Microsoft Data Analysis and Visualization Using Excel Course

Introduction

Analyzing and visualizing data is greatly valued in today’s data-driven world for professionals in any industry, and one tool used very often for those purposes is Microsoft Excel. Whether you’re a new user of the world of data analysis or an old pro, truly mastering data analysis with Excel will significantly enhance the likelihood of making the right data-driven decisions. The Microsoft: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Excel course on edX should help create skills to help students convert raw data into meaningful insights through advanced Excel functions, data models, and visualizations. Learn applied, hands-on skills through this course in the use of Excel’s power to analyze real data.

Course Summary

The Microsoft: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Excel course covers the following learning objectives, which learners will master:

• Develop Advanced Excel Functions for Data Analysis: Understand how to apply Excel’s advanced formulas and functions to organize, clean, and analyze large datasets.
• Learn how to draw data visualizations. This course provides excellent training in creating effective data visualization through charts, graphs, and dashboards where data can be effectively presented for decision-making.
• Learn data modeling techniques through this course where one will understand how powerful the data modeling features of Excel are as they learn how to use PivotTables.
• Including Power Pivot and Power Query, to transform and summarize big data datasets
• Building Dashboards for Data Reporting: At the end, you will be provided with a project where you will be building interactive dashboards that will be used for reporting
• Applying various Data Analysis Skills: Learners will be able to do various projects related to various industries using various tools.

Course Details

Course Details	Information
Course Name	Microsoft: Data Analysis and Visualization Using Excel on edX
Instructor	Dany Hoter and Jonathan Sanito
Platform	edX
Key Features	Assignments, Quizzes and Videos
Certificate	Yes only for paid users
Level	Intermediate
Language	English
Duration	6 weeks 2-4 hours a week
Topics Covered	Prerequisites
Prerequistes	None

Target Audience

This course is ideal for all learners. Some examples of target audiences include the following:

• Business Professionals and Data Analysts
• Those working with data daily and interested in enhancing their skills to analyze as well as visualize that data in Excel.
• Students, from all disciplines of study, students, and recent graduates in a field of study, such as business economics or data science, looking to add the practical ‘hands-on’ Excel skillset to their studies.
• Targeted: Participants are already aware of the basic elements of Excel but need to be equipped with some advanced skills in data analysis and visualization.
• A career working with data, such as managers, financial analysts, marketers, or decision-making personnel who must make sense of and present such data insights for their organizations.
• Career changers looking to make a career transition into data analysis or business intelligence by acquiring practical skills in Excel-based data analysis.

Course Outline

The course on Microsoft: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Excel splits into modules based on aspects of data analysis and visualization:

1. Introduction to Excel for Data Analysis:
   Overview of Excel’s interface, data organizational tools, and basic functions
   Introduction to techniques of data cleaning and preparation
2. Advanced Excel Functions and Formulas:

• Use logical, statistical, and text functions such as IF, VLOOKUP, MATCH, and INDEX to analyze and manipulate data.
• Use dynamic arrays and formulas involving array operations
• Use of Excel for Data Modeling
• Develop and manage PivotTables and PivotCharts to summarize and analyze large data sets.
  Introduction to Power Query and Power Pivot to carry out advanced data manipulation and modeling.

1. Techniques for Data Visualization

• Creation of good data visualization using various types of charts: that is, the use of bar charts, scatter plots, histograms; and
• Applying style and formatting and color schemes, conditional formatting.

1. Interactive Dashboards Development
   Develop dynamic dashboards in Excel, which make it possible to interact and filter through data by using slicers, timelines, and interactive charts among others to create an intuitive user experience.
2. Final Project: Data Analysis and Visualization:
   This will enable learners to harness all the skills they have acquired from the course on a real-world dataset.
   They will create a comprehensive data analysis report and dashboard presentation with findings on the dataset.

