Create a List of Random Numbers with a Seed Value

Random number generation is fairly straightforward in Excel. You can use the RAND or RANDBETWEEN functions to create random numbers but if you wanted to create a pseudo random number from a seed value it would take some VBA or another add on. Not any more, because with Power Query, setting a seed value for repeatable set of random numbers is possible. See the video to learn how.

Add a Random Number in Power Query

If you need to create random numbers in excel it's easy to use the RAND() function for a few numbers, but if you want to create a large amount of random numbers that might be a challenge. So if you wanted half a million or more numbers, think about using Power Query to do this. Also if you have a list of names (500K or more) and you wanted to randomly choose 100, adding a random number to that list and choosing a hundred random names from that list can be done in Power Query. See the video to learn how.

Make it Easier to Share Power Query Relative File Location (XLSX source)

If you share Excel files with Power Query queries, you notice that it can be "broken" if you the source data is referenced outside of the worksheet itself. This video will cover how to get around an simple query that references another Excel (.xlsx) file