 - Lifetime Licenses: 15% off with code MDLIFETIME15 (Image of a monkey looking looking straight at the camera with its mouth open, creating an amazed looking expression) An Excel add-in by Excelguru Valid December 14-20, 2025 monkeytools.ca
December 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
excelguru.ca
When importing data in #Excel or #PowerBI via #PowerQuery, it's good to set the column data types. But with wide tables, it can take a lot of time as you have to wait for PQ to catch up after setting each column. 😭
Here's a tip to quickly set ALL data types:
Quick tip for setting Data Types in Power Query - Monkey Shorts Episode 004
When importing data via Power Query, it is a good idea to set the data types of your columns. The challenge is that - in wide tables - doing this for each column can take a lot of time as you set…
www.youtube.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:20 PM
excelguru.ca
In this step-by-step demo, I highlight how Auto Refresh brings standard #PivotTables up to par with a Power Pivot #DataModel and the importance of #PowerQuery in managing data refreshes, plus give insights on SPILL errors: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCKI...

#Excel #DataAnalytics #BusinessIntelligence
Pivot Consistency
YouTube video by Skillwave Training
www.youtube.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:45 PM
excelguru.ca
In one of my AKA sessions, an attendee asked why a #PowerBI report kept losing its table column headers whenever they scrolled down the table. Even the slicer vanished off-screen! 😠
The culprit? The canvas size had been set to a massive custom size – 1080 pixels tall by 6000 pixels wide. 🧵
The Case of the Disappearing Headers A student asked why a Power BI report kept losing its table header columns when they scrolled down the table. The culprit? A massively set custom canvas size, so scrolling inside a visual turned into scrolling the entire oversized canvas! (Screenshot of the report's canvas settings showing custom settings of 1080px high by 6000px wide, with a note saying, "This must have been a deliberate choice... but maybe not the best one!) (Skillwave Training logo)
December 11, 2025 at 5:04 PM
excelguru.ca
I love hearing from happy Monkey Tools users! 🥰

The philosophy of Monkey Tools is build better, faster. Our add-in is targeted at the #DataModeler and #DataAnalyst who works primarily in #Excel, but is also for those who push their models into #PowerBI.
👉Get a FREE 2-week pro trial: monkeytools.ca
Monkey Tools Build better data models, faster Developed by Excelguru (Image of a cyborg monkey with its fist up for a fist bump) What do people think of Monkey Tools? "I love using Monkey Tools and am very excited to take the Using Monkey Tools course to learn all that it can do, because it is a really awesome product! 10 out of 10, would highly recommend the product and course!" ~ Eric H. Try it for FREE with our 2-week Pro Trial! Go to: monkeytools.ca
December 10, 2025 at 5:34 PM
excelguru.ca
I'm really excited to be leading an in-person session today for CPABC in Vancouver! It's about how using #PowerBI for rapidly building and sharing dashboards and reports.

🤔Ever been in a situation like the first image? PBI allows the #DataAnalyst to prototype the report without wasting IT's time!
The Organizational Divide Org chart with President at the top Below the President are: 1. CFO -> Analyst 2. CEO 3. CTO -> IT Pro CFO says: "Analyst! I’m feeling the need for a crazy complicated report of questionable value. Build it please!" Analyst says to CFO: "Err… let me see what I can do, Boss…" but is thinking "Why would you ever even need that? Do we even have that data?" Analyst says to IT Pro: "Hey IT? Could you help me with some data for a crazy report for my boss?" IT Pro replies: "Not a chance. That’s the most ridiculous request I’ve ever heard. Write me a formal spec and I’ll get to it in 8 months… if you’re lucky." From Data to Dashboards The Power BI philosophy - Let the analyst connect to and clean the data - Let the analyst design the reports - Let IT control the security and distribution (Image of a cloud containing icons representing various data sources, with and arrow pointing from the cloud to a square containing icons for various chart types) Let the analyst prototype quickly and discover what sticks, without wasting IT’s resources!
December 9, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by Ken Puls, FCPA, MS MVP
unpivotshow.bsky.social
🚩Red Flags in a file- and a Chris (tmas) Angyal

youtu.be/NqIs6Xhu_uo

#Unpivot #Excel #PowerBI
December 6, 2025 at 11:40 PM
excelguru.ca
If you weren't able to attend last week's Vancouver #PowerBI and Modern #Excel meet-up, the recording is now available here: youtu.be/wqnrqD5-CWs

If you work as an Excel consultant and deal with client requests and tweaks, you'll want to check out Marco Filocamo's presentation. 😉
In the Excel of Madness: Surviving Client Requests
As an Excel consultant, have you ever felt lost between a client’s ever-changing requests and the endless possibilities of Excel? Welcome to In the Excel of Madness, a session for those who live on…
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 5:12 PM
excelguru.ca
Today, I'm leading another session for Chartered Professional Accountants of BC on creating vibrant dashboards in #Excel.

