Microsoft Excel: Data Analysis / Decision Making

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Course Overview

In today's fast-paced business climate, it is vital that decisions are made quickly and accurately. The power of Microsoft Excel can be used to analyse business problems, identify solutions and make sound decisions to achieve a competitive advantage.

In this course, you use advanced Excel techniques to build sophisticated spreadsheets. You learn to perform "what-if" analysis, apply functions, manipulate PivotTables, and present your results to make better decisions for planning, budgeting and more.

Audience

This course is valuable for everyone who makes business decisions based on data. Experience with Excel at an introductory level is assumed.

Skills Gained

• Leverage advanced features of Microsoft Excel to facilitate business decisions
• Perform "what-if" analysis for developing budget and project plans
• Predict potential business developments using trend analysis
• Consolidate and process multidimensional worksheets
• Summarise and analyse large amounts of data using PivotTables and Excel features
• Automate Excel processes and enhance worksheet models

Course Outline

Business Solutions and Excel

• Overview of Excel features
• Incorporating Excel into the decision-making process
• Designing effective worksheets

Analysing and Deciphering Data

Evaluating data with Excel functions

• Interpreting and implementing functions with the Fx tool
• Applying basic financial functions
• Differentiating serial dates and date presentations
• Performing date calculations using the Analysis Toolpak

Examining data anomalies with conditional tests

• Reporting data discrepancies with the IF function
• Highlighting inconsistencies with conditional formatting

Forecasting and Trend Analysis

Optimising solutions with "what-if" analysis

• Managing variables in worksheet models with Scenarios
• Building scenario reports
• Comparing and contrasting different data sets with Scenario Manager
• Determining profits with Goal Seek
• Planning costs with Solver
• Orientating workbook perspectives with Views

Qualifying and quantifying data trends

• Establishing data patterns for detailed analysis
• Projecting values with chart trendlines
• Interpolating and extrapolating values from charts
• Data extrapolation with AutoFill

Summarising Business Information

Organising workbooks and links

• Arranging multiple workbooks with Workspaces
• Managing external links

Consolidating ranges

• Building 3-D formulas to analyse worksheet data
• Summarising multiple sources of Excel information into one worksheet

Formulating Decisions from Database Information

Distilling lists for data analysis

• Analysing lists with filters and aggregation
• Calculating subtotals and grand totals

Defining subsets of data with Microsoft Query

• Withdrawing data from external data sources
• Filtering and sorting data
• Controlling properties of an external data extract

Condensing and refining data with PivotTables and PivotCharts

• Creating interactive PivotTables and PivotCharts for real-time data analysis
• Comparing related totals dynamically
• Extracting and filtering records
• Defining data summaries interactively
• Presenting PivotTable reports effectively
• Exploiting OLAP cubes as a data source

Enhancing Excel Usage with Macros

Automating repetitive tasks

• Recording and executing macros
• Invoking macros with Form controls

Recognising the code behind a macro

• Working with the Visual Basic Editor
• Stepping through and interpreting code in a macro procedure
• Modifying macros in the code window

Microsoft Excel: Data Analysis / Decision Making / MEX-MB