One of the skills that characterizes great business data analysts is the ability to communicate practical implications of quantitative analyses to any kind of audience member. Even the most sophisticated statistical analyses are not useful to a business if they do not lead to actionable advice, or if the answers to those business questions are not conveyed in a way that non-technical people can understand.
In this course you will learn how to become a master at communicating business-relevant implications of data analyses. By the end, you will know how to structure your data analysis projects to ensure the fruits of your hard labor yield results for your stakeholders. You will also know how to streamline your analyses and highlight their implications efficiently using visualizations in Tableau, the most popular visualization program in the business world. Using other Tableau features, you will be able to make effective visualizations that harness the human brain’s innate perceptual and cognitive tendencies to convey conclusions directly and clearly. Finally, you will be practiced in designing and persuasively presenting business “data stories” that use these visualizations, capitalizing on business-tested methods and design principles.
This course is part of the Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization
Data Visualization and Communication with Tableau
Offered By
About this Course
4.7
1,878 ratings
Skills you will gain
Data AnalysisTableau SoftwareData Visualization (DataViz)Visualization (Computer Graphics)
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
11 hour to complete
About this Specialization and Course
<p>The Coursera Specialization: <a href='https://www.coursera.org/specializations/excel-mysql' target='_blank'>Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business</a>, 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 a 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.<p>In the third course of the specialization: <b>Data Visualization and Communication with Tableau</b>, you will learn how to communicate business-relevant implications of data analyses. <p>Specifically, you will:<ul><li>craft the right questions to ensure your analysis projects succeed;</li> <li>leverage questions to design logical and structured analysis plans;</li> <li>create the most important graphs used in business analysis and transform data in Tableau;</li><li>design business dashboards with Tableau;</li> <li>tell stories with data;</li><li>design effective slide presentations to showcase your data story; and </li><li>deliver compelling business presentations.</li></ul> <p>By the end of this course, you will know how to structure your data analysis projects to ensure the fruits of your hard labor yield results for your stakeholders. You will also know how to streamline your analyses and highlight their implications efficiently using visualizations in Tableau, the most popular visualization program in the business world. Using other Tableau features, you will be able to make effective visualizations that harness the human brain’s innate perceptual and cognitive tendencies to convey conclusions directly and clearly. Finally, you will be practiced in designing and persuasively presenting business “data stories” that use these visualizations, capitalizing on business-tested methods and design principles by completing a final peer assessed project recommending a business process change. <P>To get started, please begin with the video 'About This Specialization.'<P>I hope you enjoy this week's materials!</P>
2 videos (Total 9 min), 5 readings
5 readings
Specialization Overview10m
Course Overview10m
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)10m
Special Thanks!10m
About the Course Team10m
2 hours to complete
Asking The "Right Questions"
Welcome! This week, you will learn how data analysts ask the right questions to ensure project success. By the end of this week, you will be able to: <p><ul><li>Craft the right questions to ensure your analysis projects succeed</li><li> Leverage questions to design logical and structured analysis plans</ul></li> <p> Remember to refer back to the Additional Resources reading: Identifying and Eliciting Information from Stakeholders). In addition, you will complete a graded quiz. <p> As always, if you have any questions, post them to the <b>Discussions.</b> <p>To get started, please begin with the video “Tips for Becoming a Data Analyst.” <p>I hope you enjoy this week's materials!</p>
8 videos (Total 60 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
8 videos
Asking the Right Questions5m
Rock Projects5m
S.M.A.R.T. Objectives9m
Listening to Stakeholders During Elicitation8m
Stakeholder Expectations Matter8m
Using SPAPs to Structure Your Thinking, Part 17m
Using SPAPs to Structure Your Thinking, Part 26m
2 readings
Week 1 Additional Resources10m
SPAP Graphic10m
1 practice exercise
Week 1 Quiz30m
Week
28 hours to complete
Data Visualization with Tableau
Welcome to week 2! This week you'll install Tableau Desktop to learn how visualizing data helps you figure out what your data mean efficiently, and in the process of doing so, helps you narrow in on what factors you should take into consideration in your statistical models or predictive algorithms. Over the next two weeks, we’re going to learn how to use Tableau to implement this type of visualization and to help you find, and communicate, answers to business questions, as well as work with the Tableau functions that all data analysts should be familiar with. You will learn to install Tableau Desktop and learn to use the program by working with two data sets. In addition, through a series of practice exercises, you will use a data set to do example analyses and to answer specific sample questions about salaries for certain data-related jobs across the United State. Then for graded exercises, you will use a different data set to work out analyses and questions that will require you to directly apply the Tableau skills you have acquired through practice. <p>By the end of this week, you will be able to: <ul><li>Create the most important graphs used in business analysis and transform data in Tableau </li></ul><p>Once you have watched the "Why Tableau" video, review the "Written Instructions to install Tableau Desktop" and install the software. Remember to refer back to the Salary Data Set and to the Dognition Data Set resources posted on the course site this week. You will also complete a graded quiz at the end of the week. <p>As always, if you have any questions, post them to the <b>Discussions</b>.<p>To get started, please begin with the video “Use Data Visualization to Drive Your Analysis" and then review the "Written Instructions to install Tableau Desktop.<p>I hope you enjoy this week's materials!