But what exactly is a dashboard? 🤷♂️
It's a quick visual summary to display key information. Its purpose isn't to provide solutions, but to expose problems.

#DataVisualization
Data Visualization Overview Goals of data visualization: - Turn Data into Information - Let Users Spot Key Info Quickly - Increase User Engagement Method: - Illustrate your story Caveat: - Always review your completed work! Dashboarding What is a dashboard? - Visual summary - Collection of key information in one place - Should show your most important stats - Often (but not always) includes a variety of charts Overall intent - Quick consumption of Key indicators Dashboarding Tools - Conditional Formatting - Cell Based Visualizations - Custom Number Formats - Charts - Interactivity Tools
December 5, 2025 at 9:55 PM
excelguru.ca
In this episode of Monkey Shorts, I'll show you how you can set different layouts for each column of your #PivotTable: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ewp...

#DataAnalysisTools #BusinessIntelligence #Excel
Granular PivotTable Layouts - Monkey Shorts Episode 003
In this episode of Monkey Shorts, Ken will show you how you can set different layouts for each column of your PivotTable.
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:18 PM
excelguru.ca
It's the last day of our Cyber Week deals!

🐒Monkey Tools: mkyt.ca/cyber2025
- Save 20% on Annual Licenses with code MONKEYANNUAL20
- Save 15% on Lifetime Licenses with code MONKEYLIFE15

💻 @Skillwave.Training: skw-t.com/cw25
- Save 25% on all courses and eBooks with code 2025CYBER
December 5, 2025 at 4:05 PM
excelguru.ca
Tired of boring data presentations? Join our #DataVisualization course at @skillwave.training, and master the art of visual storytelling. Learn to create captivating graphs and charts in #Excel and #PowerBI to communicate more effectively!

Enroll with code 2025CYBER to save 25%: skw-t.com/cw25-dv
December 4, 2025 at 9:47 PM
excelguru.ca
An hour to go until today's Vancouver #PowerBI and Modern #Excel meet-up. Marco Filocamo will be presenting "Excel of Madness" - a session for those who live on the edge of formulas, consulting deadlines, and last-minute “small tweaks” from clients. 😱
👉 Sign up here:
In the Excel of Madness: Surviving Client Requests | Marco Filocamo, Thu, Dec 4, 2025, 9:00 AM | Meetup
***\*\*NOTE: This will be our last event of 2025, but we'll be back in January 2026!*** **SESSION TRACK:** Excel **SESSION OUTLINE:** As an Excel consultant, have you eve
www.meetup.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:59 PM
excelguru.ca
🔑 #DimensionalModeling is the key to unlocking the power of #DataAnalytics in #Excel and #PowerBI. Learn to design and optimize your #BusinessIntelligence models to make them more stable and scalable with our course at @skillwave.training. 🖥️
Sign up with code 2025CYBER to save 25%: skw-t.com/cw25-dm
December 3, 2025 at 8:57 PM
excelguru.ca
There's still time to save on a Monkey Tools license: mkyt.ca/cyber2025
- 20% off Annual Licenses with code MONKEYANNUAL20
- 15% off Lifetime Licenses with code MONKEYLIFE15

Our Monkey Tools #Excel add-in will help you build better data models more quickly and using #DataModelling best practices.
Image alt text: (Excelguru logo) Cyber Week Deals Monkey Tools Build better data models, faster - Save 20% on annual licenses: MONKEYANNUAL20 - Save 15% on lifetime licenses: MONKEYLIFE15 (Image of a cyborg monkey in a superhero-type squat) monkeytools.ca Both codes valid November 24 - December 5, 2025
December 3, 2025 at 5:06 PM
excelguru.ca
Become an #Excel guru with my Excel Fundamentals Academy at @skillwave.training! 🌟 From basic formulas to automated #DataCleaning to advanced #DataAnalytics, we've got you covered. Take the plunge into the world of #ExcelMastery! 💪
Join us today and save 25% by using code: skw-t.com/cw25-xlf
December 2, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Reposted by Ken Puls, FCPA, MS MVP
curtisfrye.com
For the morning UK and Europe crew: Working efficiently means creating reusable assets. In Microsoft Excel, worksheet frameworks such as monthly summaries or invoices can be saved as template files that you open with a single click. In this movie, I'll show you how to create them!
Create and use an Excel template
If you find yourself creating the same type of worksheet frequently, you can save a base file as an Excel template to provide a structure you can modify later. In this movie I’ll show you how to save…
youtu.be
December 2, 2025 at 7:45 AM