Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel from Coursera

The use of Excel is widespread in the industry. It is a very powerful data analysis tool and almost all big and small businesses use Excel in their day to day functioning. This is an introductory course in the use of Excel and is designed to give you a working knowledge of Excel with the aim of getting to use it for more advance topics in Business Statistics later. The course is designed keeping in mind two kinds of learners - those who have very little functional knowledge of Excel and those who use Excel regularly but at a peripheral level and wish to enhance their skills. The course takes you from basic operations such as reading data into excel using various data formats, organizing and manipulating data, to some of the more advanced functionality of Excel. All along, Excel functionality is introduced using easy to understand examples which are demonstrated in a way that learners can become comfortable in understanding and applying them.

To successfully complete course assignments, students must have access to a Windows version of Microsoft Excel 2010 or later.

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WEEK 1

Module 1: Introduction to Spreadsheets

In this module, you will be introduced to the use of Excel spreadsheets and various basic data functions of Excel.

Topics covered include:

• Reading data into Excel using various formats

• Basic functions in Excel, arithmetic as well as various logical functions

• Formatting rows and columns

• Using formulas in Excel and their copy and paste using absolute and relative referencing

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WEEK 2

Module 2: Spreadsheet Functions to Organize Data

This module introduces various Excel functions to organize and query data. Learners are introduced to the IF, nested IF, VLOOKUP and the HLOOKUP functions of Excel.

Topics covered include:

• IF and the nested IF functions

• VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP

• The RANDBETWEEN function

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WEEK 3

Module 3: Introduction to Filtering, Pivot Tables, and Charts

This module introduces various data filtering capabilities of Excel. You’ll learn how to set filters in data to selectively access data. A very powerful data summarizing tool, the Pivot Table, is also explained and we begin to introduce the charting feature of Excel.

Topics covered include:

• VLOOKUP across worksheets

• Data filtering in Excel

• Use of Pivot tables with categorical as well as numerical data

• Introduction to the charting capability of Excel

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WEEK 4

Module 4: Advanced Graphing and Charting

This module explores various advanced graphing and charting techniques available in Excel. Starting with various line, bar and pie charts we introduce pivot charts, scatter plots and histograms. You will get to understand these various charts and get to build them on your own.

Topics covered include

• Line, Bar and Pie charts

• Pivot charts

• Scatter plots

• Histograms

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction to Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet Functions to Organize Data

Introduction to some more useful functions such as the IF, nested IF, VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP functions in Excel.

Introduction to Filtering, Pivot Tables, and Charts

Introduction to the Data filtering capabilities of Excel, the construction of Pivot Tables to organize data and introduction to charts in Excel.

Advanced Graphing and Charting

Constructing various Line, Bar and Pie charts. Using the Pivot chart features of Excel. Understanding and constructing Histograms and Scatterplots.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Helps learners master the basics of Excel

Provides a strong introduction to the use of Excel with the aim of getting learners to use it for more advanced topics in business statistics

Assumes learners have very little functional knowledge of Excel

Guides learners from basic operations such as reading data into excel to more advanced Excel functionality

Suitable for learners who use Excel regularly but at a peripheral level

Reviews summary

Mix of positive and negative

According to students, Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel has pros and cons. Positive reviews mention clear explanations and helpful quizzes. Negative ones say the material is basic and the instructor is slow.

Helpful for understanding topics.

"Quizzes test comprehension well."

"The quizzes helped me solidify my understanding of the material."

Clear explanations and instructions.

"Understandable content."

"Content is easy to grasp."

Too basic for some.

"I was expecting a more challenging curricula."

"This course was designed for complete beginners."

Slow; no use of shortcuts.

"The instructor did not use any shortcuts."

"The explanations are very longwinded."

"The pace was excruciatingly slow."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel with these activities:

Organize and review course materials

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Organization and review of course materials can improve understanding and clarify concepts before the course begins.

Browse courses on Study Skills

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Download or print the course materials.
Create a system for organizing the materials.
Review the materials regularly.

Create a simple Excel workbook

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Test your understanding of the basic concepts of Excel by creating your workbook.

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Open Microsoft Excel and create a new workbook.
Enter some data into the cells.
Format the cells with different fonts, colors, and alignments.
Save the workbook to your computer.

Create a formula to add two cells

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Performing repetitive exercises can help solidify understanding and familiarity with basic Excel functions.

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Open a new Excel workbook.
Enter two numbers into adjacent cells.
Use the formula bar to add the two cells.
Press Enter to see the result.

Six other activities

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Create a spreadsheet to track your budget

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Applying Excel skills to a practical project can reinforce learning and demonstrate practical applications.

Browse courses on Budgeting

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Determine the categories you want to track.
Create a new spreadsheet.
Enter your income and expenses.
Use formulas to calculate totals and balances.

Follow a tutorial on VLOOKUP

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Structured tutorials can provide clear and concise guidance on specific Excel functions like VLOOKUP, improving understanding and familiarity.

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Search for a tutorial on VLOOKUP.
Watch or read the tutorial.
Follow the steps in the tutorial to use VLOOKUP in Excel.

Attend an Excel workshop

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Workshops provide structured learning opportunities with hands-on activities to refine and extend Excel skills.

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Find an Excel workshop that fits your schedule and interests.
Register for the workshop.
Attend the workshop and participate actively.

Write a blog post on how to use Excel for data analysis

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Creating content on a course-related topic can deepen understanding and reinforce key concepts.

Browse courses on Data Analysis

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Choose a specific data analysis topic.
Research and gather information on the topic.
Write the blog post, explaining the topic and providing examples.
Publish the blog post on a relevant platform.

