HPE DSI 271
Data Science Courses
Data Analysis & Visualization using Excel & PowerBI
Credit: One digital badge, which can be used towards an appropriate HPE DSI micro-credential program
Lecture Contact Hours: 3 hours per week over five weeks (15 hours total)
Format: Synchronous online meetings on MS Teams
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Description
This hands-on course introduces foundational concepts and practical techniques in business data analytics using Microsoft Excel. The course serves as an analytics literacy experience designed to help students develop essential analytical skills for data-driven decision-making and organizational competitiveness.
Participants will learn how businesses collect, organize, analyze, and interpret data to support operational, financial, and strategic decision-making processes. The course emphasizes practical applications of analytics concepts using widely available, platform-independent spreadsheet tools and workflows.
Topics covered include types of business data, data organization and preparation, data modeling techniques, descriptive analytics, exploratory analysis, and problem-solving approaches commonly used in business environments. Participants will examine how analytical methods can be applied to real-world business scenarios to support informed decision-making and improve organizational performance.
The course provides extensive hands-on experience using Microsoft Excel for business analytics workflows. Participants will work with both basic and advanced Excel capabilities, including formulas and functions, data sorting and filtering, conditional logic, PivotTables, PivotCharts, data visualization tools, and analytical add-ins. Additional topics may include data cleaning, dashboard creation, and introductory forecasting or scenario analysis techniques.
Through practical exercises and applied business examples, participants will develop the ability to manipulate datasets, generate insights, and communicate analytical findings effectively using spreadsheet-based tools.
Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be able to:
- Understand foundational concepts in business data analytics
- Identify and work with different types of business data
- Apply analytical techniques to solve business problems
- Organize, clean, and analyze data using Microsoft Excel
- Use Excel functions, PivotTables, PivotCharts, and add-ins effectively
- Create data summaries, visualizations, and analytical reports
- Support data-driven decision-making using spreadsheet-based analytics tools
This course is intended for students and professionals seeking practical introductory skills in business analytics, data analysis, and spreadsheet-based decision support systems. The course is also a required component of the Micro-Credential in Advanced Data Science program. For additional information about this program, please contact HPE DSI at contact@hpedsi.uh.edu.
Mandatory Policies
Attendance: Regular class attendance, participation, and engagement in coursework are important contributors to student success. Grades (Pass/Fail) will not be assigned to students who fail to attend at least 12 hours of synchronous instruction. Absences may be excused as provided in the Excused Absence Policies included in the current UH Course Catalog.
Recording of Class: Students may not record all or part of class, livestream all or part of class, or make/distribute screen captures, without advanced written consent of the instructor. Classes may be recorded by the instructor. Students may use instructor’s recordings for their own studying and note-taking. Instructor’s recordings are not authorized to be shared with anyone without the prior written approval of the instructor.