Which Three Actions Can You Perform in the Power Query Editor?

Quick Answer

The Power Query Editor exists specifically to reshape and clean data before it's loaded into a report, and the actions it supports reflect that purpose: removing columns lets you strip out fields that aren't needed for analysis, keeping the dataset focused and lighter to work with, while changing a column's data type, say converting a text field to a proper number, ensures values are stored in a form that Power BI can actually calculate, sort, and aggregate correctly. Both of these are classic transformation steps because they change the shape or type of the data itself rather than how it's displayed, which is the core distinction that defines Power Query's job: it operates upstream of the report canvas, on the data, whereas visuals, formatting, and layout choices happen downstream in the report view itself. When you see a question asking what can be done in the Power Query Editor, favor answers that describe transforming, cleaning, or reshaping the underlying data, such as removing or renaming columns, changing types, filtering rows, or merging queries, and rule out anything that describes visual formatting or report design, since those belong to a completely different stage of the Power BI workflow.