There are two important changes coming to Get & Transform (Power Query) in Excel. Both changes are probably already covered by the current setup but you should check any external data links now to avoid an unwanted surprise.
These changes apply from 11 March 2024. Microsoft is a little vague about one of them (TLS compatibility) but the other only applies to Excel for Windows.
Microsoft has also been vague about which Excel versions are affected, only referring to ‘Excel’. It’s safest to assume these changes apply to any modern Excel 365/2021/2019 and maybe Excel 2016. It’ll do no harm to check.
Both changes relate to Excel’s Power Query / Get & Transform to grab data from an external (Internet) source.
Edge WebView2 Runtime
From 11 March 2024, Power Query will require ‘Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime’ installed on Windows computers.
‘WebView2’ is a collection of tools that programs can use to get and embed web content. The tools are related to Microsoft Edge browser technology, hence the name. Power Query on Windows uses WebView2 to link to web data sources.
It’s quite likely that your computer already has ‘WebView2’ installed because it’s widely used by Microsoft and other apps. To check, go to Windows Settings | Apps | Installed Apps then search for ‘WebView2’ or just ‘web’ should be enough.
Once installed, it will update automatically. Any program that needs WebView2 will link into it without you realizing.
If WebView2 not installed (unlikely but possible) install it directly from Microsoft, click the ‘Evergreen Bootstrapper’ Download button.
Check for TLS
The other change is stopping support for older web encryption methods that have been superseded by more recent versions. That will ensure any data Power Query gets from the web is secure on it’s way to your computer.
It’s about TLS (Transport Layer Security), one of those important parts of the Internet that most of us humans need but are unaware of. Microsoft, among many companies, is gradually dropping support for older, less secure, versions of TLS like TLS 1.1 that was ‘deprecated’ two years ago.
From 11 March 2024, Power Query (Get and Transform) will only get web data using TLS 1.2 or higher encryption. A site/server with only TLS 1.1 or lower won’t be accepted.
(Microsoft is a little vague about whether this change applies to Windows Excel 365 or also the Mac version. Best to assume both because TLS 1.1 and below aren’t very secure by modern standards)
Most web sites and servers should already support TLS 1.2/1.3 because they’ve been available for many years. To check if a data source using the latest TLS use one of these sites:
There’s a lot of information on those pages but all you need to look for is TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3 are supported or ‘offered’.
If the latest TLS releases are NOT supported, check with the site/server manager.
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