Data Visualization in Excel

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/excel-data-visualization

Introduction

### Course Review: Data Visualization in Excel #### Overview In our data-driven world, the ability to visualize data effectively is not just an asset but a necessity. "Data Visualization in Excel," offered on Coursera, is designed to equip learners with the skills to transform complex data into comprehensible visual formats. This course stands out because Excel, long revered for its computational capabilities, also packs a punch when it comes to visualization—making it a crucial tool in any data analyst or business professional's arsenal. #### Course Structure The course is well-structured and systematically guides you through the essential aspects of data visualization. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from each week: 1. **Welcome and Critical Information**: The course kicks off with foundational knowledge, setting the stage for what’s to come and outlining critical information for learners. 2. **Data Visualizations using Conditional Formatting, Sparklines, and Number Formats**: This module introduces innovative data visualization tools beyond typical charts. You will learn to leverage conditional formatting to highlight key data points effectively, create sparklines for trend analysis, and customize number formats to enhance data interpretations. 3. **Mastering Charting Techniques**: Here, you dive into traditional chart types like line, pie, and scatter charts, as well as learn about additional variations such as area and donut charts, providing a robust toolkit for creating impactful visualizations. 4. **Specialized Charts**: This week unveils a range of creative and advanced chart types that can elevate your reporting. You'll explore hierarchy, waterfall, funnel, and geospatial charts, stimulating your creative thinking and helping you devise unique representations of your data. 5. **Create an Interactive Dashboard Using Pivot Charts and Slicers**: Moving towards data analytics, this module teaches you how to summarize and visualize data using Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts, while introducing interactive elements like slicers to filter your data seamlessly. 6. **Complete the Dashboard with Creative Visualisations and Dynamic Charts**: In this final week, you will consolidate your knowledge and apply it to develop comprehensive and interactive dashboards that blend aesthetics with functionality, showcasing your analytical prowess. 7. **Final Assessment**: The course culminates with a thorough assessment, ensuring that you can apply what you've learned throughout the week. #### Personal Experience Having completed the course, I can say that it provided valuable insights and practical exercises that were instrumental in applying the learned concepts in real-world scenarios. The hands-on approach, complemented by clear, concise video tutorials and engaging assignments, ensured that the learning experience was both enjoyable and effective. #### Recommendations I wholeheartedly recommend "Data Visualization in Excel" for anyone looking to enhance their data visualization skills. Whether you are a beginner looking to grasp the basics or an intermediate user wanting to refine your skills, this course offers valuable content and practical applications. Below are a few reasons to consider enrolling: - **Comprehensive Learning**: The course covers a wide range of tools and techniques, preparing you for varied data visualization challenges. - **Hands-On Practices**: The interactive assignments ensure you apply what you learn, solidifying your knowledge. - **Real-World Application**: The skills gained can be applied across different industries, making you more valuable in today’s job market. - **User-Friendly**: The course is structured for easy navigation, making it suitable for learners with different backgrounds and skill levels. Overall, this course not only provides an enriching educational experience but also equips you with the necessary skills to make data-driven decisions in an increasingly complex world. If you're looking to make sense of data visually, this is the course for you!

Syllabus

Welcome and critical information

This week we will explore a host of data visualisation tools that do not include charts. We will learn about conditional formatting, including custom conditional formatting using formulas, drop down lists, and macros. We will then move on to learning about sparklines, shapes, and custom number formats.

This week we will explore a range of options to visualise your data using charts. We will look at standard charts such as line charts, pie charts, and scatter charts – to help you visualise your data. We will also look at charts to add to your standard toolkit such as area charts, donut charts, and bubble charts – which will add that wow factor to your work.

This week we will explore a range of innovative and creative charts – many of which are new to Excel. These charts include: hierarchy charts, waterfall charts, funnel charts, and geospatial charts. We will also look at customising and creating our charts when we look at population charts and gauge charts – giving you ideas to be innovative and creative.

This week we take a turn into data analytics by exploring Pivot Tables. We will look at how to summarise data with Pivot Tables, as well as how to customise, group, sort, and filter pivot data. We will then look at performing calculations in Pivot Tables. Finally we explore Pivot Charts which help us visualise the data in our Pivot Tables.

This week we will explore putting all our tools and knowledge together in aesthetic, interactive, and informative dashboards. Putting dashboards together will also help you revise all the tools and concepts that you have gathered along the way. By the end of the week you will be able to incorporate themes, macros, hyperlinks, as well as utilise slicers to make your dashboards interactive.

This final assessment covers all content in weeks 1 to 5.