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Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
4 hours
Excel for Data Analysis
This second course in Data Analysis for Business ExpertTrack builds on the basics and teaches you how to tidy your data and build databases to enhance your business analytics.
Apply critical thinking skills to data and learn how to use Excel and SQLite to tidy, organise, and manipulate data sets.
Perform data analysis in Excel
You will use Excel to perform data analysis, learning frequently used functions and formulas to crunch and combine data.
This course will transform your basic knowledge into powerful methods of analysis, techniques, and tools.
Tidy your data for better outcomes
Tidying data refers to tying the structure of your data set back to its meaning, which includes matching up rows, columns, and tables with your observations, variables, and types.
Tidy data tells a clearer story and allows you to draw comparisons and apply formulas or visualisations more easily.
Create your first database with help from SQLite
Articulate how to create a database and understand how function impacts form as part of the process.
The formatting and organisation of a database has an impact on how easily the data can be used. You will use SQLite to import tables and adjust them for your needs.
Syllabus
Week 1
Statistics in Excel
Introduction to the course
In this topic, we’ll introduce you to the course and look at how the course is structured.
Using formulas in Excel
In this activity, you’ll cover the basic skills of using spreadsheets so you can comfortably navigate these applications, including how to use formulas in Excel.
Using functions in Excel
In this topic, you'll learn how to apply basic functions in Excel for data analysis.
Wrap-up
To complete the week, let’s recap the key points.
Week 2
Data wrangling in Excel
Introduction to data wrangling in Excel
Overview of learning outcomes for the week.
Importing and tidying data in Excel
In this activity, we’ll focus on importing and tidying data, which along with transforming data, are collectively known as ‘data wrangling’.
Wrangling data in Excel
In this activity, you'll learn some useful techniques for wrangling data in Excel.
Wrap-up
To complete the week, let’s recap the key points.
Week 3
Transforming data in Excel
Introduction to transforming data in Excel
Introduction to the week's topics and outcomes
Transforming, sorting, and filtering data in Excel
In this activity, you will learn how to transform data in Excel.
Creating pivot tables
You will learn how to create pivot tables in Excel to group and summarise large quantities of data quickly and easily.
Wrap-up
To complete the week, let’s recap the key points.
Week 4
Visualising data in Excel
Introduction to visualising data in Excel
Introduction to the week's topics and outcomes
Data visualisation
Visualising data helps you to identify patterns and trends. In this activity, you’ll look at the types of charts we use to visualise data in an exploratory analysis.
Exploratory data analysis
In this activity, you will learn more about how to create exploratory data visualisations, including creating charts in Excel.
Wrap-up
To complete the week, let’s recap the key points.
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Articulate how to perform basic analysis in Excel
- Outline the steps involved in tidying data
- Identify the correct ERD for a dataset
- Articulate how to create a database and import tables using SQLite
Who is the course for?
This course is for anybody who needs data analytics skills at work, or would like to progress to a job where they’re desirable or necessary.
This may include early stage or aspiring analysts who would like to improve their qualitative or quantitative skills, or a business professional in a role that requires data analytics. You may also be a business or arts graduate who would like to move into a professional role and stand out from the competition by adding quantitative skills such as data analysis.
What software or tools do you need?
During the course we’ll be using DB Browser for SQLite and Excel. If you don’t have Excel, you might find this online version useful.
We recommend you use a computer to access this course.
Who will you learn with?
As a certified Data Analyst and holder of a Chartered Global Management Accountant designation I provide a unique set of skills in the fields of data, analytics, finance, and accounting.
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn
Get a taste of this course
Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join: