Simplifying Power Query: Automating Excel Reporting for CPAs & Finance Teams

Date: May 20, 2026

Time: 1:00 PM ET | 12:00 PM CT | 10:00 AM PT

Speaker: Mike Thomas

Webinar Overview

Modern accounting and finance teams spend countless hours collecting, cleaning, reconciling, and formatting data manually in Microsoft Excel. As reporting demands continue to grow, professionals are looking for smarter ways to automate repetitive processes without investing in expensive BI platforms or advanced coding tools.

This webinar is designed to help CPAs, finance professionals, and accounting teams understand how Power Query can transform Excel into a practical Business Intelligence (BI) solution. Attendees will learn how to automate data preparation, combine multiple data sources, improve reporting accuracy, and streamline recurring reporting workflows using simple, no-code techniques.

Through practical demonstrations and real-world accounting scenarios, participants will discover how Power Query can reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and significantly improve reporting efficiency.

Why Attend

By attending this webinar, participants will learn how to:

  • Reduce manual Excel work and repetitive reporting tasks
  • Import and clean data automatically from multiple sources
  • Combine spreadsheets and datasets quickly and accurately
  • Create repeatable workflows for monthly and quarterly reporting
  • Improve data consistency and reporting reliability
  • Save time during reconciliations and financial close processes
  • Build scalable Excel reporting processes without coding
  • Use Excel more effectively as a lightweight BI solution

Key Takeaways

At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

  • Use Power Query confidently within Excel
  • Automate recurring reporting workflows
  • Consolidate and clean large datasets efficiently
  • Improve reporting speed and accuracy
  • Reduce dependency on manual spreadsheet processes
  • Enhance financial reporting capabilities using existing Excel tools

Discover how accounting and finance professionals can use Power Query to automate reporting, streamline data preparation, and transform Excel into a practical BI tool. Learn real-world techniques to reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and create scalable reporting workflows without coding.

SPEAKER

My name is Mike Thomas. I live in Manchester, UK and I work in and have a passion for tech. I have 30+ years experience of working in IT Training, designing and delivering training to businesses and individuals. My areas of focus include Microsoft Office and Power BI. I also have a wealth of experience with Apple Mac and iOS.

In addition to training, I design and develop MS Office based automated solution (using VBA – the automation/programming language built into all the Office apps)

In January 2024 I became a Microsoft MVP in Excel. The MVP program is a Microsoft-run initiative which it stands for Most Valuable Professional. It’s purpose is to recognize exceptional community leaders for their technical expertise, leadership, speaking experience, online influence, and commitment to solving real world problems.