Microsoft Excel and Data Analytics Lecture

Jul 17, 2024

Lecture Notes: Microsoft Excel and Data Analytics

Introduction

  • Importance of Data: Jeffrey Murray emphasizes the critical role of data in modern life, including in dealerships, mobile ads, investments, and travel recommendations.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Supported by AI and data crunching tools allowing for informed choices.
  • IT Industry Demand: Professionally skilled in data handling and analysis, particularly using Microsoft Excel.

Course Offering: Simplylearn's Microsoft Excel Course

  • Course Overview: Comprehensive Excel course covering basics to advanced concepts, Excel VBA, data analysis, visualization, and time series analysis.
  • Training Projects: Helps build a strong data analysis portfolio.
  • Interview Preparation: Addresses common data analyst interview questions.

Simplylearn's Post-Graduate Program in Data Analytics

  • Features:
    • Exclusive hackathons and aid sessions by IBM.
    • Eight times higher LIVE edition in live online classes by industry experts.
    • Capstone projects from three domains and 14+ data analytics projects.
    • Industry data sets from sources like Google Play Store, Lyft, World Bank.
    • Masterclasses by Purdue faculty and IBM experts.
    • Simplylearn's job assist.

Microsoft Excel Overview

  • Purpose: Designed to store, manipulate, and extract insights from data in organized rows and columns.
  • User Interface: Includes Microsoft Excel home page, toolbar menu (file, home, insert, layout, formulas, data, review, view, help), and toolbar ribbon.
  • Fundamentals: Cells, cell addresses, toolbar groups, sheet tracker, increasing/decreasing sheet size.

Practical Demonstrations and Exercises

Basic Functions and Features

  • Demo on Inventory Sheet: Creating employee details table using Excel functions.
  • Editing and Formatting Cells: Inserting, hiding rows/columns, text alignment, and formatting font.
  • Basic Formulas and Functions: SUM, AVERAGE, LOWER, UPPER

Advanced Features

  • Working with Formulas and Data Analysis Tools:
    • Conditional Formatting: Highlight cells based on conditions or apply icon sets.
    • Insert and Format Charts: Pie charts, column charts, line charts, bar charts.
    • Using Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts: Summarize and visualize large data sets.
    • Advanced Chart Customization: Adding data labels, formatting numbers, and applying styles and colors.

Data Analysis Techniques

  • VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP: Finding data within tables using lookup functions.
  • XLOOKUP: Advanced lookup function for dynamic data analysis.
  • SUMIFS: Calculating conditional sums.
  • Time Series Analysis: Using ARIMA models for forecasting future data points.

Excel VBA and Macros

  • Purpose: Automate repetitive tasks and enhance Excel functionality.
  • Creating Macros: Recording and running macros to perform detailed tasks automatically.
  • VBA Programming Basics: Writing subroutines and functions to handle complex operations.

Excel for Projects and Business Applications

  • Project Management: Using Gantt Charts and various Excel templates for planning and tracking projects.
  • Catching Real-Time Insights: Creating dynamic dashboards using slicers and pivot charts for executive presentations.

Interview Preparation Segment

  • Common Excel Interview Questions: Tackling questions on basic to advanced Excel functionalities, practical demos, and real-world data analysis scenarios.

Tips for Practical Excel Skills

  • Shortcuts and Efficiency Tips: Using keyboard shortcuts for common tasks, such as Ctrl+K for hyperlinks, Ctrl+Shift+Space for selecting cells, etc.
  • Advanced Data Handling: Setting data validation rules, removing duplicates, merging/unmerging cells, and applying filters.

Conclusion

  • Certification and Career Advancement: Simplylearn programs help gain industry-relevant skills, pursue certifications, and advance professionally in data analytics and Excel.