Information Worker Course IW 4003: Summarizing Microsoft Office
Excel 2003 Data to Make Better Business Decisions
1/2 day Instructor-Led Course per Level (4
hours)
Introduction
One of the great challenges business people face today is
not collecting information, but making sense of the information
they already have. Within the endless rows of Microsoft Excel
data is information that can help you make better business
decisions, but how can you filter you way through all that
information? This course, through hands-on activities, will
teach you some of the most effective techniques in data summary
and display. It covers the role of business intelligence in
today’s workplace and introduces the power of Excel in business
intelligence analysis. Students also learn how to hone their
skills regarding data lists and PivotTables.
Audience
This course is designed for experienced Excel users who have
a vested interest in analyzing Excel data more effectively. This
audience is familiar with tracking project budgets and chart
trends, and they have no difficulty using Excel to create
formulas, charts, and cell formats.
At Course Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:
• Describe the role business intelligence plays in
organizational planning and explain how to extend business
intelligence analysis beyond the spreadsheet.
• Use data lists and SUBTOTAL formulas to summarize their Excel
data.
• Create and use PivotTables to visualize worksheet data.
• Limit the data displayed in a PivotTable to only the data
needed to make a specific decision.
Prerequisites
Before attending this course, students must have:
• Experience with analyzing business data to make decisions
about products, projects, and strategic direction.
• The ability to create formulas, including advanced formulas
using the Insert Function dialog box.
• The ability to create line graphs and column charts from Excel
data.
Previous Software Versions: MS Office XP, 2002, 2000
Course Outline: |
Module 1: Deriving Business Intelligence from Excel Data
This module introduces the process of deriving business
intelligence from spreadsheet data both in general, as presented
in the course lecture segments, and in the context of your
business environment.
Topics and Activities
• What Is Business Intelligence?
• The Need for Business Intelligence
• Discussion: The Need for Business Intelligence
• Summary of Discovering Business Intelligence in Excel
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the business intelligence process.
• List the needs for business intelligence.
• Explain how to extend business intelligence analysis beyond
the spreadsheet.
• Summarize business intelligence analysis in Excel. |
Module 2: Summarizing Data Using Lists
This module introduces data lists and SUBTOTAL formulas,
which you can use to produce meaningful subsets of your Excel
data. The exercises in this module ask you to analyze sample
data in terms of sample files for a fictitious company.
Topics and Activities
• Demonstration: Revealing Information in Data Lists
• Walkthrough 1: Creating a Data List
• Walkthrough 2: Creating a Crosstab Table
• Walkthrough 3: Creating a SUBTOTAL Formula
• Walkthrough 4: Filtering a Data List
• Tips and Tricks for Using Data Lists and SUBTOTAL Formulas
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Create a data list.
• Filter data lists.
• Add a Total row to a data list.
• Summarize data using SUBTOTAL formulas. |
