Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Join us for an expert-led overview of the tools and concepts you'll need to become a Certified Power BI Data Analyst and pass exam PL-300. Register now.

Reply
Teige_Gao
Frequent Visitor

Power Query and Azure Data Factory

Hi all, 

 

What's the benefit to use Power Query? Can we use Azure Data Factory to replace Power Query?

By the way, we are using Azure Data lake.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
dax
Community Support
Community Support

Hi @Teige_Gao , 

I think this is decided by the your working environment, you could refer to below description : " in short, the main consideration for that decision is who the user is. Power BI dataflows were primarily built as a tool for analysts and business users. It bridges the gap between business and IT, and lets business users create solutions without having to wait for IT. These users will rarely work directly in Azure Data Factory.

On the other hand, if you are already using Azure Data Factory, you most likely have a title like Data Engineer, ETL Developer, Data Integrator, Business Intelligence Consultant, or something similar. You may also use Power BI in your job, but you are not primarily a business user. If you need to collaborate with analysts and business users, or enable them to do their job more efficiently, then Power BI dataflows might be the right choice. But for enterprise-scale ETL and data integration solutions, Azure Data Factory is most likely the right choice. It now just comes with even more features to help you build the best solution for your use case." You could refer to comparing-mapping-wrangling-data-flows-azure-data-factory  for details.

By the way, currently not all Power Query M functions are supported for data wrangling despite being available during authoring.

Best Regards,
Zoe Zhi

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

View solution in original post

1 REPLY 1
dax
Community Support
Community Support

Hi @Teige_Gao , 

I think this is decided by the your working environment, you could refer to below description : " in short, the main consideration for that decision is who the user is. Power BI dataflows were primarily built as a tool for analysts and business users. It bridges the gap between business and IT, and lets business users create solutions without having to wait for IT. These users will rarely work directly in Azure Data Factory.

On the other hand, if you are already using Azure Data Factory, you most likely have a title like Data Engineer, ETL Developer, Data Integrator, Business Intelligence Consultant, or something similar. You may also use Power BI in your job, but you are not primarily a business user. If you need to collaborate with analysts and business users, or enable them to do their job more efficiently, then Power BI dataflows might be the right choice. But for enterprise-scale ETL and data integration solutions, Azure Data Factory is most likely the right choice. It now just comes with even more features to help you build the best solution for your use case." You could refer to comparing-mapping-wrangling-data-flows-azure-data-factory  for details.

By the way, currently not all Power Query M functions are supported for data wrangling despite being available during authoring.

Best Regards,
Zoe Zhi

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Helpful resources

Announcements
Join our Fabric User Panel

Join our Fabric User Panel

This is your chance to engage directly with the engineering team behind Fabric and Power BI. Share your experiences and shape the future.

June 2025 Power BI Update Carousel

Power BI Monthly Update - June 2025

Check out the June 2025 Power BI update to learn about new features.

June 2025 community update carousel

Fabric Community Update - June 2025

Find out what's new and trending in the Fabric community.