Participate in an Excel competition

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Competitions provide a challenging and motivating environment to apply and extend Excel skills.

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Find an Excel competition that aligns with your interests and skill level.
Register for the competition.
Practice and prepare for the competition.
Participate in the competition and give your best effort.

Tutor other students in Excel

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Tutoring others can solidify understanding and reinforce knowledge while also contributing to the success of fellow learners.

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Identify students who need help with Excel.
Offer to tutor them.
Prepare materials and lesson plans.
Meet with the students and provide guidance.

Career center

Learners who complete Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Data Scientist

Data Scientists use Excel to clean, analyze, and interpret data. They use this data to build machine learning models and develop data-driven solutions. This course provides a strong foundation for aspiring or junior Data Scientists. If you are specifically interested in working with large data sets, you will develop a great working knowledge of using formulas in Excel to process, summarize, and visualize data.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Data Analyst

Data analysts use Excel to clean, analyze, and present data. This course provides a strong foundation for aspiring Data Analysts. If you are specifically interested in working with large data sets, you will develop a great working knowledge of using formulas in Excel to process, summarize, and visualize data.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

Business Intelligence Analyst

Business Intelligence Analysts use Excel to analyze and interpret data. With it, they can identify trends and patterns in data, and make recommendations for improving business performance. The course introduces and explains many essential data analysis functions and skills, including conditional logic, graphing and charting, organizing data, and using formulas to manipulate data. For example, the nested IF function, VLOOKUP function, and Pivot Tables are all covered in detail and explained from a beginner's perspective. This makes the course useful for both new and seasoned Business Intelligence Analysts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Intelligence Analyst

Marketing Analyst

Marketing Analysts use Excel to analyze and interpret data. With it, they can understand marketing campaigns, customer behavior, and market trends. The course introduces and explains many essential data analysis functions and skills, including conditional logic, graphing and charting, organizing data, and using formulas to manipulate data. For example, the nested IF function, VLOOKUP function, and Pivot Tables are all covered in detail and explained from a beginner's perspective. This makes the course useful for both new and experienced Marketing Analysts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Analyst

Product Manager

Product Managers use Excel to analyze and interpret data. With it, they can understand customer needs and usage patterns. The course introduces and explains many essential data analysis functions and skills, including conditional logic, graphing and charting, organizing data, and using formulas to manipulate data. For example, the nested IF function, VLOOKUP function, and Pivot Tables are all covered in detail and explained from a beginner's perspective. This makes the course useful for both new and seasoned Product Managers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Financial Manager

Financial Managers need to be able to analyze and interpret financial data. This course introduces and explains many essential financial functions and skills, including conditional logic, graphing and charting, organizing financial data, and using financial formulas to manipulate data. For a newer professional who may not yet be familiar with Microsoft Excel, all aspects of the course are introduced and explained from a beginner's perspective. This makes the course useful for both new and seasoned Financial Managers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Manager

Business Analyst

Business Analysts use Excel to solve business problems. They do this through cleaning, presenting, and analyzing data. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Excel, and how to use that program to organize, manipulate, and visualize data in order to solve these business problems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Software Engineer

Software Engineers use Excel to analyze and interpret data. This can be used to track project progress, manage resources, and identify areas for improvement. The course introduces and explains many essential data analysis functions and skills, including conditional logic, graphing and charting, organizing data, and using formulas to manipulate data. For example, the nested IF function, VLOOKUP function, and Pivot Tables are all covered in detail and explained from a beginner's perspective. This makes the course useful for both new and seasoned Software Engineers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Financial Analyst

Analyzing financial data, trends, and forecasts play a major role in the role of a Financial Analyst. This course introduces and explains many essential financial functions and skills, including conditional logic, graphing and charting, organizing financial data, and using financial formulas to manipulate data. For a newer professional who may not yet be familiar with Microsoft Excel, all aspects of the course are introduced and explained from a beginner's perspective. This means that the course is a useful for both newbie and veteran Financial Analysts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Analyst

Credit Analyst

Credit Analysts use Excel to analyze and interpret financial data. This course introduces and explains many essential financial functions and skills, including conditional logic, graphing and charting, organizing financial data, and using financial formulas to manipulate data. For a newer professional who may not yet be familiar with Microsoft Excel, all aspects of the course are introduced and explained from a beginner's perspective. This makes the course useful for both new and seasoned Credit Analysts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Credit Analyst

Accountant

Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel provides a strong foundation for Excel, which is widely used by Accountants. Whether you're a seasoned accountant or you're seeking to move into the field, this course will be very helpful. Accountants need the ability to effectively organize, visualize, analyze, and interpret data. The course covers basic and advanced functions, as well as combining and organizing large datasets.

See salaries and explore the career path for Accountant

Management Consultant

Management Consultants analyze and solve business problems. They use Excel to clean, present, and analyze data. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Excel and how to use that program to organize, manipulate, and visualize data in order to solve these business problems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Management Consultant

Statistician

Statisticians use Excel to clean, analyze, and present data. This course is a great introduction to Excel for aspiring or junior Statisticians. The use of statistical tools are taught in the course, as well as the basics of data manipulation and formatting. This course serves as a good foundation for more complex data analysis courses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Statistician

Quantitative Analyst

This course is a great introduction to Excel for aspiring or junior Quantitative Analysts. The use of statistical tools such as the RANDBETWEEN function are taught in the course, as well as the basics of data manipulation and formatting. This course serves as a good foundation for more complex data analysis courses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quantitative Analyst

Operations Research Analyst

Operations Research Analysts use advanced analytical techniques to solve operational problems. They use Excel to analyze and visualize data, and to build and solve models. This course would serve as a great primer for someone looking to move into OR who is new to working with Excel.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Research Analyst