Fast Data Load

Fast Data Load is a Power Query feature that makes loading queries faster by utilising additional CPU power and RAM.

However, the drawback is Excel will become unresponsive for this duration, so it’s not recommended if you want to work simultaneously.

Fast Data Load is found by going to Data (tab) > Get Data (dropdown) > Query Options (button).

I conducted an experiment to see how long it took to load datasets of varying sizes — with and without Fast Data Load enabled.

These consisted of fictional adult census data that each had 15 columns and the following number of rows:

• 1 million
• 5 million
• 10 million
• 50 million
• 100 million

Performance depends on the setup, so the following sections provide details about the hardware and software used.

Computer Specifications

15.4″ MacBook Pro 2018

Operating System: macOS Monterey v12.0.1
Processor: 2.9 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i9
Memory: 32 GB 2400 MHz DDR4
Graphics: Radeon Pro 560X 4 GB
Storage: 1 TB SSD

Windows 10 Virtual Machine Configuration

Processors: 2
Memory: 4 GB

Excel Version

Microsoft® Excel® for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2112 Build 16.0.14729.20038) 64-bit

Watch the video to see the results!