As data becomes the modern currency, so the ability to analyse the data quickly and accurately has become of paramount importance. Excel with its extraordinarily broad range of features and capabilities is one of the most widely used programs for doing this. In the first course of our Excel Skills for Data Analysis and Visualization Specialization, you will learn the fundamentals of Excel for data analysis. When you have completed the course, you will be able to use a range of Excel tools and functions to clean and prepare data for analysis; automate data analysis with the help of Named Ranges and Tables; and use logical and lookup functions to transform, link and categorise data.
This course is part of the Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization Specialization
Offered By
About this Course
What you will learn
Use Excel tools and functions to clean and prepare data for analysis.
Use Named Ranges and Tables to automate your analysis.
Understand the different types of data in Excel and use appropriate functions to work with them.
Use logical and lookup functions to transform, link and categorise data.
Skills you will gain
- Data Analysis
- Microsoft Excel
- Data Cleansing
Offered by

Macquarie University
Macquarie is ranked among the top one per cent of universities in the world, and with a 5-star QS rating, we are recognised for producing graduates who are among the most sought-after professionals in the world. Since our foundation 54 years ago, we have aspired to be a different type of university: one focused on fostering collaboration between students, academics, industry and society.
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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Welcome and critical information
Cleaning and manipulating text
By the end of this module, you will be an expert in Excel's Text functions. This module discusses ways you can extract information and manipulate data to fulfil specific business requirements. You will develop techniques for working confidently with these Excel functions and unlock the full power of Excel by manipulating and cleaning text data. This is really important because you cannot properly analyse data if it is invalid or in an unsuitable format. You will begin with the mechanics of creating a function, specifying multiple arguments, and then you will look at how to work with text in functions. You will also learn how to use multiple functions in a single formula — a technique known as nesting. The topics you will be learning this week: Functions for Combining Text; Functions for Splitting Text; Combining Text Functions; Cleaning Data & Changing Case; and Removing and replacing unwanted characters.
Working with numbers and dates
By the end of this module, you will be an expert in Excel's Date functions. This module discusses ways that you can extract information and manipulate data to fulfil specific business requirements. You will also
Defined Names for working more effectively with data
In this module, you will learn about different types of cell referencing: relative cell referencing, absolute cell referencing, and mixed cell referencing. You will then learn about a great Excel functionality, Named Ranges — which is another way of referencing a cell or a range of cells by giving them a sensible name. You will see that named ranges make our formulas much easier to understand and you will also see how it makes them much easier to create — using tools such as Define Name and Create from Selection. You will also learn about Excel's Name Box and the Name Manager. You will learn some exciting Excel functions that allow you to aggregate and summarise data — such as SUMIFS and COUNTIFS, and much more. The topics you will be learning this week: Cell referencing and naming; Creating named ranges; Managing named ranges; Calculations with named ranges; and Automating processes with named ranges.
Tables for automating data manipulation
In this module, you will learn that a table in Excel is more like a database of records and fields which contains a set of related information — such as a table of inventory data. You will learn how to create, format, and manage tables, and you will learn how to easily format, select, sort, and filter in a table. You will also learn about the Total Row where you can just pick from a set of automated summarisation functions. You will learn about structured referencing — where you can continue to work with the data in a table, but the formulas look slightly different because tables use a different way to reference cells. You will also learn how to automatically extend tables whenever new data is added. The topics you will be learning this week: Creating, naming and removing tables; Formatting and selecting in tables; Sorting and filtering tables; Performing calculations with structured references; and Automating processes with tables.
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TOP REVIEWS FROM EXCEL FUNDAMENTALS FOR DATA ANALYSIS
A very well structured course with easy to follow examples. I would give it a 4.5 because there is some error in the workbook and quizzes but apparently, it hasn't been changed despite to complaints
Hello. I'm so grateful for the course. I've learned so much and I use my knowledge in my work. It helped me a lot. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Serdar B. / Turkmenistan
NICE EXPERIENCE AND LEARNT MANY USEFUL THINGS WHICH IS IS REQUIRED IN DAILY OFFICE USE THANKS TO ALL TEAM MEMBERS AND MY ORGANISATION -RIL WHO PROVIDE ME THIS COURSERA COURSE\n\nTHANKS
Amazing course and amazing lecturers! Great lesson structure and logical progression. I really recommend doing the practices at the end of each week. Looking forward to the next course!
About the Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization Specialization
As data becomes the modern currency, so the ability to quickly and accurately analyse data has become of paramount importance. Therefore, data analytics and visualization are two of the most sought after skills for high paying jobs with strong future growth prospects. According to an IBM report, the Excel tools for data analytics and visualization are among the top 10 competencies projected to show double-digit growth in their demand. This course will help you develop your analytical and visualization skills so that you not only improve your current work performance but also expand your future job prospects. For those in business and data analysis who want to master advanced Excel and beginner Power BI , that will add an asset to your employability portfolio.

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