Topics Covered

• Data modeling with PivotTables, Power Query, and Power Pivot
• Data visualization and its formatting
• Designing interactive dashboards
• Automating processes to analyze data
• Use of Excel for business reporting and data-informed decision-making

Instructors and Background

This course on Microsoft: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Excel is taught by experienced instructors namely Dane Hoter and Jonathan Sanito from Microsoft who have expertise in data analysis and business intelligence concerning Excel. The real-world experience paired with hands-on teaching assists learners in understanding not only the technical aspects of data analysis but also its business sides.

• Microsoft Data Science and Excel Experts: They come with deep experience in data analysis having worked with Excel and other business intelligence tools across different industries. A hands-on approach is given to make the learner master even the most powerful tools in excel.

Study Plan and Duration

This course is a paced one – completed on your own time. There are about 6 weeks for this activity, which is 2 to 4 hours per week. Below is a recommended study plan:

• Weeks 1-2: Introductions to Excel for Data Analysis and Data Cleaning
• Weeks 3-4: Advanced Functions, Formulas, and Data Modeling with PivotTables
• Weeks 5-6: Techniques in Data Visualization and Dashboard Design
• Weeks 7-8: Final Project and Review Certifications

At the end of this course, learners will get a verified certificate upon edX and Microsoft. The certificate is accepted by employers and will be embedded on professional platforms like LinkedIn, highlighting your skills in data analysis and visualization by Excel.

Pricing

The Microsoft: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Excel class is free to take for audit, but learners get access to the course material without receiving a certificate. If the learner needs the verified certificate that could be required to share their work with others and document their skills, they will need to pay an estimated fee of Rs 8311. Student financial aid in the form of loans and Pell Grants from the US government are available to help qualified learners afford the class.

Career Impact

One of the best tools to utilize in data analysis is Excel, and much experience with its more advanced features is the boost that you need in your career. Upon course completion, students will be able to work as

• Data Analyst – using Excel to manipulate, analyze, and visualize data to inform business decisions
• Business Analyst – utilizing advanced Excel tools to assist with business decision-making and reporting.
• Financial Analyst: Create financial models, forecasts, and reports using the analytical capabilities of Excel.
• Operations Manager: Analyze and visualize data to ensure optimal operation.

But more than that, it stands the learners up for advanced business intelligence, including applications such as Power BI, SQL, and other data analysis software.

How to enroll for this course?

1. Open edX.org and find the course.
2. Click “Enroll Now”
3. Audit the course for free or acquire the verified track and obtain certification
4. Instructions to sign up for an edX account if you haven’t already done so
5. Once enrolled you can then access the course materials and learn at your own pace

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Covers Advanced Excel Functions, Data Modeling, and Visualization Techniques: Since the course caters to data professionals, it is well suited for them.
• Hands-on Experience: Using real-life datasets, the learner will build up dashboards that come alive.
• Learning is flexible: This course offers flexible-based learning.
• Certification: It provides you with a certificate for future job roles.

Cons

• Cost for Certification: The course itself is free, though the fee needed to award the certificate
• Advanced Content: The course sections like Power Query and Power Pivot might be a little tough for freshers.
• Though the course is for starters, a beginner’s understanding of Excel will still be really helpful.

FAQ’S

2. Does this course teach from basics?
   The course goes from basics to advanced levels in using Excel.
3. What is the total duration of this course?
   This course is usually 6 weeks in duration with 2-4 hours duration for study plan.
4. Does this course provide any projects?
   You will work with real-world data and develop interactive dashboards in Excel. The last project is based on several data and presents insights using visualizations and dashboards.
5. Is financial aid available for this course?
   Yes, edX provides financial aid for learners who qualify. You can apply directly through the edX platform for financial support.
6. Do you provide a certificate?
   Yes, we provide a certificate.

Conclusion

Data Analytics is a growing field across various industries. Thus using the right set of tools is important for doing analysis. It is important to clean, analyze, and visualize data using various tools like Excel. It is important to build dashboards and create reports using tools like Power BI. It is important to have good communication So start enrolling and learning.