Excel Formats as source

[powerbiexpert22]

Which Excel formats (table or pivot) is easier for Power BI to read when using Excel as the source?

[shashiPaul1570_]

Hi @powerbiexpert22 ,

Thank you for sharing this problem statement. 

When using Excel as a source in Power BI, the most reliable option is to use Excel Tables (Insert → Table).

• Tables are structured, expandable, and refresh-friendly. Power BI detects them automatically and handles updates seamlessly.

• PivotTables are aggregated views, which can break refreshes and limit flexibility since the raw data is no longer available.

Keep raw transactional data in Table format for Power BI, and if you still need PivotTables, create them separately in Excel—but don’t use them as a source.

If you find this helpful, please give a kudos 👍 and mark it as solution ✅ so it can help others too.

Best Regards
Shashi Paul 

[jaineshp]

Hey @powerbiexpert22,

Excel Tables are much better than Pivot Tables for Power BI - they refresh cleanly and automatically detect data types, while pivot tables create static snapshots that cause refresh issues.

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Best Regards,
Jainesh Poojara | Power BI Developer