Overview

This course forms part of the Microsoft Power BI Analyst Professional Certificate. This Professional Certificate consists of a series of courses that offers a good starting point for a career in data analysis using Microsoft Power BI. No prior skills are needed to be successful in this course. In this course, you’ll learn how to make use of Excel in business scenarios for data analysis. You’ll also learn how to utilize formulas and functions for data analysis.  Specifically, this course will help you gain knowledge and skills for preparing data for analysis using Microsoft Excel and take you one step closer to becoming a Microsoft Power BI Analyst.  After completing this course, you’ll be able to:  • Create data in Microsoft Excel and prepare it for data analysis.  • Make use of common formulas and functions in a worksheet.  • Prepare Excel data for analysis in Power BI using functions. 

Syllabus

Excel fundamentals

In the first module, you’ll focus on Excel fundamentals. In the opening lesson, you’ll receive advice on how to succeed in this course, meet your peers, and review some useful resources available to help you in your learning journey. Lesson two focuses on creating workbook content. It introduces the Excel software and essential Excel elements and techniques. These techniques include entering and formatting data and managing and adding data to worksheets. In the third lesson, you’ll learn how to work with blocks of data in Excel. You’ll begin by learning how to read large data blocks, then review the steps for sorting and filtering data in Excel. Both lessons two and three will put your new skills to the test with Excel-based exercises.

Formulas and functions

In the second module, you’ll explore formulas and functions and their importance to data analysis. You’ll begin the module with a lesson on using formulas in Excel to perform calculations. You’ll learn what the concept of a formula is, discover the syntax for different types of calculations, and complete a calculation-based exercise. In the next lesson, you’ll learn how to use common formulas and functions in a worksheet. Both of this week’s lessons also end with exercises that test your new skills.

Preparing data for analysis using functions

In the third module, you’ll learn how to prepare data for analysis using functions. You’ll begin with a lesson on using functions to clean or standardize text to prepare text data for effective analysis. You’ll then explore the use of date and time functions in Excel so that you can complete actions like creating timeline information in a spreadsheet. In the final lesson of this week, you’ll review the use of logical functions like IF and IFS. And you’ll learn how to use these logical functions to generate content like data columns. Each lesson concludes with an exercise where you'll practice your new skills by completing assigned tasks in Excel.

Final project and assessment

In the fourth week, you’ll undertake an assessment of the key skills that you covered in the course. You’ll begin with a course recap in which you’ll review the important lessons you learned. You’ll also be able to apply the knowledge you've gained in the previous weeks by completing a scenario-based project. You’ll then undertake the course quiz, which tests your knowledge of the concepts and techniques you've explored. You’ll complete the course by reflecting on what you’ve learned with your peers in a discussion. Finally, you’ll explore the next steps in this Professional Certificate.