Hidden Secrets of Data Analysis in Excel

Knowing Excel alone is not enough. It’s like this chair with a missing leg.

In a world dominated by data and spreadsheets, you find yourself confident in your Excel skills. You can navigate through its interface with ease, perform basic calculations, and even conjure up a few graphs here and there. Yet, as you delve deeper into the realm of your spreadsheets, a stark realization hits you: knowing Excel alone is never enough.

Imagine you’re tasked with creating a master list for your company. This isn’t just any list; it encompasses customers, stocks, budgets, deliveries, sales, and/or employees – the lifelines of your business. Initially, you think, “How hard can it be?” You open Excel, ready to tackle the challenge with your trusty formulas and functions. However, as you start, the complexity of the task dawns on you. You need a strategy, a way to organize and structure this data effectively, ensuring it’s scalable, accessible, and, most importantly, useful. This is where your journey takes its first turn.

Without the knowledge of creating an effective master list, you soon realize that your approach to managing data in Excel is akin to using a hammer for every repair; not everything is a nail. The nuances of data structuring, the importance of data types, and the foresight needed to anticipate future data requirements are all outside the realm of basic Excel knowledge. Your lists become cumbersome, inefficient, and riddled with inconsistencies.

Then comes the inevitable: a broken list. Perhaps it’s due to incorrect data entry, a mishap with formula propagation, or just the sheer volume of data outgrowing your initial setup. Now, you’re not just creating; you’re firefighting. Cleaning up a broken list without knowing the most effective and efficient ways is like navigating a maze blindfolded. You patch up one issue, only for another to emerge, a constant battle against data chaos. This reactive approach drains your time, energy, and resources, leaving little room for your main activity.

The cycle continues, with you fighting one fire after another. The lack of a robust foundation in data management principles means you’re always a step behind, reacting to problems instead of preventing them. This not only affects your productivity but also has a ripple effect on your team and business. Decisions are delayed, opportunities missed, and the trust in data integrity erodes.

Your journey through the world of data in Excel serves as a cautionary tale. It underscores a vital lesson: Excel is a powerful tool, but without a solid understanding of data management principles, it’s like sailing a ship without knowing how to navigate. The seas of data are unforgiving, and to chart a course through them, you need more than just familiarity with a spreadsheet application. You need the knowledge and foresight to organize, manage, and leverage data effectively, ensuring your business not only survives but thrives in the information age.

Our “Hidden Secrets of Data Analysis in Excel” not only showed you the worksheet functions and formulas you need to know but also how they work seamlessly when combined with the knowledge of Data Analytics.

Who Should Attend

Managers and Executives who have to manage, analyse and prepare reports using raw data downloaded from systems. They must have some basic to intermediate knowledge of Excel i.e. navigate around a worksheet, format cells, auto-filter, sort, create a simple template and enter simple formulas (e.g. SUM) into the worksheet.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Process raw data using Excel formulas and functions
• Prepare and analyze professional-looking reports
• Set up reports and charts that are easy to maintain

Course Outline

The course is designed to introduce the functions progressively (in terms of the level of difficulty) to the participants. Each of the 10 modules is built towards the final end goal of creating a dashboard for analysis and reporting.

Module 1 – From manual calculation to automation

Module 2 – Introduction to Pivot Table, the solution for instant analysis and reporting

Module 3 – Merging 2 data sources into one for Pivot Table

Module 4 – Grouping data to find patterns

Module 5 – Extract, clean and beautify descriptions for reporting

Module 6 – Master Dates and cut down 50% of your Excel reporting time

Module 7 – Create Pivot Charts and expand your choices of charts for your presentation and dashboard

Module 8 – Selecting cells with precision and speed

Module 9 – Intermediate upgrade of Pivot Table reports

Module 10 – Create multiple sources Pivot Table

Topics covered in the course

Data Processing

• MONTH, YEAR, DAY, DATE, DATEDIF formula,
• Absolute and relative reference
• IF and NESTED IF
• GOTO function
• TEXT functions
• VLOOKUP formula

Analysis and Reporting

• PIVOT TABLE
• Tables
• Multiple Data Sources Pivot Table
• Presenting with Pivot Charts

Special Bonus

The trainer provides free consultation during the course so that participants can get a head start and apply what they learned immediately to their jobs. Participants need to provide a copy of their sanitized raw data for this.

Program Dates

Face-to-Face Workshops

• 17 – 18 Feb 25 (Mon – Tue)
• 22 – 23 May 25 (Thu – Fri)
• 07 – 08 Jul 25 (Mon – Tue)
• 16 – 17 Oct 25 (Thu – Fri)

Duration

2 days program (7 hours each day) – 9am to 5pm

Price

S$800 per pax 

Sign Up or Enquiry

Drop us a message if you would like to sign up or find out more about the course.

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