In this course, you will learn best practices for how to use data analytics to make any company more competitive and more profitable. You will be able to recognize the most critical business metrics and distinguish them from mere data.
You’ll get a clear picture of the vital but different roles business analysts, business data analysts, and data scientists each play in various types of companies. And you’ll know exactly what skills are required to be hired for, and succeed at, these high-demand jobs.
Finally, you will be able to use a checklist provided in the course to score any company on how effectively it is embracing big data culture. Digital companies like Amazon, Uber and Airbnb are transforming entire industries through their creative use of big data. You’ll understand why these companies are so disruptive and how they use data-analytics techniques to out-compete traditional companies.
This course is part of the Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization
Business Metrics for Data-Driven Companies
Offered By
About this Course
4.5
4,802 ratings
Skills you will gain
Data AnalysisBusiness AnalysisBusiness AnalyticsBusiness Process
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
1About This Specialization and Course
This Coursera Specialization: Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business, is about how 'Big Data' interacts with business, and how to use data analytics to create value for businesses. This specialization consists of four courses and a final Capstone Project, where you will apply your skills to real-world business process. You will learn to perform sophisticated data-analysis functions using powerful software tools such as Microsoft Excel, Tableau, and MySQL. To learn more, watch the video and review the specialization overview document we provided. In the first course of the specialization: Business Metrics for Data-Driven Companies, you will be able to learn best practices for using data analytics to make any company more competitive and more profitable; learn to recognize the most critical business metrics and distinguish those from mere data; understand the vital but different roles business analysts, business data analysts, and data scientists each play in various types of companies; and know exactly the skills required to be hired for, and succeed at, these high-demand jobs. Finally, using a 20-item checklist for evaluating a business, you'll be able to score any company on how effectively it is embracing big data culture. Digital companies like Amazon, Uber and Airbnb are transforming entire industries through their creative use of big data. You’ll understand why these companies are so disruptive, and how they use data-analytics techniques to out-compete traditional companies.To get started, please begin with the video 'About This Specialization.'I hope you enjoy this week's materials!
2 videos (Total 8 min), 2 readings
2 readings
Specialization Overview10m
Course Overview10m
Introducing Business Metrics
Welcome! This week we will explore business metrics - the critical numbers that help companies figure out how to survive and thrive. Inside every pile of data is a vital metric trying to get out! By the end of this week, you will be able to: distinguish business metrics from mere business data; identify critical business metrics such as cash flow, profitability, and online retail marketing metrics; distinguish revenue, profitability and risk metrics; and distinguish traditional from dynamic metrics. Included in this week’s course materials is a Cash Flow and P&L statement for Egger’s Roast Coffee, as a supplemental document, so be sure to review it carefully and refer to the glossary for key information.
11 videos (Total 90 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
11 videos
Distinguishing Revenue, Profitability, and Risk Metrics6m
Distinguishing Traditional and Dynamic Metrics6m
Egger’s Roast Coffee Case Study Part 1 – Definitions13m
Egger’s Roast Coffee Case Study Part 2 – How a Profitable, Growing Company can go Bankrupt12m
Revenue Metrics – Traditional Enterprise Sales Funnel8m
Revenue Metrics - Amazon.com as a Leading Example of Use of Dynamic Metrics - Part 18m
Revenue Metrics - Amazon.com as a Leading Example of Use of Dynamic Metrics - Part 26m
Profitability/Efficiency Metrics: Inventory Management10m
Profitability/Efficiency Metrics: Hotel Room Occupancy Optimization9m
Risk Metrics: Leverage and Reputational Risk4m
1 reading
Egger's Roast Coffee Cash Flow and P&L Statements10m
1 practice exercise
Business Metrics30m
Week
2Working in the Business Data Analytics Marketplace
Welcome! This week, we will meet some great people - all former students of mine - now working at super-interesting and exciting jobs as business analysts, business data analysts, or data scientists. We’ll explore what they do, how their role relates to big data, and the skills they needed to get hired! Our hope is this information will give you a better understanding of the type of data-related job you might apply for once you've completed this specialization, and a sense of the type of company you would find most appealing to work for. By the end of this week, you will be able to: differentiate among different job roles within a company that work with data; identify how each role works with data; and describe the skills required to perform each job role. You will differentiate how different types of companies relate to big data culture, and rank any company according to a 20-item checklist. You will also learn to differentiate how different types of companies relate to big data culture. Included in this week’s materials is a 20-item checklist to rank companies. This week also includes in-video polls so you can see how others are ranking their businesses.
