Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations Specialization

 

What you'll learn

Describe the data ecosystem, tasks a Data Analyst performs, as well as skills and tools required for successful data analysis

Explain basic functionality of spreadsheets and utilize Excel to perform a variety of data analysis tasks like data wrangling and data mining

List various types of charts and plots and create them in Excel as well as work with Cognos Analytics to generate interactive dashboards

Join Free: Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations Specialization

Specialization - 4 course series

Deriving insights from data and communicating findings has become an increasingly important part of virtually every profession. This Specialization prepares you for this data-driven transformation by teaching you the core principles of data analysis and visualization and by giving you the tools and hands-on practice to communicate the results of your data discoveries effectively.  

You will be introduced to the modern data ecosystem. You will learn the skills required to successfully start data analysis tasks by becoming familiar with spreadsheets like Excel. You will examine different data sets, load them into the spreadsheet, and employ techniques like summarization, sorting, filtering, & creating pivot tables.

Creating stunning visualizations is a critical part of communicating your data analysis results. You will use Excel spreadsheets to create the many different types of data visualizations such as line plots, bar charts, pie charts. You will also create advanced visualizations such as treemaps, scatter charts & map charts. You will then build interactive dashboards. 

This Specialization is designed for learners interested in starting a career in the field of Data or Business Analytics, as well as those in other professions, who need basic data analysis and visualization skills to supplement their primary job tasks.

This program is ACE® recommended—when you complete, you can earn up to 9 college credits.  

Applied Learning Project

Build your data analytics portfolio as you gain practical experience from producing artifacts in the interactive labs and projects throughout this program. Each course has a culminating project to apply your newfound skills:

In the first course, create visualizations to detect fraud by analyzing credit card data.

In the second course, import, clean, and analyze fleet vehicle inventory with Excel pivot tables.

In the third course, use car sales key performance indicator (KPI) data to create an interactive dashboard with stunning visualizations using Excel and IBM Cognos Analytics.

Only a modern web browser is required to complete these practical exercises and projects — no need to download or install anything on your device.