16 videos (Total 130 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes
16 videos
Why Tableau?8m
Meet Your Salary Data3m
Meet Your Dognition Data11m
Our Analysis Plan39s
Salaries of Data-Related Jobs: Your First Graph11m
Formatting and Exporting Your First Graph6m
Digging Deeper Using the Rows and Columns Shelves13m
Understanding the Marks Card11m
Removing Outliers Using Scatterplot and Filtering and Groups13m
Analyzing Data-Related Salaries in Different States Using Filtering and Groups8m
When to Use Line Graphs2m
Dates as Hierarchical Dimensions or Measures8m
Analyzing Data-Related Salaries Over Time Using Date Hierarchies8m
Analyzing Data-Related Salaries Over Time Using Trend Lines9m
Analysing Data-Related Salaries Over Time Using Box Plots10m
6 readings
Written Instructions to Install Tableau Desktop2m
Salary Data Set, Description, and Analysis Plan10m
Dognition Data Set, Description, and Analysis Plan10m
The Effects of Outliers Video10m
Introduction to Linear Regression10m
Week 2 Practice Exercisess
1 practice exercise
Week 2 Quizs
Week
37 hours to complete
Dynamic Data Manipulation and Presentation in Tableau
Welcome to week 3! This week you'll continue learning how to use Tableau to answer data analysis questions. You will learn how to use Tableau to both find, and eventually communicate answers to business questions. You'll learn about the process of elicitation, and learn how to ensure your data story is not undermined by overgeneralization or bias and how to format your data charts to begin creating a compelling data story. By the end of this week, you will be able to: <ul><li>Write calculations and equations in Tableau</li> <li>Publish online business dashboards with Tableau.</li></ul> <p>Remember to refer to the additional resources for this week: “Examples of Tableau Dashboards and Stories” and "Using Tableau Dashboards When You Don't Have To." <p>You will also complete a graded quiz. <p>As always, if you have any questions, post them to the Discussions. <p>To get started, please begin with the video “Customizing and Sharing New Data in Tableau.” <p>I hope you enjoy this week's materials!
12 videos (Total 98 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz
12 videos
Tableau Calculation Types4m
How to Write Calculations11m
Calculations that Make Filtering More Efficient8m
Identifying Companies that Pay Less than the Prevailing Wage9m
Blending Price Parity Data with Our Salary Data4m
Adjusting Data-related Salaries for Cost of Living10m
Calculating Which States Have the Top Adjusted Salaries within Job Subcategories10m
Using Parameters to Define Top States7m
Calculating Which Companies Have the Top Adjusted Salaries within Job Subcategories8m
Designing a Dashboard to Determine Where You should Apply for Data-related Job12m
Visual Story Points in Tableau10m
3 readings
Data Sets Needed in Week 310m
Week 3 Additional Resources: Examples of Tableau Dashboards and Stories10m
Week 3 Practice Exercisess
1 practice exercise
Week 3 Quizs
Week
44 hours to complete
Your Communication Toolbox: Visualizations, Logic, and Stories
Welcome to week 4! This week you will become a master at getting people to agree with your data-driven business recommendations as you learn to deliver a compelling business presentation. You’ll learn about the insight from the intersection of visualization science and decision science, and what this means for you as a data analyst, who seeks to design a compelling and effective business presentations. If you intend to affect people’s decisions, you need to influence where they look. This week we will review a set of tools and concepts you can use to optimize your visualizations and your presentation style. You will soon be a master at getting people to agree with your data-driven business recommendations! <p>By the end of this week, you will be able to:<p><ul><li>Tell stories with data</li> <li>Design effective slide presentations to showcase your data story, and</li> <li> Deliver compelling business presentations</ul></li><p> Remember to refer back to the Study Guide: Designing and Delivering Effective Presentations. You will also complete a graded quiz. <p>As always, if you have any questions, post them to the <b>Discussions</b>.<p> To get started, please begin with the video “Using Visualization to Influence Business Decisions.”<p> I hope you enjoy this week's materials!
16 videos (Total 96 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
16 videos
The Storyboarding Hourglass5m
Making Your Data Story Come Alive9m
Storyboarding Your Presentation6m
The Best Stress-Testers are Teams3m
Overgeneralization and Sample Bias5m
Misinterpretations Due to Lack of Controls3m
Correlation Does Not Equal Causation6m
How Correlations Impact Business Decisions8m
Choosing Visualizations for Story Points7m
The Neuroscience of Visual Perception Can Make or Break Your Visualization3m
Misinterpretations Caused by Colorbars4m
Visual Contrast Directs Where Your Audience Looks8m
Formatting Slides to Communicate Data Stories8m
Formatting Presentations to Communicate Data Stories5m
Delivering Your Data Story5m
1 reading
Week 4 Additional Resources: Designing and Delivering an Effective Business Presentation45m
1 practice exercise
Week 4 Quiz30m
4.7
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started a new career after completing these courses
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got a tangible career benefit from this course
Top Reviews
Thanks very much for great content and especially, Ms. Jana Schaich Borg for brilliant presentation skills, lovely voice and good looking as well. Please participate. This is highly recommend course.
I was pleased by the quality of this course. I really learned how to use tableau and the tips on researching and presenting were well founded. The teachers were positive and hard working. Thank you!
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.
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