Get & Transform Data - Get Data Options Don't Work

Copper Contributor

When I click on the Data Menu >> Get Data and then click on any of the From File options, nothing happens. Nothing comes up at all. Similar issues with every option in the menu accept the From Other Sources >> From Microsoft Query option.

I'm running Excel 365 and have the most recent updates installed.

 

Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks.

12 Replies

Hi @AOM_LV 

 

Have you used the Get and Transform Data in the past and it worked well? Or you have never been able to use at all?

 

Please clarify.

 

@wumolad 

 

It's the first time I'm using these options. I've never had them work.

I checked my add-ins (Excel and COM) and nothing jumps out at me right way.

Also checked the event logs for anything that might point out a problem and saw nothing that indicated an error.

@AOM_LV That's strange. And no error prompt either?

@wumolad 

 

No error message. A processing wheel appears and disappears and then nothing happens.

The app doesn't lockup. I have Power Pivot and no Power Query.

 

@AOM_LV 

You won't see Power Query as an add-in because it hasn't been for some years now, it's baked right into the application. You see it on the Data tab in the 'Get & Transform Data' group of commands. Since you see those ribbon controls, you have Power Query. It's confusing since it actually started as an add-in originally.

 

To your question, perhaps you don't have MS Query installed? That would be the first thing I would check. To check this, go to your Contol Panel > Programs and Features > right-click Office and select Change > Select Add or Remove Features, make sure MS Query is there. I'm honestly not sure where to go from there. A cursory web search didn't turn up much else than checking if it was installed and forcing updates. My over-arching question is: why do you even want to use MS Query with so many other amazing tools at your fingertips??

That's just it.
ALL the other tools in that menu don't work.
ONLY MS Query does. I want to use the other tools however none of them work.
I've uninstalled and reinstalled office 365 too.
I'm on Windows 10.

@AOM_LV That is strange indeed. The only other thing I would try, although I've only heard of this as an issue and never seen it first hand, would be to try opening a blank query in different file formats. I'd guess it wouldn't work no matter the file type (xlsx/default, xlsm, xlsb). If that fails, the only things I can recommend are:
Try an office repair

Try a clean boot

Try TechNet forums

 

This certainly sounds like a technical issue. My dealings with these sort of things in the past has been to more or less remove Office completely, including some registry settings for saving login information (Office trying to be helpful) and do a full clean install. I'm not sure how much further help I'll be here.

@Zack Barresse 

Steps 1 and 2 already done. Still not working.

 

I should also add that I have multiple editions of the following installed:

  • Visual Studio 2008-2019
  • SSMS 18.5
  • SQL Server DataTools/BIDS from 2008 - 2019

I mention this because while the GetData options don't work, Import Wizard in the Power Pivot windows pulls up wizards that look like the SQL Server Import Data Wizard windows.

 

Is there anything in the Office Subscription type that would affect this?

As far as I know, those shouldn't affect Power Query working whatsoever. I have those installed as well and do not replicate your issues. These (PQ) tools should be installed by default. I'm not even aware of a way for administrators (of Microsoft 365 subscriptions) to remove that functionality.

Because I'm sure any tech support will point you here, I would recommend posting to the below link (TechNet, Power Query forum). Provide a link to this conversation just in case. This is where I'd start going up the tech support chain.
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/home?forum=powerquery

I know this really isn't much help. If you do find out what's going on, I hope you'll post back here.

@Zack Barresse 

 

Will do and thanks for the link.

 

@AOM_LV Had the same problem, found nothing in event logs. Uninstalled office 365. When reinstalling the 32-bit office365, it complained about a 64-bit Access db engine 2016. So I removed that.

Get Data now works, so I suspect that was my problem.

I had the same issue, same warning. I believe 64-bit Access was installed with SSIS when trying to write to Excel file using SSIS.