15 videos (Total 77 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
15 videos
The Business Analyst7m
An Interview with Business Analyst Shambhavi Vashishtha6m
Distinguishing the Business Data Analyst and Business Analyst Roles3m
An Interview with Business Data Analyst Tiffany Yu4m
The Data Scientist5m
An Interview with Data Scientist Dai Li4m
The Senior Software Engineer2m
Overview of 5 Types of Companies as They Relate to Big Data4m
Traditional Strategic Business Consulting4m
Bricks-and-Mortar Companies7m
Barnes and Noble Case Study4m
Strategic Business Consulting - Focus on Software/IT Systems Integration3m
Hardware and Software Companies7m
Digital Companies5m
2 readings
Summary of Job Requirements for Data-Centric Roles10m
20-Item Checklist for Evaluating A Business10m
1 practice exercise
Working in the Business Data Analytics Marketplace30m
Week
3Going Deeper into Business Metrics
Welcome! This week we’re going to go deeper into the critically-important metrics for web marketing - metrics every type of business needs to understand in order to survive. We’ll dive into the 'vertical' market of financial services - where digital companies are threatening to take away the market from traditional 'brick-and- mortar' companies.By the end of this week, you will be able to: Identify critical business metrics for all companies engaged in web-based marketing; and identify critical business metrics for financial services companies. You’ll find additional website links that expand some of the course materials covered in this week’s video lectures.
7 videos (Total 63 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
7 videos
Web Marketing - AdWord Metrics7m
Web Marketing - Segmentation5m
Financial Services Metrics - Money Management and Investing13m
The Equivalence of Different Returns –The Sharpe Ratio8m
Four Types of Money Managers and Their Performance Metrics14m
Venture Capital and Private Equity Investors6m
1 reading
Links Cited In AdWords Metric Video10m
1 practice exercise
Going Deeper into Business Metrics30m
Week
4Applying Business Metrics to a Business Case Study
This week contains the final course assignment, a peer assessment in which you will identify business metrics of interest in a case example, describe those metrics, and propose a business process change that could be supported by the metric chosen.
1 reading, 1 quiz
1 reading
A Look Ahead10m
4.5
971 Reviews25%
started a new career after completing these courses
24%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
12%
got a pay increase or promotion
Top Reviews
By AC•Nov 3rd 2018
really good bases for business metric if you already have a background you are going to enjoy and refresh you memory and if you don't have previous experiences is really easy to understand the concept
By YW•Oct 3rd 2016
a very interesting course on business metrics, talks about business metrics itself, jobs and companies in this field, also some examples of the application of business metrics like Amazon, Costco.
Instructors
Daniel Egger
Executive in Residence and Director, Center for Quantitative ModelingPratt School of Engineering, Duke University
Jana Schaich Borg
Assistant Research ProfessorSocial Science Research Institute
About Duke University
Duke University has about 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students and a world-class faculty helping to expand the frontiers of knowledge. The university has a strong commitment to applying knowledge in service to society, both near its North Carolina campus and around the world.
About the Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization
Formulate data questions, explore and visualize large datasets, and inform strategic decisions.
In this Specialization, you’ll learn to frame business challenges as data questions. You’ll use powerful tools and methods such as Excel, Tableau, and MySQL to analyze data, create forecasts and models, design visualizations, and communicate your insights. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply your skills to explore and justify improvements to a real-world business process.
The Capstone Project focuses on optimizing revenues from residential property, and Airbnb, our Capstone’s official Sponsor, provided input on the project design. Airbnb is the world’s largest marketplace connecting property-owner hosts with travelers to facilitate short-term rental transactions. The top 10 Capstone completers each year will have the opportunity to present their work directly to senior data scientists at Airbnb live for feedback and discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
Will I receive a transcript from Duke University for completing this course?
No. Completion of a Coursera course does not earn you academic credit from Duke; therefore, Duke is not able to provide you with a university transcript. However, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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