What people complain about in Power Query

Capabilities people described needing that Power Query does not give them, taken from the highest-scoring problems first. These are individual accounts written in each person’s own terms, so two entries may describe the same underlying gap in different words.

• A tool that automatically inserts the correct number of rows above a specified section without manual calculations
• A macro or add-in that safely pastes new data into the correct location without overwriting existing data
• An automated tool that can join JDE tables and provide component-level variance analysis directly
• A report that compares calculated variances with GL postings without manual Excel work
• Automated reconciliation aggregation tool that consolidates multiple accounts into a single workflow
• Efficient compilation and export of reconciliation packages with integrated documents
• Centralized retention system with permanent storage and easy retrievability
• Automated invoice and PDF data extraction tool that integrates with accounting software
• AI-driven data cleaning tool that learns from user corrections and applies them automatically to future files
• Tool that can handle multiple supplier formats without manual reconfiguration
• AI-powered reconciliation tool that handles fuzzy matching, date discrepancies, and one-to-many splits
• Automated detection of bank fees and partial matches with confidence scores
• Internal automation knowledge management system
• Tool for tracking and quantifying process improvement initiatives
• Platform for pitching and gaining approval for internal tools

The manual processes people built around the gap. A long workaround list is the strongest evidence a problem is real: someone is already paying for it in time. Where several people described the same workaround, it is marked.

• Counts new rows using formula, then manually calculates row range to insert
• Uses Ctrl+Shift++ to insert rows after pasting a calculated range reference
• Manually copies and pastes filtered new data from another sheet
• Downloads several JDE tables into Excel and uses Power Query to link them together
• Creates pivot tables to sort out component-level variances by work order
• Uses individual Excel sheets for each account
• Manually converts Excel sheets to PDF and combines with trial balance and support docs
• Stores reconciliations in SharePoint for retention
• pulls numbers from invoices and PDFs manually
• uses Excel automation and Power Query
• uses Power Query but requires setup every time format changes
• uses DataClean tool to upload and describe fixes
• hires VA for bigger jobs
• Uses XLOOKUP or exact match in Excel
• Works through exceptions manually
• Uses Power Query, fuzzy matching, Python/SQL, or AI tools
• built a pilot workbook for own clients
• sent results to manager via Teams message
• explained at year-end performance meeting

The problems themselves

Highest opportunity score first.

• An accountant is struggling to insert new data rows above a reconciliation block in Excel without overwriting the reconciliation or misplacing the pasted data using macros.

  3Medium
  Accounting & Bookkeeping·Spreadsheet Management·RowShift Pro

• Cost accountants in manufacturing using JDE E1 cannot easily verify variance at the component level for hundreds of work orders daily, because the standard Proof reports only provide aggregate numbers in the GL posting.

  4High
  Manufacturing·Cost Management·Variance Insight Pro

• Accountant is manually reconciling numerous asset and liability accounts using individual Excel sheets per account, then PDFing and compiling with trial balances and support documents, which is inefficient and not scalable for daily/monthly reconciliations with permanent retention needs.

  4High
  Accounting & Bookkeeping·Reconciliation & Cleanup Workflow·ReconSync Pro

• Accounting professionals waste hours manually extracting data from invoices and PDFs instead of using automated tools.

  3Medium
  Accounting & Bookkeeping·Data Management·Invoicelytics Pro

• Cleaning inconsistent supplier product and pricing data is too time-consuming and manual.

  3Medium
  General Business Services·Data Management·SupplierSync Cleaner

• Accountants and bookkeepers struggle to reconcile transactions from two systems when there is no common transaction ID, leading to manual effort and errors.

  3Medium
  Accounting & Bookkeeping·Reconciliation & Cleanup Workflow·ReconMatch Pro

• A public accounting professional built a Power Query automation that saves 60% of time on repetitive client data transformation, but management shows no interest in adopting or scaling it.

  3Medium
  Accounting & Bookkeeping·Workflow Management·ProcessPilot