By Hiran de Silva
Christopher T. Fennell recently claimed that “Power Query replaces Access.”
This isn’t just wrong — it’s a textbook case of how social media miseducation spreads.
It’s exactly this kind of statement that fuels what I call the mislabeling problem — where advice targeted at single-user scenarios is presented as universal education, and then applied in completely inappropriate contexts.
And that, more than any technical shortcoming, is what creates Excel Hell.
1. The Root of the Problem: Mislabelled Context
Most content on social media is created for, by, and about individual users solving personal or departmental tasks in standalone spreadsheets. These are:
- One-person models
- One-off imports
- One-time reports
- One-tab solutions
That’s fine if you state that clearly.
But the problem arises when this narrow context is not disclosed, and the technique is presented as a best practice — implicitly applicable to all environments, including enterprise-scale operations.
The audience — many of whom work in or aspire to work in substantial businesses — absorb this as “education.” They then import these ideas into environments that require:
- Auditability
- Multi-user collaboration
- Long-term maintainability
- Centralised version control
- Live data integration
And the result is catastrophic. Not because Excel is bad — but because single-user tricks are being misapplied to enterprise-scale problems.
2. The ETL vs Database Fallacy
This is where Fennell’s comment becomes especially damaging.
“Power Query replaces Access.”
(Christopher T. Fennell, 2025)
Let’s be absolutely clear:
Power Query is an ETL tool.
Access is a relational database.
Saying Power Query replaces Access is like saying:
- A funnel replaces a bottle
- A conveyor belt replaces a warehouse
- A microwave replaces a kitchen
They are not the same class of tool. They do not serve the same purpose. One is a pipe; the other is the infrastructure the pipe connects to.
A relational database like Access or SQL Server:
- Stores large volumes of structured data
- Manages relationships between tables
- Ensures referential integrity
- Tracks versions, timestamps, and users
- Serves as the system of record for enterprise models
Power Query simply pulls data from somewhere (perhaps from Access), performs a few steps, and loads it into Excel. It has:
- No persistent storage
- No transaction handling
- No multi-user write-back capability
It’s an importer, not a database.
To conflate the two is not just incorrect — it’s architecturally irresponsible, and it misleads learners at a foundational level.
3. Instead — Let’s Use These Tools to Teach the Right Principles
Here’s the opportunity:
Instead of pushing misleading messages like “Power Query replaces Access,” we should use Power Query to introduce the principles behind databases and system design.
In fact, Power Query has done one very important thing:
It has nudged Excel users toward database thinking.
Concepts that were previously dismissed as “oh, that’s database stuff” are now suddenly trendy — things like:
- Loading from multiple files
- Data normalization
- Merge (JOIN) operations
- Query steps and applied logic
But we must also be clear: the implementation inside Power Query is deliberately limited, and for good reason:
- To make it accessible to standalone users
- To serve as a marketing layer for Microsoft — a bridge, not a foundation
The core principle it represents — centralising data before analysis — is sound.
But learners need to be shown what lies beyond that bridge.
In real-world enterprise environments:
The data model must not live inside a workbook.
It must live in a central, relational database — governed, secure, queryable, and shared.
That’s the part Power Query cannot deliver. And that’s the part missing from 99% of influencer content.
4. What’s Really Needed: Architectural Thinking
The tragedy is that Excel’s true enterprise power is being left untapped — not because it’s hidden, but because people are being taught the wrong layer of the stack.
Enterprise Excel is not about tricks — it’s about architecture.
The real power of Excel is unlocked when you:
- Separate logic from data
- Store the data centrally in a relational database
- Use Excel as a client to GET and PUT live data
- Enable multiple users to work in sync without chaos
- Design workflows that are transparent, governed, and scalable
This isn’t legacy.
It’s how modern business systems work — when they’re not shaped by social media mythology.
5. Social Media’s Role in Excel Hell
Social media rewards what’s clickable, not what’s correct.
That’s why so much Excel content is:
- Tool-first, not system-first
- Designed for showmanship, not sustainability
- Filled with flashy visuals and catchy phrases, but absent of architectural context
The result?
People unknowingly build toys instead of tools.
And when those toys break under enterprise pressure, they blame Excel… when they should be blaming the training.
6. Conclusion
To be blunt:
Power Query does not replace Access.
That statement is technically wrong, architecturally naïve, and pedagogically irresponsible.
But this moment also reveals a path forward:
- We can use Power Query as a stepping stone to teach better architectural foundations.
- We can show learners that while Power Query introduces good habits, it’s only part of the picture.
- And we can restore Excel to its rightful place — not as a punchline, but as the Swiss Army knife of enterprise data — when used with relational databases and proper system design.
It’s time to stop misleading users with marketing soundbites…
And start empowering them with platform literacy, not platform loyalty.
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