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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation 1.0

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation 1.0

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ICDL Professional

DATA ANALYTICS -
FOUNDATION
Syllabus 1.0

Learning Material
(MS Excel, Power BI)

© 2018 «PageFooterText» Page i

Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Reproducing, repurposing, or distributing this courseware without the permission of ICDL Foundation
is prohibited.

ICDL Foundation, ICDL Europe, ICDL, ECDL and related logos are registered business names and/or trademarks of ECDL Foundation.

This courseware may be used to assist candidates to prepare for the ECDL Foundation Certification Programme as titled on the
courseware. ICDL Foundation does not warrant that the use of this courseware publication will ensure passing of the tests for that ICDL
Foundation Certification Programme.

The material contained in this courseware does not guarantee that candidates will pass the test for the ICDL Foundation Certification
Programme. Any and all assessment items and / or performance-based exercises contained in this courseware relate solely to this
publication and do not constitute or imply certification by ICDL Foundation in respect of the ECDL Foundation Certification Programme or
any other ICDL Foundation test. This material does not constitute certification and does not lead to certification through any other process
than official ICDL Foundation certification testing.

Candidates using this courseware must be registered with the National Operator before undertaking a test for an ICDL Foundation
Certification Programme. Without a valid registration, the test(s) cannot be undertaken and no certificate, nor any other form of
recognition, can be given to a candidate. Registration should be undertaken at an Approved Test Centre.

Screen shots used with permission from Microsoft. Tool and application-specific details are correct as of October 2018. Online tools and
applications are subject to frequent update and change.

Page ii ICDL Data Analytics S1.0 V1 © 2019

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

Organisations, as they increasingly embed technology in their activities, have available to

them large sets of data associated with their key activities – for example, sales, customer
service, production, and logistics. These activities often generate large streams of data
even for small organisations. It is possible for organisations to exploit this data to monitor,
to improve, and to innovate – but only if they apply sound data analytic techniques. This
ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation module provides you with foundational knowledge and
skills in data analytics, which will enable you to start exploiting your data to deliver business
intelligence that can help your business reach its goals.

On completion of this module you will be able to:

• Understand the key concepts relating to the application of data analytics in business.
• Understand and apply key statistical analysis concepts.
• Import data into a spreadsheet and prepare it for analysis using data cleansing and
filtering techniques.
• Summarise data sets using pivot tables and pivot charts.
• Understand and apply data visualization techniques and tools.
• Create and share reports and dashboards in a data visualization tool.

What are the benefits of this module?

This module gives you the essential knowledge and skills relating to key data analytics
concepts, statistical analysis, data set preparation, data set summarisation and data
visualization. Developed with input from subject matter experts and practising
professionals, it develops a knowledge of key concepts and a practical understanding of
how to use data analytics in business. Once you have developed the skills and knowledge
set out in this book, you will be in a position to become certified in an international standard
in this area - ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation.

For details of the specific areas of the ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation syllabus covered in
each section of this book, refer to the ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation syllabus map at the
end of the book.

How to use this book

This book covers the entirety of the ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation course. It introduces
important concepts and sets out the specific steps associated with using different features
of the application. You will also have the opportunity to practice some of these activities
yourself using sample files provided in the Student folder. It is recommended that you do
not save your changes to sample files, as you may want to practice an activity more than
once.
Note: The spreadsheet steps described in this book apply to Microsoft Excel 2016 as part
of Microsoft Office 2016, purchased as a stand-alone product. Other versions of Microsoft
Excel 2016, such as Microsoft Excel 2016 as part of a Microsoft Office 365 subscription,
may include different functionality and steps. For example, the Get & Transform Data
option in Microsoft Excel 2016 as part of an Office 365 subscription follows different steps
for importing data.

© 2019 Page iii

Page iv © 2019
ICDL DATA ANALYTICS - FOUNDATION
LESSON 1 – KEY CONCEPTS .................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Types of Data Analytics ...................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Business Benefits ............................................................................................................... 9
1.3 Data Analysis Process ...................................................................................................... 11
1.4 Data Protection Considerations......................................................................................... 13
1.5 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................... 14

LESSON 2 – STATISTICAL ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 15

2.1 Summary Statistics Introduction ........................................................................................ 16
2.2 Measures of Central Tendency ......................................................................................... 18
2.3 Calculating Central Tendency ........................................................................................... 23
2.4 Measures of Variation ....................................................................................................... 25
2.5 Calculating Variation ......................................................................................................... 30
2.6 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................... 32

LESSON 3 – IMPORTING DATA SETS ..................................................................................... 33

3.1 Importing Data Sets Introduction ....................................................................................... 34
3.2 Importing Data from Text Files .......................................................................................... 35
3.3 Importing Data from Spreadsheets.................................................................................... 39
3.4 Importing Data from Website Tables ................................................................................. 41
3.5 Importing Data from Database Tables ............................................................................... 44
3.6 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................... 46

LESSON 4 – SHAPING DATA SETS ......................................................................................... 47

4.1 Shaping Data Sets Introduction......................................................................................... 48
4.2 Removing Duplicate Data ................................................................................................. 49
4.3 Validating Data Using VLOOKUP ..................................................................................... 51
4.4 Validating Data Using IF Functions ................................................................................... 55
4.5 Extracting Values Using Text Functions ............................................................................ 58
4.6 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................... 61

LESSON 5 – FILTERING DATA SETS ...................................................................................... 63

5.1 Formatting Data Sets as Tables ........................................................................................ 64
5.2 Using Table Slicers ........................................................................................................... 67
5.3 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................... 70

LESSON 6 – PIVOT TABLE DATA AGGREGATION ................................................................ 71

© 2019 Page v
6.1 Summarising Data Introduction ......................................................................................... 72
6.2 Changing Aggregation Methods ........................................................................................ 73
6.3 Displaying Multiple Aggregation Values ............................................................................ 76
6.4 Using Built-In Calculations ................................................................................................ 79
6.5 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................... 87

LESSON 7 – PIVOT TABLE FREQUENCY ANALYSIS ............................................................. 89

7.1 Grouping Date, Time and Numeric Data ........................................................................... 90
7.2 Creating Custom Groups .................................................................................................. 94
7.3 Ungrouping Data ............................................................................................................... 97
7.4 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................... 98

LESSON 8 – FILTERING PIVOT TABLES................................................................................. 99

8.1 Using Report Filters ........................................................................................................ 100
8.2 Using Pivot Table Slicers ................................................................................................ 105
8.3 Using Timelines .............................................................................................................. 111
8.4 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................. 114

LESSON 9 – USING PIVOT CHARTS ..................................................................................... 115

9.1 Inserting Pivot Charts from Pivot Tables ......................................................................... 116
9.2 Creating Pivot Charts from Tables .................................................................................. 121
9.3 Review Exercise ............................................................................................................. 129

LESSON 10 – DATA VISUALIZATION TOOLS ....................................................................... 131

10.1 Key Features of Data Visualization Tools ...................................................................... 132
10.2 Data Visualization Tools Setup ..................................................................................... 135
10.3 Visualization Tool Environment ..................................................................................... 137
10.4 Importing Data Sets from Spreadsheets........................................................................ 139
10.5 Review Exercise ........................................................................................................... 142

LESSON 11 – CREATING BASIC DATA VISUALIZATIONS .................................................. 143

11.1 Creating Table Visualizations ........................................................................................ 144
11.2 Creating Chart Visualizations ........................................................................................ 147
11.3 Enhancing Visualizations Using Conditional Formatting ................................................ 159
11.4 Enhancing Visualizations Using Visual Level Filters ...................................................... 166
11.5 Creating Visualizations Using Maps .............................................................................. 169
11.6 Review Exercise ........................................................................................................... 174

LESSON 12 – CREATING ADDITIONAL DATA VISUALIZATIONS........................................ 175

12.1 Creating Visualizations to Measure Progress ................................................................ 176
12.2 Creating Card Visualizations ......................................................................................... 184

Page vi © 2019
12.3 Creating Matrix Visualizations ....................................................................................... 188
12.4 Adding Interactivity Using Slicers .................................................................................. 190
12.5 Review Exercise ........................................................................................................... 194

LESSON 13 – PUBLISHING AND SHARING .......................................................................... 195

13.1 Creating and Preparing to Share Reports ..................................................................... 196
13.2 Publishing and Sharing Reports .................................................................................... 199
13.3 Creating Dashboards .................................................................................................... 207
13.4 Sharing Dashboards ..................................................................................................... 211
13.5 Good Design Practice ................................................................................................... 213
13.6 Evaluating Results ........................................................................................................ 215
13.7 Review Exercise ........................................................................................................... 216

ICDL SYLLABUS ..................................................................................................................... 217

© 2019 Page vii

Page viii © 2019
LESSON 1 –
KEY CONCEPTS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Identify the main types of data analytics

• Outline the business benefits of data analytics
• Identify the main phases of data analysis
• Recognise data protection considerations when analysing data
Lesson 1 – Key Concepts ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

1.1 TYPES OF DATA ANALYTICS

Concepts

Organisations can collect and process vast amounts of data such as sales figures,
operating costs, logistics, customer satisfaction rates and online engagement
metrics.

This data is collected from an increasing range of sources - for example, mobile
devices, online platforms, payment systems, cameras, GPS systems, wireless
sensors, and legacy systems. And this business data is stored in a wide variety of
formats.

With vast amounts of data from different data streams and in different formats,
organisations are using data analytics to find meaningful and useful insights that
they can use to meet their organisational goals.

Mobile Online Payment Cameras

Devices Platforms Systems

GPS Systems Wireless Legacy

Sensors Systems
Data Sources

Data Analytics

Data analytics refers to the techniques and processes used to collect, organise
and examine data sets to create meaningful and useful information.

In recent times there has been a rapid rise in the use of data analytics across all
types of organisations and sectors due to, among other things, technological
advances in data analytics, increased computing power and better data storage
capabilities. The use of data analytics can provide many benefits – for example, in
business it can be used to gain competitive advantage, improve performance and
increase profits.

Page 2 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 1 – Key Concepts

There are different categories and types of data analytics, which although
interrelated, have different purposes and provide different insights. In business
deciding which type of data analytics is appropriate depends on a variety of
factors, such as, the type of data being used, the stage of the workflow and your
business requirements and objectives.

Quantitative and Qualitative Analytics

Two broad categories of data analytics are quantitative analytics and qualitative
analytics.

Quantitative Analytics Qualitative Analytics

Categories of Data Analytics

Quantitative analytics can be used to analyse information that can be measured

and written down with numbers – for example, information like profits, costs,
sales, number of repeat purchases, number of goods returned or number of
complaints.

Quantitative analytics uses structured techniques to gather data, such as surveys,

business reports and polls. And it uses mathematical and statistical methods to
analyse the data gathered.

In quantitative analytics the data set is assessed objectively, providing broad and
generalised insights. For example, you may calculate the percentage of
customers who returned a product, the percentage of products that were faulty, or
the number of sales in one store compared to another.

Qualitative analytics can be used to analyse information about attitudes,

opinions and behaviours. This type of information is not easily measured or
expressed as numbers – examples include, customer’s opinions on a product or
service, opinions on an organisation’s reputation or attitudes towards a brand.

Qualitative analytics uses unstructured or semi-structured techniques to gather

data such as, focus groups, discussions, interviews and observations.

In qualitative analytics the data set is assessed subjectively, providing narrow and
specific insights. For example, you may need to analyse customer transcripts or
interview notes to determine whether a customer likes your product or is satisfied
with your service levels. You might have to pay close attention to the customer’s
language in order to draw conclusions, which will be subjective and depend on
your interpretation of the customer’s responses.

Qualitative analytics can also provide useful insights that you are unlikely to get
from quantitative analytics. For example, you can use qualitative analytics to delve
into the reasons for things, such as why some customers like your products and
others don’t.

Page 4 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 1 – Key Concepts

Types of Data Analytics

Four types of data analytics, which can be broadly classified by their different
purposes, are descriptive analytics, which is the simplest type, followed by
diagnostic analytics, then predictive analytics and finally prescriptive analytics,
which is the most complex type.

01 02 03 04
Descriptive Diagnostic Predictive Prescriptive
Analytics: Analytics: Analytics: Analytics:

What happened Why did it What is likely to What is the best

in the past? happen? happen? action to take?

Types of Data Analytics

Descriptive Analytics

Descriptive analytics are used to find out what happened in the

past?
Although considered the most basic form of data analytics, it still provides
valuable insights into the past by summarising raw or historical data from multiple
sources.

Descriptive analytics uses descriptive statistics, such as arithmetic operations,

mean, median, and percentage.

Descriptive analytics can be used to create management reports providing

insights into past performance. It allows you to see whether something happened
as expected, for example if targets were met, but it doesn’t provide reasons why.

Diagnostic Analytics

Diagnostic analytics are used to find out why something happened

in the past? It takes a deeper look at the data to understand the root causes of
events and to determine the factors that contributed to the outcome.

Diagnostic analytics use techniques such as drill-down, data discovery, and

correlations. And it uses probabilities, likelihoods, and the distribution of outcomes
for the analysis.

Diagnostic analytics can be used in social media marketing campaigns to assess

levels of customer engagement through numbers of posts, mentions, followers,
fans, page views, reviews and pins. This can give an insight into what worked in
past campaigns and what did not.

Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics are used to find out what is likely to happen

in the future? It uses the findings of descriptive and diagnostic
analytics to forecast the probability of a future outcome. The forecast is an
estimate, the accuracy of which depends on the quality and constancy of the data.

Predictive analytics use techniques such as modelling to devise statistical or

mathematical models of current and historical data.

Predictive analytics might be used by organisations to predict the impact of a

proposed change, to predict customer purchasing trends, or to predict a
customer’s ability to repay a loan on time.

Prescriptive Analytics

Prescriptive analytics are used to identify what is the best action to

take now? It is useful for avoiding problems that may arise in the
future or for making the best use of trends. It is a relatively new and
complex type of analytics.

Prescriptive analytics use the findings of predictive analytics combined with

historical and transactional data, real-time data feeds from both internal and
external sources, mathematical models and various business rules. Techniques
include optimisation, simulation, and decision-analysis methods.

Larger organisations might use prescriptive analytics to optimise production,

scheduling and inventory in the supply chain, to ensure delivery of the right
products at the right time thereby optimising the customer experience.

The diagram below illustrates the value-added contribution and complexity of the
various types of data analytics in relation to each other.

Prescriptive
Analytics
Level of Value-added Contribution

Predictive
Analytics

Diagnostic
Analytics
Business Insights

Descriptive
Analytics

Data Analytics Types

Past Trends Causes Predictions Best actions

Business Insights

Page 6 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 1 – Key Concepts

Case Example

The following is an online article that reports how a fashion retail company
leverages their business using data analytics.

What are Zara’s critical big data approaches?

Data is captured from POS terminals, e-commerce

sales, customer surveys, PDA devices and RFID tags
on the clothing. Store personnel are trained to capture
customer preferences in their PDAs on every detail:
buttons, zippers, color, cut and more. They enter and
upload the feedback nightly and regional managers
isolate their region’s preferences and tastes.

The Wall Street Journal reports that “Zara has built its
business on RFID tags.” This gives Zara the ability to
manage inventory cheaply at the same time it allows the
company to observe the frequency of garments moving
in and out of dressing rooms.

Zara gathers data from Instagram, surveys, and online

social media, creating a central nervous system of their
customers’ fashion sensibility in each and every market.

Then, all the data above is compiled in the Arteixo,

Spain data center 24 hours a day, analysts work,
processing data to drive new design releases, shipping
to stores twice a week. Zara generate weekly
predictions for every single SKU they sell, offering their
designs in tiny batches that run out — but rarely go on
sale. Zara knows their customer inside out, and when
they get it wrong, they can adapt faster than their
competitors.

Source: Adam Nathan, Medium, Zara & Big Data:

A 5-Minute Case Study, Oct 25, 2017

The various data analytics activities described in the article can be identified as
belonging to one of the data analytics types - either descriptive, diagnostic,
predictive or prescriptive.

Can you identify which activities belong to which type of analytics?

The table below outlines which data analytics activities belong to which type of
data analytics:

Type of Data Analytics Case Example Data Analytics Activities

- Capturing data from POS (point of sale)
terminals, e-commerce sales, customer
Descriptive surveys, PDA (personal digital assistant)
Analytics devices, RFID (radio frequency
identification) tags on clothing, store
personnel’s feedback, Instagram, surveys,
and social media.
- Compiling and analysing data.

Diagnostic - Processing data, based on descriptive

Analytics analytics, to assess customers’ feelings
about new design releases.

Predictive - Generating prediction of Stock Keeping

Analytics Unit (SKU) and shipping frequency to
stores from Descriptive and Diagnostic
Analytics.

Prescriptive - Identifying the popular units and

Analytics prescribing the number to be offered so
that they run out fast and price reductions
on these items are minimised.

Page 8 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 1 – Key Concepts

1.2 BUSINESS BENEFITS

Concepts

Knowing how to use and interpret data can help businesses reach their business
goals and stay ahead of their competition. The insights gained from data analytics
can provide businesses with the following benefits:

1. Identify 2. Improve 3. Support 4. Present

Patterns And Efficiency Decision Making Information
Trends Effectively

These benefits can generate positive outcomes for a business and its customers.

Identifying patterns/trends

The process of evaluating large sets of data containing varying data

types can help businesses to uncover hidden patterns in the data.

Data analytics can be used to identify customer preferences and behaviour – for
example, data gathered through loyalty card systems and online shopping
platforms can provide information on purchasing patterns and trends in real time.
This information can be used to provide personalised recommendations and
targeted advertising to shoppers.

Data can also be analysed to identify market trends – for example, in an online
retail environment, popular products and those becoming popular can be
identified and this information used in supply chain management.

Organisations, such as social media platforms, can use data analytics as the
basis of new business models where access to services are free in exchange for
personal data. Data analytics are then used to generate revenue from the
personal data, for example, by categorising customers according to their product
preferences and using this information in targeted marketing campaigns.

Financial organisations may use data analytics to analyse past financial

performance in order to find patterns and predict future financial performance.
This information can be used in things like assessing risks when considering loan
applications.

Improving efficiency

The insight gained by data analytics enables businesses to

automate and optimize their business processes thus improving
operational efficiency. For example, a chain of hotels can analyse
historic data to predict when their hotels will be busiest. They can use this
information to allocate staff and resources efficiently, thereby reducing costs.

In a manufacturing environment data analytics can be used to identify the output

required at a given time period and the resources required to produce that
quantity. With this analysis, production is more efficient and there is less waste.

Supporting decision making

Access to large volumes of analysed data allows businesses to

make better and more informed business decisions and to set more
effective business strategies.

For example, managers and decision-makers can make quicker and more
effective choices using regularly updated dashboards and reports that display
and/or summarise important performance metrics.

HR Service providers may use data analytics to help them decide whether to
introduce a new HR policy. They may forecast the impact of the proposed HR
policy on employee performance and only decide to introduce it if it has a positive
effect on employee performance and well-being.

Healthcare providers may use data analytics to predict patient’s medical needs.
This information will help them when deciding how to allocate resources most
effectively when planning for future demand.

Presenting information effectively

Data presented in easy-to-understand formats such as tables,

charts, maps, and graphs help businesses to better interpret and
understand their data.

Using visual data in reports and dashboards can make businesses more agile and
help them find revealing insights faster and make decisions more quickly.

Page 10 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 1 – Key Concepts

1.3 DATA ANALYSIS PROCESS

Concepts

Starting to use data analytics to gain business intelligence can be challenging.

This can be the case when there is too much data as well as when there is too
little data. Looking at data analysis as a process with different phases can help
you get the most out of your organisations’ data.

The data analysis process and phases will vary depending on the type of data
analytics used and your business implementation. It can include tasks such as
defining the question you are trying to answer; deciding what data you need to
answer the question; determining if you have the data; collecting the data; getting
the data ready for analysis (cleaning and transforming the data); analysing the
data; interpreting the results; and using the results.

The Data Analysis Business

Type of Data
Process Implementation
Analytics

For example, a type of data analytics known as data mining, which explores large
data sets and generates predictions, typically follows a process with six phases.

6. 1. Business
Deployment understanding

5. 2. Data
Evaluation understanding

4. 3. Data
Modelling preparation

Data Analysis Phases

These six phases are described in the table below.

Phase Description

1. Business In the initial phase the aim is to understand what the

understanding business goals are and what information is required to
achieve those goals - for example, increase customer
retention by 10% from last year. Then you create the
related data analytics objective or objectives – for
example predict how many customers will renew this
year based on customer renewal rates over the last 3
years. And then you create a project plan to include
defining timelines, how success will be measured and
the tools and techniques.

2. Data In the second phase the aim is to understand the data

understanding by considering the data requirements. You review and
document the data you have acquired to establish if
there are any data management or quality problems that
need to be addressed. This involves collecting,
describing, exploring and assessing the data.

3. Data In the third phase the aim is to prepare the data for the
preparation modelling phase. You construct the final data set to use
in your analysis from the initial raw data. This involves
selecting, cleaning and transforming (constructing and
integrating) the data.

4. Modelling In the fourth phase the aim is to find useful patterns in

the data that can be useful to the business. To do this,
you select and apply appropriate data modelling tools
and techniques. This involves selecting modelling
techniques, designing tests, building models and
assessing models. This phase involves trial and error
and usually takes multiple iterations.

5. Evaluation In the fifth phase the aim is to ensure that the results are
useful for the business. To do this, you evaluate the
results of the model in relation to the business success
criteria.

6. Deployment In the sixth phase the aim is to use the results in the
business to meet the business goals. To deploy the
model, you integrate the results into the business. This
phase includes planning the deployment, reporting the
results and monitoring the results.

Note: In this Foundation module, the focus is on the data understanding and data
preparation phases and the associated tools in Microsoft Excel and Power BI.

Page 12 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 1 – Key Concepts

1.4 DATA PROTECTION CONSIDERATIONS

Concepts

Data protection is an area of law that is designed to protect the privacy rights of
individuals in relation to the processing of their personal data. Personal data is
typically defined as data that contains identifiers that can be used to identify an
individual. Data protection laws govern how organisations use personal data and
need to be complied with when analysing data that contains personal data.

Complying with Data Protection Regulations

Data protection regulations vary across the world. When

analysing data that contains personal data, organisations
need to ensure compliance with the appropriate data
protection laws in their jurisdiction.

One example of a data protection law is the General Data

Protection Regulation (GDPR). This regulation came into
effect on 25th May 2018 in the European Economic Area
(EEA). It applies to organisations established in any
member state within the European Union. It also applies to
organisations established outside the European Union, if
they offer goods or services or monitor the behaviour of
individuals within the European Union. Among other
things, the GDPR requires that organisations processing
personal data ensure that personal data is

• processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner.

• only collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.
• adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for processing.
• accurate and up-to-date.
• only kept for as long as it is needed for processing.
• stored securely.

Anonymising Personal Data

Complying with data protection laws may require a

significant amount of effort from organisations. If using
personal data is not necessary to achieve the objectives of
the data analysis, it may make sense to avoid using
personal data, for example, by not collecting it or by
anonymising it. To make data truly anonymous, you need
to ensure that it is impossible to link the data back to an
individual. Some techniques for anonymising personal data include removing
direct identifiers such as names and addresses or by reducing details such as
using years of birth instead of dates of birth.

1.5 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Which of the following data analytics types uses statistical calculations and
aggregation of data?

a) Descriptive b) Diagnostic

c) Predictive d) Prescriptive

2. Which of the following data analytics types uses forecasting tools to predict
future trends?

a) Descriptive b) Diagnostic

c) Predictive d) Prescriptive

3. Which of the following data analytics types is the most complex and very
process-intensive?

a) Descriptive b) Diagnostic

c) Predictive d) Prescriptive

4. List 2 potential benefits for businesses embarking on data analytic activities.

_____________________________________________________

5. Which of the following is NOT an example of quantitative analysis?

a) Average price is $250k b) Longest time is 15 mins

c) Soft and silky covers d) Number of registrations: 1074

6. Identify the last 2 phases of the data analytics process in data mining:

__________________________________

7. ______________________ personal data is the task of removing direct

identifiers from personal data.

Page 14 © 2019
LESSON 2 –
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Describe measures of central tendency of a data set

• Calculate central tendency values of a data set
• Describe some measures of variation of a data set
• Calculate the variation of a data set
Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

2.1 SUMMARY STATISTICS INTRODUCTION

Concepts

To make sense of, and interpret large data sets of quantitative data, the data
needs to be summarised or described in some way. Statistical analysis is a way
of summarising or describing data to highlight typical values in the data, as well as
how these vary.

Statistical analysis techniques for

summarising or describing data are
known as summary or descriptive
statistics. The two main techniques
are
• Measures of central tendency
(averages).
• Measures of variation.

Measures of central tendency

These are summary statistical values that describe a data set by identifying the
middle or central position within the data set. The number in the central position is
seen as a typical representation of the numbers in the data set. The three most
common measures of central tendency are:
• Mean
• Median
• Mode

Each of these measures calculates the location of the central point within a data
set using a different method. Choosing the appropriate measure of central
tendency depends on the type of data set and what you want to find out.

Measures of variation
These are statistical analysis techniques for interpreting and summarising large
sets of quantitative data by examining the distribution of the data set. Rather than
showing how data are similar, as is the case with measures of central tendency,
measures of variation describe how the data varies or differs in a data set. The
three most common measures of variation are:
• Range
• Variance
• Quartiles

Measures of variation are also commonly referred to as measures of dispersion,

distribution, or spread.

Using a measure of central tendency and the relevant measure of variation for a
data set data provides a better overview of the data than using one alone. In data
analysis, this type of statistical analysis can be a first step in describing the data,
before more complex analysis.

Page 16 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis

Case Example

Consider the following report to see if the measures of central tendency can be
applied to solve the question presented:

Are our feet really getting bigger?

One high street shoe retailer has seen a marked

increase in sales of larger sizes. But are our feet
really getting bigger or are we coming round to
the idea of "sensible shoes"?

Clodhopper, Big Foot, Yeti, flippers, clown's feet.

You name it, Emma Supple has heard it from the
patients who come knocking on the door of her
foot care clinic.

Their motivation is to find some relief from the

pain of years spent squeezing into shoes that
are too small.

The result of this self-imposed form of 21st

Century foot binding is a host of podiatric
injuries, ranging from corns, callouses and
blisters to trapped nerves, toes which have been
compressed to resemble claws and a condition
called mallet toe.

Source: Jonathan Duffy, BBC News

Magazine, 8 January 2010

In response to the question in the report “Are our feet really getting bigger?” you
may want to check if feet have indeed grown bigger or is it that the sale of larger
sizes of shoes has increased?

You know that shoe sizes are based on some measurements. Some things you
may consider checking are:
• What is considered an average size of shoes?
• Is the average size a single value or a range of values?
• How far apart are the measurements of different sizes from what is
considered an average size?

2.2 MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

Concepts

Mean

The mean is the most popular measure of central tendency. This is commonly
referred to as the average of a data set. The mean is calculated by summing up
all the values in the data set and then dividing by the number of values in the data
set. Since it incorporates all the values in the data set, any changes to the values
will affect the mean.

Case Example

The following is the gross profit information for 10 fashion retail stores in a city:

Sample Data Set

Store Gross Profit
A 150 000
B 180 000
C 160 000
D 140 000
E 150 000
F 150 000
G 120 000
H 170 000
I 190 000
J 130 000
Total 1 540 000

As a potential investor in fashion retail, what representative profit value will you
use for these 10 retail stores?

Calculating the mean gross profit for a group of stores:

Sample Data Set

Mean Calculation
Store Gross Profit
A 150 000
B 180 000
C 160 000
D 140 000 Total Gross Profit = 1 540 000
E 150 000
Number of Stores = 10
F 150 000
G 120 000
Mean = 1 540 000 / 10
H 170 000 = 154 000
I 190 000
J 130 000
Total 1 540 000
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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis

The mean gross profit can also be visualised using a chart:

Chart Showing the Values in a Data set and the Mean

The mean may not always reflect the central position, especially when the data
set has outliers. Outlier are values that are unusual compared to the rest of the
data set by being particularly small or large. The mean value will be skewed by
these values.

Case Example

In a survey on service quality across 10 restaurants in a city, the data collected on

service response time is shown as follows:

Sample Data Set

Service Response Time
Customer
(minutes)
1 5
2 8
3 6
4 4
5 5
6 5
7 2
8 7
9 19
10 13
Total 74

Will a mean value of the service response time be representative of the service
quality of the restaurants in that city?

Calculating the mean response time for service calls:

Sample Data Set

Response Time Mean Calculation
Customer
(minutes)
1 5
2 8
3 6
4 4 Total Response Time = 74
5 5
Number of customers = 10
6 5
7 2
Mean = 74 / 10
8 7 = 7.4
9 19
10 13
Total 74

Service Response Time

Chart Showing the Values in a Data set and the Skewed Mean

As in the example above, by inspecting the raw data, it suggests that the mean of
7.4 minutes, may not accurately reflect the typical response time, as most calls
are in the 2 to 8 minutes range. The outliers (19 and 13 minutes in this case) tend
to pull the mean away from the centre.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis

Concepts

Median

The median is the middle value in the data set distribution. It splits the data set in
half. In an ordered set of data, the median is the middle value such that 50% of all
data lies above or below it. Median is less affected by outliers and skewed data.

Note: If calculating the median using a manual calculation it is necessary to have

the data set arranged in ascending order before locating the median.

Case Example

It is common for a business to experience sales fluctuations over different days in

a month or a year. On some special occasions, such as Cyber Monday, some
businesses will experience unusually high volume of sales; on other days, sales
may be less than desirable. In this case, using the median sales value can better
reflect a sales value on a typical day than using the mean sales.

The following sales information was collected for a small business over 10 days.
What is the median sales value?

Sample Data Set

Day Sales
1 17 000
2 18 000
3 16 000
4 14 000
5 15 000
6 14 000
7 12 000
8 17 000
9 19 000
10 13 000

Calculating the median sales:

Sample Data Set Sorted Data Set

Median Calculation
Day Sales Day Sales
1 17 000 7 12 000
2 18 000 10 13 000
3 16 000 4 14 000 Values in Data set = 10 (even)
4 14 000 6 14 000
5 15 000 5 15 000 Median = Average of 5th & 6th
6 14 000 3 16 000 values
7 12 000 1 17 000 = (15 000 + 16 000) / 2
8 17 000 8 17 000 = 15 500
9 19 000 2 18 000
10 13 000 9 19 000
Note: If this data set had an odd number of values, the median would be identified
by the middle value in the data set.
© 2019 Page 21
Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

Concepts

Mode

The mode is the value that occurs the most frequently in the data set. Mode is not
affected by extreme values. It can be used for either numerical or qualitative data.

If there are no repeating values in the data set, then the data set does not have a
mode. For some data sets, there can also be more than one mode. It is possible
to have two modes (bimodal), three modes (trimodal) or more modes within larger
data sets.

Mode is a very useful measure of central tendency in some industries; for

example, a bookstore would use it to find out which books in its store are most in
demand.

Case Example

The following results were collected in a customer satisfaction survey for a

restaurant where 10 customers rated their satisfaction level from 1 to 5 with 5
being the highest rating. What is the mode level of satisfaction?

Sample Data Set – Customer Satisfaction Survey Results

5 4 5 3 5 4 5 5 2 5

Identifying the mode for a customer satisfaction survey:

Sample Data Set – Customer Satisfaction Survey Results

Satisfaction 5 4 3 2 1
level
Number of 6 2 1 1 0
entries
Mode = 5

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis

2.3 CALCULATING CENTRAL TENDENCY

Concepts

Spreadsheet applications provide functions for calculating the different central

tendency values of data sets. In Microsoft Excel the functions are as follows:

• The AVERAGE function calculates the mean of a set of values in a data

set. The AVERAGE function syntax is

AVERAGE(number1, [number2], ...)

• The MEDIAN function finds the median (middle number) of a set of values
in a data set. The MEDIAN function syntax is

MEDIAN(number1, [number2], ...)

• The MODE function finds the mode (the most frequently occurring number)
in a numeric data set. The MODE function syntax is

MODE(number1, [number2], ...)

The arguments can be a number or cell reference that refers to numeric values.

Steps

To calculate central tendency values using functions in Excel:

1. Open the Orders1.xlsx workbook.

The data set shows order details such as order date, amount and status.

2. Click in the cell G4 and type the formula =AVERAGE(C2:C16) to calculate the
mean amount value.

3. Click in the cell G6 and type the formula =MEDIAN(C2:C16) to calculate the
median amount value.

Note: In Excel, you do not have to sort the data range for calculating median.

4. Click in the cell G8 and type the formula =MODE(C2:C16) to calculate the
mode amount value.

5. The central tendency values of the data set are displayed in the respective
cells. Save the file as Orders1completed.xlsx workbook.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis

2.4 MEASURES OF VARIATION

Concepts

Measures of variation can be used in conjunction with measures of central

tendency to give a more complete view of a data set. Each of these measures is
used to determine the dispersion/scatter of values in a distribution.

Case Example

Why would you want to measure the variation of a data set?

In the example below there are sample data sets for two retail stores. The mean,
median, and mode of each store’s daily sales all equal $20 000. However, there is
significant difference between the two data sets. Store A’s daily sales are much
more consistent than those of Store B, which shows greater variation. This
illustrates the need for measures of variation.

Sample Data Set 1 – Store A Sales Sample Data Set 2 – Store B Sales
20 000 20 000
21 000 2 000
19 000 Mean = 160 000 / 8 40 000 Mean = 160 000 / 8
20 100 = 20 000 0 = 20 000
19 900 39 000
19 500 Median = 20 000 1 000 Median = 20 000
20 500 20 000
20 000 Mode = 20 000 38 000 Mode = 20 000
Total = Total =
160 000 160 000
21500 45000

21000 40000
35000
20500
30000
20000 25000
19500 20000
15000
19000
10000
18500
5000
18000 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Concepts

Range

Range is one of the most basic measures of variation. It is the difference of the
maximum and minimum values where Maximum is the largest value in the data
set and Minimum is the smallest value in the data set. It is one way to describe
how the data is dispersed or spread out in a data set

Range = Maximum-Minimum

Minimum, maximum, and range are very sensitive to outliers.

Case Example

The following is the sample data set for 10 retail stores. The calculation shows the
minimum, maximum, and range gross profit

Sample Data set

Minimum, Maximum, and Range Calculation
Store Gross Profit
A 150 000
B 180 000
C 160 000 Minimum = 120 000
D 140 000
E 150 000 Maximum = 190 000
F 150 000
G 120 000 Range = 190 000 - 120 000
H 170 000 = 70 000
I 190 000
J 130 000

Concepts

Variance

Variance measures how far a data set is spread out. Variance tells how
representative the mean is of each of the values in the data set.

• The closer each individual value in the data set is to the mean, the smaller
the variance will be.

• If each value is at the mean in a data set, the variance will equal zero,
which indicates that there is no variation from the mean across the entire
data set.

• The further each individual value in the data set is from the mean, the
greater the variance will be, which indicates that the mean is not as typical
of the individual values in the data set.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis

Technically variance is the average of the squared differences from the mean.

Case Example

The following is the new contracts volume handled by three sales representatives:

Sample Data
Sales Rep A Sales Rep B Sales Rep C
10 10 7
New
8 10 6
Contracts
6 6 6
Volume
4 1 6
2 3 5
Total 30 30 30
= 30 / 5 = 30 / 5 = 30 / 5
Mean
=6 =6 =6

In the data set above, each sales representative’s contracts volume has a mean
equal to 6. However, the contracts volume differs with respect to how much the
individual values vary from the mean.

Since the variance represents the average squared deviation from the mean, you
need to determine which sales representative’s contracts volume data set has the
greatest variance and which one has the smallest variance.
• The contracts volume of Sales Rep B seems to be further from the mean
value of 6, so it should have the largest variance.
• The mean value of 6 seems to be most typical of the contracts volume of
Sales Rep C, so it should have the smallest variance.
• The contracts volume for Sales Rep A appears to be in between, so it
should have a variance between Sales Rep B and Sales Rep C.

The following calculates the variance for the volume of contracts.

Sales Rep A

Sales Rep B

Sales Rep C
from Mean

from Mean

from Mean
Difference

Difference

Difference
Contracts

Contracts

Contracts
Squared

Squared

Squared
Volume

Volume

10 4 16 10 4 16 7 1 1
8 2 4 10 4 16 6 0 0
6 0 0 6 0 0 6 0 0
4 -2 4 1 -5 25 6 0 0
2 -4 16 3 -3 9 5 -1 1
Total 40 Total 66 Total 2
Total of Difference from Total of Difference from Total of Difference from
Mean Squared = 40 Mean Squared = 66 Mean Squared = 2

Variance = 40 / 5 Variance = 66 / 5 Variance = 2 / 5

=8 = 13.2 = 0.4

The size of the variance does not have any special underlying standard
interpretation. Variance, along with the mean, allows you to judge how well the
mean serves as a measure of central tendency.

Typically, information for such statistics would be presented in a summary form as

follows:

Summary Statistics Contracts

Sales Rep Sales Rep Sales Rep
A B C
Number of Contracts: 5 5 5
Mean of Contracts 6 6 6
Volume:
Variance of Contracts 8 13.2 0.4
Volume:

Using the summary, you can reach some conclusions about what each of these
data sets would look like. For example, you can see that all three data sets are of
the same size (5), and that all three have the same mean (6). The fact that the
variance for Sales Rep C is only 0.4 indicates that most of the individual values in
the data set should be very close to the value of 6. Similarly, you would assume
that the individual values for Sales Rep B must be more diverse or spread out
around the mean since the variance is much larger.

Concepts

Quartiles

Quartiles in statistics are values that divide the data set into quarters according to
where the values fall on the number line. They are often used in sales and
surveys to divide population into groups.

The three quartiles that divide a data set into quarters are:

• The median of the lower half of the data set (25th percentile)

• The median of the data set (50th percentile)

• The median of the upper half of the data set (75th percentile)

The basic formula used to find a quartile by determining the value in the
appropriate position in the ranked discrete data set are outlined below, where n is
the number of values in the data set:

Quartile Position Formula

First, Q1 (n + 1) / 4
Second, Q2 (also known as the median) (n + 1) / 2
Third, Q3 3 (n + 1) / 4

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis

Quartile Positions
Case Example

The following calculates the quartiles for a new product’s online order quantities
for 12 days immediately after the first launch.
Online Order Quantities

Sample Data 16 14 18 4 17 10 11 12 4 3 4 18

The order quantities ranged from 3 to 18. How can we evaluate the variation
within this set of data?

3 4 4 4 7 10 11 12 14 16 17 18

Q1: Q2: Q3:

For an even The median of For an even
data set with the data set: data set with
12 values, For an even 12 values,
take the data set with 12 take the
average of 3rd values, take the average of 9th
and 4th value: average of 6th and 10th
(4 + 4) / 2 and 7th value: value:
=4 (10 + 11) / 2 (14 + 16) / 2
= 10.5 = 15

Quartile Values for an Even Set of Data

2.5 CALCULATING VARIATION

Concepts

Spreadsheet applications provide functions for calculating the different measures

of variation (range, variance, and quartiles) of data sets. In Microsoft Excel the
functions are as follows:

• The MAX and MIN functions are used to calculate the range. The syntax is

MAX(number1, [number2],...)-MIN(number1,[number2],...)

Arguments can be numbers, cell references or ranges containing numeric

values.

• The VAR.P function finds the variance in an entire population. The syntax
is

VAR.P(number1, [number2], ...)

Arguments can be numbers or names, arrays, or references that contain

numbers.

• The QUARTILE function finds the quartile for a particular data set. The
syntax is

QUARTILE(array, quart)

The array argument refers to the numeric data you want to analyse and is the
range of cells containing the data set. The quart argument is the quartile value
you want to return. There are 5 values for the quart argument as follows:

Quart Return value

0 Minimum value
1 First quartile – 25th percentile
2 Median value – 50th percentile
3 Third quartile – 75th percentile
4 Maximum value

Steps

To calculate variation using functions in Excel:

1. Open the Orders2.xlsx workbook.

2. The data set shows order details such as order date, amount and status. Click
in the cell G4 and type the formula =MAX(C2:C16)-MIN(C2:C16) to calculate
the range of the amount value.

3. Click in the cell G7 and type the formula =VAR.P(C2:C16) to calculate the
variance of the amount value.
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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 2 – Statistical Analysis

Based on the variance value, complete the following statement to describe the
amount values compared to the mean:
Most of the amount values in the data set are

Answer: Most of amount values in the data set are more diverse or spread out
around the mean because the variance is much larger compared to the mean.
This indicates that in this example the mean is not the best measure to
determine the central tendency of the amount values.

4. Click in the cell G9 and type the formula =QUARTILE(C2:C16,1) to calculate

the first quartile value.

5. Click in the cell G10 and type the formula =QUARTILE(C2:C16,2) to calculate
the second quartile value.

6. Click in the cell G11 and type the formula =QUARTILE(C2:C16,3) to calculate
the third quartile value.

Note: In Excel, you do not have to sort the data range for quartile calculations.

The range, variance and quartile values of the data set are displayed in the
respective cells.

Variation measures for order values

2.6 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Open the Cards.xlsx workbook.

2. The data set shows credit card transactions of a retail store for a period of 3
months. Enter a formula in I4 to calculate the mean amount of all the credit
card transactions.

3. Enter a formula in I6 to calculate the median amount of all the credit card
transactions.

4. Enter a formula in I8 to calculate the mode amount of all the credit card
transactions.

5. Answer the following questions based on the calculation above:

a. What is the most frequently charged amount?

b. What is the average amount charged?

6. Enter a formula in I10 to calculate the range of all the credit card transactions.

7. Enter the appropriate quartile formulas in the range I12:I15.

The results are displayed as follows:

8. A sales manager wants to calculate the range of performance of his sales

associates. What must he do?
a. Identify the central sales amount.
b. Find the sales amount that occurs the most.
c. Identify how far from average each sales amount is.
d. Subtract the lowest sales amount from the highest sales amount.

Page 32 © 2019
LESSON 3 –
IMPORTING DATA SETS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Import data into a spreadsheet application from a text file

• Import data into a spreadsheet application from a spreadsheet
• Import data into a spreadsheet application from a website table
• Import data into a spreadsheet application from a database table
Lesson 3 – Importing Data Sets ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

3.1 IMPORTING DATA SETS INTRODUCTION

Concepts

The data sets that you want to analyse may be stored in various formats in
different programs and sources. They may contain a few rows of data or
thousands of rows of data. Common sources of data may include text files,
spreadsheets, the web and databases.

Text file Spreadsheet Web Database

You can bring data stored in different formats in various programs into a
spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel, where you can perform further
analysis activities, generate reports and create dashboards. In some cases, you
will need to export data from the program or system where it resides before you
can import it into Excel. In other cases, you can import data from external sources
directly into Excel from within Excel.

When you are importing data into Excel you can make a permanent connection to
the external data source so that the imported data can be updated (refreshed).
Imported data, when refreshed, is updated with any changes made to the external
data source since the last refresh. You can also import data without making a
connection to the external data source, in which case the imported data remains
static regardless of any changes made to the external data source.

Connected Static

Page 34 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 3 – Importing Data Sets

3.2 IMPORTING DATA FROM TEXT FILES

Concepts

In many cases when data is exported from other programs or systems, it is saved
in a text file format. Two commonly used text file formats are:

• A comma-separated values (CSV) text file:

▪ This contains one page of text with little or no formatting. Each column
of data is separated by delimiters, which are typically commas, but they
can be another character such as a semi colon, a tab or space. The file
extension is .csv.

• A delimited text file:

▪ This is similar to a CSV file, except that the columns of data are
typically separated by the TAB character rather than another character
delimiter. Columns are all the same width in this file type, so you can
manually insert columns where you want. The file extension is .txt.

You can import data from a text file into Microsoft Excel by importing the data as
an external data range. This makes a permanent connection to the source file that
allows the data to be refreshed. Or you can import data from a text file into
Microsoft Excel by opening the file in Excel. This doesn’t make a permanent
connection to the source file, which means the data is static and can’t be updated.

Steps

To import data from a text file into a worksheet in Excel:

1. Open the Customers.xlsx workbook.

2. On the Data tab, in the Get External Data group, click From Text.

3. Locate and select the file Customer Data.csv file.

4. Click Import.

5. In the first dialog box of the Text Import Wizard, select Delimited under
Original data type and check the option My data has headers.

Note: If importing a .txt file, select the Fixed width radio button and follow the
steps in the Text Import Wizard.

Step 1 of 3 of the Text Import Wizard

6. Click Next.

7. In the second dialog box of the Text Import Wizard, check the option Comma
under Delimiters.

Step 2 of 3 of the Text Import Wizard

8. Click Next.

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ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 3 – Importing Data Sets

9. In the third dialog box of the Text Import Wizard, select the required data
format for the columns and specify the columns to skip.

a. Select the Contact column and select the option Do not import
column (skip).
b. Select the Phone Number column and select the option Do not import
column (skip).
c. Select the Contract Date column and select the option Date.
d. Ensure the date format is DMY.

Step 3 of 3 of the Text Import Wizard

10. Click Finish when you have made your selections.

11. In the Import Data dialog box, ensure the option Existing worksheet is
selected and click on cell A3.

Specifying Placement of Imported Data

12. Click OK.

The data is imported into the worksheet.

Imported Comma Delimited Data

Note: To refresh the data, right-click on the data set and choose Refresh.

If there is active content in the workbook, the Message Bar displays security
alerts. To proceed, click Enable Content.

Note: These steps apply to Microsoft Excel 2016 as part of Microsoft Office 2016
purchased as a stand-alone product. Other versions of Microsoft Excel 2016, such
as Microsoft Excel 2016 as part of an Office 365 subscription, may include
different functionality and steps. For example, the Get & Transform Data option
in Microsoft Excel 2016 in Microsoft Office 365 follows different steps for importing
data.

For versions of Excel 2016 that include the Get & Transform Data option, the
steps to import a text file are:
1. In the workbook, click From Text/CSV in the Get & Transform Data group on
the Data tab.
2. Browse to the location of the file and select the file Customer Data.csv.
3. Click Import.
4. Click Load.
The Get & Transform functionality automatically detects column delimiters
including identifying column names and data types.

Page 38 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 3 – Importing Data Sets

3.3 IMPORTING DATA FROM SPREADSHEETS

Concepts

When you are managing and analysing data you may want to import data from
one workbook into a different workbook in Microsoft Excel – for example, if you
have existing sales or finance reports. You can do this and create a dynamic
connection between the two workbooks. This allows you to refresh the connection
between the workbooks to ensure the imported data is up-to-date.

Steps

To import data from another spreadsheet into a worksheet in Excel:

1. Open the Trips.xlsx workbook.

2. On the Data tab, in the Get External Data group, click Existing Connections.

3. In the Existing Connections dialog box, click Browse for More.

4. Locate and select the Ticket Sales.xlsx workbook.

5. Click Open.

6. In the Select Table dialog box, select Promotion Sales.

Selecting Worksheet to Import

7. Click OK.

8. In the Import Data dialog box, ensure the option Existing worksheet is
selected and click on cell A3.

Specifying Placement of Imported Data

9. Click OK.

The data set is imported in table format.

Imported Spreadsheet Data

Note: To refresh the data, right-click on the data set and choose Refresh.

For versions of Excel 2016 that include the Get & Transform Data option, the
steps to import a spreadsheet are:
1. In the workbook, click Get Data in the Get & Transform Data group on the
Data tab.
2. Click Get File and then click Get Workbook.
3. Browse to the location of the file and select the file, Ticket Sales.xlsx.
4. Click Import.
5. Click Promotion Sales.
6. Click Load.

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ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 3 – Importing Data Sets

3.4 IMPORTING DATA FROM WEBSITE TABLES

Concepts

You may want to import information from web pages into Microsoft Excel for
analysis. For example, you may want to import stock information directly from a
web page or company sales figures from an internal company web page.
Depending on your needs, you can import data that you can refresh, or you can
import data and make it static.

To import a web table into Excel, you can use the Web Query feature in Excel.
This feature finds all the tables on a web page and allows you to select the tables
you want to import. The tables from the web page can be dynamically updated in
the spreadsheet.

Steps

To import data from a web page into a worksheet in Excel:

1. Open the Rates.xlsx workbook.

2. On the Data tab, in the Get External Data group, click From Web.

3. In the New Web Query dialog box, click in the Address text box and type the
website address http://www.icdl.org/exchangerates and click Go.

New Web Query Dialog Box

4. Click the table selection arrow next to the table to import.

Selecting a Web Table

5. Click Import.

6. In the Import Data dialog box, ensure the option Existing worksheet is
selected and click on cell B3.

Specifying Placement of Imported Web Table

7. Click OK.

The data is imported into the worksheet in Excel.

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ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 3 – Importing Data Sets

Imported Web Table

Excel will attempt to import the web data as it appears in the web table. However,
the less structured the web data, the more formatting will be required in Excel to
prepare the data for analysis.

Note: To refresh the data, right-click on the data set and click Refresh.

For versions of Excel 2016 that include the Get & Transform Data option, the
steps to import a web table are:
1. In the workbook, click From Web in the Get & Transform Data group on the
Data tab.
2. Enter the URL http://www.icdl.org/exchangerates and click OK.
3. Select the table to import.
4. Click Load.

3.5 IMPORTING DATA FROM DATABASE TABLES

Concepts

A database management system (DBMS) provides a structured method of storing

data by preventing redundancy and maintaining integrity. In general, they are
used to store large amounts of data in tables and have extensive querying abilities
that break data down into manageable chunks. However, the interface of a DBMS
is limited, which means it can be time consuming to manipulate data into
meaningful reports.

You can import database tables from a DBMS such as Microsoft Access into
Microsoft Excel. In Excel you can more easily filter, chart, and analyse a data set
to produce meaningful reports. Many organisations use Microsoft Excel and
Access almost interchangeably, feeding data between the two applications.

Steps

To import data from a database table into a worksheet in Excel:

1. Open the Customer Details.xlsx workbook.

2. On the Data tab, in the Get External Data group, click From Access.

3. Locate and select the BakeryDatabase database.

4. Click Open.

5. Select the table tblCustomers and Click OK.

Select Table Dialog Box

Page 44 © 2019
ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 3 – Importing Data Sets

6. In the Import Data dialog box, ensure the option Table is selected.

Specifying Placement of Imported Database Table

7. Click OK.

The table is imported into the worksheet.

Imported Database Table

Note: To refresh the data, right-click on the data set and choose Refresh.

For versions of Excel 2016 that include the Get & Transform Data option, the
steps to import a database table are:
1. Click Get Data in the Get & Transform Data group on the Data tab and select
From Database, From Microsoft Access Database.
2. Browse to the location of the file and select the file.
3. Click Import.
4. Select the table to import.
5. Click Load.

3.6 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Create a new workbook.

2. Import the Real Estate.csv comma delimited text file.

3. Specify that the text file contain headers.

4. Specify the Delimiter as Comma.

5. Skip the columns Sale Date, Latitude and Longitude.

6. Accept all the other default settings and place the data from cell A1 onwards.

7. Save the workbook as Real Estate Imported.

Page 46 © 2019
LESSON 4 –
SHAPING DATA SETS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Remove duplicate data

• Validate that given values belong to a reference data set using the
VLOOKUP function
• Validate that given values belong to a specific range using one or more IF
functions
• Extract values from a string using text functions
Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

4.1 SHAPING DATA SETS INTRODUCTION

Concepts

To get meaningful information from data analysis you need to ensure that you are
working with a good quality data set. For example, data imported into Microsoft
Excel from external sources, such as text files, spreadsheets, web pages or
databases may contain errors or inconsistencies or may not be arranged as
needed.

You will often need to shape and prepare the data set before you can analyse it,
which happens in the data preparation phase of the data analytics process.
Before you begin shaping and preparing the data set it is good practice to save a
backup copy of the original data set. This includes cleaning the data to fix any
issues that may affect the quality of the analysis. The cleaning tasks will depend
on the type of data and its quality but may involve:

• Fixing spelling mistakes.

• Identifying and removing duplicate data.

• Finding and replacing text

• Fixing incorrect formatting.

• Changing the case of text.

• Removing extra spaces from text.

• Fixing number or date and time formats.

• Merging and splitting columns.

• Transforming and rearranging columns and rows.

• Reconciling data by comparing or matching values.

Spreadsheet applications contain built-in features for some of the cleaning tasks
and it is good practice to complete these types of tasks first. For example, in Excel
you can

• clean up spelling mistakes using the Spell Checker tool.

• fix incorrect formatting or replace text using the Find and Replace tool.

• remove duplicate rows using the Remove Duplicates tool.

For other tasks, such as extracting data, you may need to manipulate imported
data columns, which may involve changing imported values into new values using
formulas.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets

4.2 REMOVING DUPLICATE DATA

Concepts

Data duplication can occur in data sets when records are entered more than once
or consolidated from multiple sources. Duplicates may occur for one or more
fields. If you want to limit the records to unique data for some fields or unique
records for the entire data set, you can use Excel's built-in Remove Duplicates
tool. This tool finds and removes exact duplicates.

Steps

To remove duplicates using Excel's built-in Remove Duplicates tool:

1. Open the Duplicate Records.xlsx workbook.

It is a good idea to copy the original data set to another worksheet or

workbook before removing duplicate values, as the tool will permanently delete
duplicates.

2. Copy the range A4:E11 and paste the copied range starting from cell G4
onwards.

3. Select any cell within the data set that starts from cell G4.

4. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Remove Duplicates.

Remove Duplicates Dialog Box

5. Click OK.

A message will appear to indicate how many duplicate values were removed,
or how many unique values remain.

Remove Duplicates Message

6. Click OK.

Unique Records

When duplicates are removed, the first occurrence of the value in the data set is
kept, but other identical values are deleted.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets

4.3 VALIDATING DATA USING VLOOKUP

Concepts

In Excel you can use the VLOOKUP function to validate data, which can save a
huge amount of time when reconciling data. The VLOOKUP function looks up a
value in the first column of a specified range of cells and returns a value from a
specified column in the same row.

Returned
Value

You can use the VLOOKUP function to look up given values to quickly find
specific values in a data set. You can use this to automatically verify that you are
using the correct data. For example, you can use the VLOOKUP function to verify
if a value, such as a country code matches a list of values in a reference data set,
such as a list of approved country codes.

And you can perform calculations or display results using the values returned. For
example, you can use the VLOOKUP function to find a commission rate in a table
based on a specified value in the data set. You can calculate the amount of
commission to pay based on the specified value multiplied by the rate returned by
the VLOOKUP function.

The syntax for the VLOOKUP function is as follows:

VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

• lookup_value is the value you want to look for in a specified range of cells.

• table_array is the range of cells containing the value you want to return.

• col_index_num is the column number in the range containing the value

you want to return.

• range_lookup specifies whether you want to return an exact match

(FALSE) or an approximate match (TRUE or omitted). VLOOKUP in exact
match mode is useful when using a unique key as a lookup value, for
example, an order ID. VLOOKUP in approximate match mode is useful
when looking for the best match for a given lookup value – for example
finding the right commission rate based on a sales figure.

The VLOOKUP function searches vertically down the first column of the specified
table array to find the specified lookup value and then looks across the
corresponding row to find the specified column and returns the value from the cell
where the row and column meet.
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Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

Steps

To use the VLOOKUP function to validate data:

1. Open the Value Validation.xlsx workbook.

The VLOOKUP worksheet contains imported regional sales data in the range
A5:C19. Some of the entries in the Country Code column in this range are
inconsistent. Using the VLOOKUP function, you want to validate whether a
given country code in the Country Code column exists in the reference data
set range (table array) H6:I12. You want to specify that only an exact match is
returned.

Data set to validate Reference data set

Imported Data with Values to Validate Against a Reference Data set

2. Select the cell F6.

3. Type =VLOOKUP(B6, $H$6:$I$12, 1, FALSE) and press Enter.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets

Returned column number 1 in range

value

Specified range of cells

The VLOOKUP function looks up the value specified in the cell B6 (IE) in the
first column of the specified range of cells (H6:I12). It finds IE in cell H10. It
returns the value from row 10 in column 1, specified by the column number
index. For the range H6:I12 this is column H.

Note: The $ sign before the row and column coordinates makes the cell
references absolute so they won't change.

4. Copy the formula to the cell range F7:F19.

If the imported country code exists in the first column of the reference data set,
the function will return the country code otherwise it will return #N/A to indicate
that the value is not found.

Values not found

Cross-checking with VLOOKUP

To generate the correct country code for the countries listed in the range
A13:A19:

1. Select the cell B13.

2. Type =VLOOKUP(A13, $H$6:$I$12, 1) and press Enter.

3. Copy the formula to the cell range B14:B19.

4. Check that the generated data is the same as that shown in the range A24
onwards.

Corrected Data set

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets

4.4 VALIDATING DATA USING IF FUNCTIONS

Concepts

In Excel you can use the IF function to validate the data set – for example to
check whether values are in a particular range. The IF function is one of the most
popular and useful functions in Excel. You use an IF statement to evaluate a
condition and to return one value if the condition is met, and another value if the
condition is not met.

For example:
Check IF the value is
greater than 10,
IF it is greater than 10 11
return YES,
IF it is not greater than
10 then return NO

YES

The syntax for the IF function is as follows:

IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])

• logical_test is a value or logical expression that can be evaluated as TRUE

or FALSE.
• value_if_true is the value to return when logical_test evaluates to TRUE.
This argument is optional.
• value_if_false is the value to return when logical_test evaluates to FALSE.
This argument is optional.

When analysing data, you often need to evaluate several conditions at the same
time, which means you need to create more complex logical tests.

To create more complex logical tests, you can use AND or OR functions in the
logical test of an IF function. If the logical test contains the AND function, TRUE is
returned if all the conditions are met; otherwise FALSE is returned. If the logical
test contains the OR function, TRUE is returned if any of the conditions is met;
otherwise FALSE is returned. You can combine AND/OR functions and use
multiple logical functions to meet the requirements of your data analysis.

You can also use multiple IF functions together to create complex logical tests.
Multiple IF functions used together in one formula are known as nested IF
functions. They are useful for returning 3 or more different results. Additional IF
statements are included in the value_if_true and value_if_false arguments of the
IF function.

Steps

To use one or more IF functions to validate data:

1. Open the Value Validation.xlsx workbook.

The IF worksheet contains regional sales data in the range A5:B10. These
values need to be validated to check whether they are within the maximum
range specified in cell F6, which is 800,000.

Sales Data to Validate Against a Maximum Range

2. Select the cell D6.

3. Type =IF(B6>$F$6,"Error",B6) and press Enter.

If the sales amount exceeds the maximum range, the function will return the
message Error, otherwise it will return the sales amount itself.

4. Copy the formula to the cell range D7:D10.

In this example one location, Germany, has exceeded the maximum range.

Validate for Maximum Range

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets

The IF worksheet also contains regional sales data in the range A15:B20.
These values need to be validated to check whether they are within the
minimum and maximum range specified in cells F16 and G16.

Sales Data to Validate Against Minimum and Maximum Range

5. Select the cell D16.

6. One way to check whether the values are in the minimum and maximum range
specified in cells F16 and G16 is to use the AND logical test.

To do this, type =IF(AND(B16>=$F$16,B16<=$G$16),B16,"Error") and press

Enter.

If the sales amount is within the minimum and maximum range, the function
will return the sales amount, otherwise the message Error will be returned.

7. Copy the formula to the cell range D17:D20.

In this example the sales value for Germany is outside the minimum and
maximum range.

Validate for Minimum and Maximum Range

Note: Another way to check whether the values are in the minimum and
maximum range specified in cells F16 and G16 is to use a nested IF function.
For example, in cell D16, enter either of the following:
• =IF(B16>$G$16,"Error",IF(B16<$F$16,"Error", IF(B16<$G$16,B16)))
• =IF(B16>$G$16,"Error",IF(B16<$F$16,"Error", IF(B16>$F$16,B16)))

4.5 EXTRACTING VALUES USING TEXT FUNCTIONS

Concepts

One of the main tasks in cleaning data is to extract parts of data and parse it to
separate columns. A common task is to divide the text in a single cell into multiple
columns – for example, you may want to split the first name and last name
contained in one cell into two separate columns or split an address contained in
one cell into several columns.

The table below outlines the common functions in Excel used for extracting text.

Function Syntax and Description

LEFT LEFT(text, [num_chars])

Extracts a specified number of characters from the left side of a

string.

For example:=LEFT("Ireland",3)
returns "Ire".
RIGHT RIGHT(text, [num_chars])

Extracts a specified number of characters from the right side of a

string.

For example: =RIGHT("Ireland",3)

returns "and"
MID MID(text, start_num, num_chars)

Extracts a specified number of characters from a specified starting

position in a string.

For example: =MID("Ireland",2,3)

returns "rel".
LEN LEN(text)

Returns the length of a string as a number of characters.

For example: =LEN("Ireland")

returns 7.
FIND FIND (find_text, within_text, [start_num])

Returns the position, as a number, of one text string inside another

string. If the text is not found, FIND returns a #VALUE error.

For example: =FIND("land","Ireland",1)

returns 4.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets

The functions can be combined (nested) in Excel to perform particular tasks. The
table below outlines some common combinations of these functions for extracting
text.

Functions Syntax and Description

LEFT and LEFT(text,LEN(text)-n)

LEN
Removes the last n characters from a text string. This is useful
when there are values with variable lengths and you want to
remove a specified number of characters from the right.

For example: =LEFT("IrelandIE",LEN("IrelandIE")-2)

returns Ireland.
LEFT and LEFT(text,FIND(character,text)-1)
FIND
Extracts characters from the left side of a string up until a specified
character.

For example: =LEFT("Ireland_IE",FIND("_","Ireland_IE")-1)

returns Ireland.

Using these functions to clean data involves using the formula to extract the data
into a new column, filling down the new column, and converting the formulas in
the new column to values.

Steps

To use LEFT, RIGHT and LEN functions to extract values:

1. Open the Text Functions.xlsx workbook.

The cell range A4:A10 contains the imported country and its relevant country
codes. The data is however combined. You need to split the country and the
code into separate columns.

Imported Country and Code Data

Note: To extract the country into the cell C4, you need to extract all the entries
in cell A4 except for the last 2 characters. You can do this using the LEFT and
LEN functions. Use the LEN function to find the length of the entry in A4 and
then subtract 2.

2. Select the cell C4.

3. Type =LEFT(A4, LEN(A4)-2) and press Enter.

4. Copy the formula to the cell range C5:C10.

5. To extract the country code into the cell D4, you need to extract the last 2
characters in cell A4 using the RIGHT function. Select the cell D4.

6. Type =RIGHT(A4, 2) and press Enter.

7. Copy the formula to the cell range D5:D10.

Imported Data Parsed into Separate Columns

8. Copy the range C4:D10 and paste as values starting from cell F4 onwards.

Cleansed Data

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 4 – Shaping Data Sets

4.6 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Open the Shipping.xlsx workbook.

The data set shows order and shipping details for a period of seven days.

The Shipping Details in column B consists of shipping days and status.

2. Remove duplicate records in the range A3:D22.

3. Enter a formula in H4 to extract the first number from Shipping Details in B4.

4. Enter a formula in I4 to extract the shipping status from Shipping Details in

B4.

Hint: Use the LEN function to find the length of the entry in B4 and then
subtract 4.

5. Enter a formula in J4 to evaluate whether the Order Value in C4 is 1000

onwards. Display the Order Value if the condition is met, otherwise display 0.

The Order ID in column D consists of customer ID, country code, order

month and year.

6. Enter a formula in K4 to extract the first 3 numbers from Order ID in D4.

7. Enter a formula in L4 to extract the 2 characters after the hyphen from Order
ID in D4.

8. Using the table range P6:Q10, calculate the commission amount payable
based on the Order Value (Order Value * Rate).

Hint: Use the VLOOKUP function in approximate match mode to find the rate
based on the Order Value.

9. Copy the formulas in row 4 (in columns H to M) to the rest of the rows in the
data set.

Page 62 © 2019
LESSON 5 –
FILTERING DATA SETS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Format data set as table

• Insert and use table slicers
Lesson 5 – Filtering Data Sets ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

5.1 FORMATTING DATA SETS AS TABLES

Concepts

Formatting a data set as a table in Excel helps to add functionality to a worksheet

and makes managing and analysing data easier. A table is also an excellent
source for a pivot table.

The visual design and layout of a table facilitates the summary and presentation
of key numerical information. You can use predefined or custom table styles to
quickly format table data in Excel and there are options to modify the table
display.

Before formatting a data set as table, you need to organise the data set. Some
guidelines include:

• Organise the data in rows and columns, with each row containing
information about one record, such as a sales entry, or inventory
transaction.

• Ensure each column contains a descriptive and unique heading in the first
row of the data set.

• Ensure each column contains one type of data, such as dates, currency, or
text.

• Ensure there are no blank rows and no absolutely blank columns.

Steps

To convert a data set into a table in Excel:

1. Open the Sales.xlsx workbook.

2. Click on any cell in the data set.

3. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Format as Table.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 5 – Filtering Data Sets

4. Select a table style from the drop-down menu.

Selecting a Table Style

5. Click OK in the Format As Table dialog box.

Note: The data range for the table is automatically highlighted, and the range
address is listed.

Format as Table Dialog Box

The cell range is formatted in the selected table style.

Data set Formatted as Table

6. On the Design tab, check or uncheck the desired options in the Table Style
Options group.

These options can affect the table style in various ways, depending on the
type of content in the table.

Table Style Options Group

• Header Row - Apply or remove formatting from the first row in the table.

• Total Row - Add SUBTOTAL functions like SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT,

MIN or MAX to the table from a drop-down selection.

• Banded Rows - Display odd and even rows with alternating shading for
ease of reading.

• First Column - Apply or remove formatting from the first column in the
table.

• Last Column - Apply or remove formatting from the last column in the
table.

• Banded Columns - Display odd and even columns with alternating

shading for ease of reading.

• Filter Button - Toggle AutoFilter on and off. With filtering enabled in the
header row, table data can quickly be sorted or filtered.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 5 – Filtering Data Sets

5.2 USING TABLE SLICERS

Concepts

Slicers are visual filters that provide buttons that you can quickly click to filter the
data in a table. Slicers show at a glance the current filter that is applied. This
makes it easy to understand the information that is shown in a filtered table.

Steps

To insert and use a slicer on a table:

1. Open the Slicers.xlsx workbook.

2. Click on any cell in the table.

3. On the Table Tools, Design tab, in the Tools group, click Insert Slicer.

Insert Slicer icon in Tools group

4. In the Insert Slicers dialog box, check the fields (columns) for which you want
to create a slicer. In this case select the Region and Year fields (columns).

Selecting the Columns to Create Slicers

5. Click OK.

A slicer is displayed for every field (column) selected.

Inserted Slicers

6. Click and drag to position the slicer accordingly.

7. Resize the slicers as required using the sizing handles.

Slicers Moved and Resized

8. In each slicer, click the items on which you want to filter.

The selected buttons are shown in the slicers and the table columns are
filtered according to the selections.

Using the Slicers

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 5 – Filtering Data Sets

9. To select more than one item, press CTRL, and then click the items on which
you want to filter.

Selecting multiple items

10. To clear the filter, use the Clear Filter button.

Clear Filter Button

5.3 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Open the Regional Sales.xlsx workbook.

2. Format the data set range A1:F58 as table using one of the medium styles.

3. Remove the banded row formatting.

4. Remove the AutoFilter options.

5. Insert slicers using the field item Region and Category.

6. Move and resize the slicers so that they appear at the right of the table.

7. Use the slicers to filter for credit transactions for the regions Europe and
United States.

Page 70 © 2019
LESSON 6 –
PIVOT TABLE DATA AGGREGATION

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Change the method of aggregation for a value

• Display multiple aggregation values
• Use built-in calculations
Lesson 6 – Pivot Table Data Aggregation ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

6.1 SUMMARISING DATA INTRODUCTION

Concepts

When you have prepared your data, you can start analysing it. In Excel, you can
perform simple analysis using statistical methods like sum, count, average,
maximum and minimum to summarise the data in a selected range. You can also
perform simple analysis using options like sorting, filtering and table slicers.

Sometimes you may need more powerful analysis to answer specific questions
and show comparisons, patterns, and trends. For example, you may need to find
out

• Which store sold the most units this month?

• What percentage of the yearly sales took place in the first quarter?

• How did this year’s sales compare with last year’s sales?

In Excel, you can use a pivot table to calculate, summarise, and analyse large
data sets with thousands of rows quickly and easily. A pivot table is useful tool for
summarising data in two or more ways - for example, to find the number of units
sold both by store and by month. There are many ways you can work with pivot
tables to analyse data to find the information you are interested in.

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ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 6 – Pivot Table Data Aggregation

6.2 CHANGING AGGREGATION METHODS

Concepts

A pivot table presents a summary of the underlying source data by applying

summary functions to the data. By default, the data in a pivot table are summed
but you can change the way the data is summarised to suit the purpose of your
analysis. You can determine whether the data is summed, counted, averaged and
so forth by changing the summary function, also known as the aggregation
method.

For example, if you are analysing the sales data across multiple stores and the
total sales amount by store is shown, you can change this to show the average
sales amount by store instead.

The summary functions (aggregation methods), available in Excel are outlined in

the table.

Aggregate Method Description

Sum The sum of the values. This is the default function for
adding numerical values.
Count The number of values. This is the default function for
counting entries in the number fields.
Average The average (mean) of values.
Max The largest value.
Min The lowest value.

Steps

To change the aggregation method used in a pivot table:

1. Open the Cards Pivot.xlsx workbook and go to the Pivot1 worksheet.

2. The PivotTable shows the total credit card transaction value for each
department. Click on any value in the Sum of Amount item in the PivotTable.

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Active Field group, click Field Settings.

4. Select the function Average in the Summarize value field by list box.

5. Click in the Custom Name text box and type Average Amount to change the
name.

Note: Every field in a PivotTable has a name. Fields in the row, column, and
filter areas inherit their names from the heading in the source data. Fields in
the value section are given default names such as Sum of Amount. Select
the function before renaming the field because the name will change to a
default name when a function is selected, e.g. when selecting Average, the
name will reflect Average of Amount.

Changing the Aggregation Method

6. You can also change the format of the value. Click Number Format to set the
format of the value.

7. Select Currency and set the Decimal places to 0.

Formatting the Value Field

8. Click OK to close the Format Cells dialog box.

9. Click OK to close the Values Field Settings dialog box.

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ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 6 – Pivot Table Data Aggregation

Original and Formatted Aggregate Value

The aggregate data is summarized using the average aggregation method.

The pivot table shows the average amount of credit card transactions by
department formatted as dollars with no decimal places.

Note: Right-click a value field, choose Summarize Values By and select a

function to switch quickly between aggregation methods.

Using the Right-Click Method to Change Aggregation Method

6.3 DISPLAYING MULTIPLE AGGREGATION VALUES

Concepts

For an overview of different summary values on a data set, you can display
multiple summary calculations (aggregation values) in a pivot table, such as Sum,
Count, Average, Max, and Min.

For example, you may want to analyse the sales performance of multiple stores
and compare several aspects of their performance at one time. You may want to
show the total amount of sales by store, the total number of sales by store, the
average sale amount by store, the highest sale amount by store, and the lowest
sale amount by store. You can display all these aggregation values using the
Sum, Count, Average, Max, and Min calculations at the same time in a pivot
table.

Steps

To show multiple aggregation values in a pivot table:

1. Open the Cards Pivot.xlsx workbook and go to the Pivot2 worksheet.

2. Click on any cell in the PivotTable.

3. To display Sum, Count, Max and Min aggregation values, drag and drop the
following fields into the Σ Values area in the PivotTable Fields panel:

a. Amount: This will automatically display as Sum aggregate.

b. Trans #: This will automatically display as Count aggregate.

c. Amount: This will automatically display as Sum of Amount 2

aggregate.

d. Amount: This will automatically display as Sum of Amount 3

aggregate.

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ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 6 – Pivot Table Data Aggregation

4. Right click the field Sum of Amount2.

5. Select Summarize Values By and select Max. This changes the aggregate
values for the field Sum of Amount2 from total sum to maximum.

6. Right click the field Sum of Amount3.

7. Select Summarize Values By and select Min. This changes the aggregate
values for the field Sum of Amount3 from sum to minimum.

8. To change the field names, right click each of the four fields. (Sum of
Amount, Count of Trans#, Max of Amount2, Min of Amount3).

9. Select Value Field Settings.

10. Change the names in the Custom Name text box as follows:

Field Function Custom Name

Sum of Amount Sum Total
Count of Trans # Count Transactions
Max of Amount2 Max Highest
Min of Amount3 Min Lowest

Labelled Multiple Aggregation Values

The four aggregation values are displayed in the pivot table with customised field
names.

The key data summary of the transactions for the different departments are
displayed in the pivot table to facilitate analysis.

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ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 6 – Pivot Table Data Aggregation

6.4 USING BUILT-IN CALCULATIONS

Concepts

The PivotTable command contains built-in calculations, also known as custom

calculations, that you can use to quickly add calculations to a pivot table. You can
present values in different ways such as percentage calculations, difference from
specific values, running totals, and ranked. This functionality is provided in the
Show Values As option.

For example, when analysing the sales performance of multiple stores, you may
see the sales of each store by year, but you want to show the difference between
two years’ sales. Maybe you want to compare yearly sales totals to see if there
are any trends, maybe indicating problems that need to be addressed or
successes that need to be capitalised. You can do this using a built-in (custom)
calculation – in this example Difference From.

The table below outlines the commonly used built-in (custom) calculations in the
Show Value As option.

Show Value As Description

No Calculation Displays the original value.
% of Grand Total Displays values as a percentage of the grand total of all
the values or data points.
% of Column Total Displays all the values in each column or series as a
percentage of the total for the column or series.
% of Row Total Displays the value in each row or category as a
percentage of the total for the row or category.
Difference From Displays values as the difference between two values. For
example, the difference between this year’s sales value
and last year’s sales value.
% Difference From Displays values as a percentage of the difference between
two values. For example, the difference between this
year’s sales value and last year’s sales value as a
percentage. The percentage change is a useful figure for
examining trend data.
Running Total in Displays cumulative or running totals of pivot table cell
values. For example, cumulative sales over a period of
time such as the year-to-date.
Rank Smallest to Displays the rank of selected values in a specific field from
Largest smallest to largest, listing the smallest item in the field as
1, and each larger value with a higher rank value.
Rank Largest to Displays the rank of selected values in a specific field,
Smallest listing the largest item in the field as 1, and each smaller
value with a higher rank value.

Steps

To show values as a percentage of grand total using the % of Grand Total

custom calculation:

1. Open the Cards Pivot.xlsx workbook and go to the Pivot3 worksheet.

2. Click on any value in the Sum of Amount item in the PivotTable.

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Active Field group, click Field Settings.

4. Select the Show Values As tab in the Value Field Settings dialog box.

5. Click the Show values as drop-down list and select % of Grand Total.

6. Type Percentage in the Custom Name box to modify the name.

Showing Value as Percentage

7. Click Number Format to format the number.

8. Select the Percentage category and set the Decimal places to 1.

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ICDL Data Analytics – Foundation Lesson 6 – Pivot Table Data Aggregation

9. Click OK to close the Format Cells dialog box.

10. Click OK to close the Value Field Settings dialog box.

The Pivot table shows the amount for each department as a percentage of the
Grand Total.

Amount Values Shown as Percentage of Grand Total

To rank the number of transactions for each department from highest to lowest
using the Rank Largest to Smallest custom calculation (with the highest value
being ranked as 1):

1. Click on any value in the Count of Trans # item in the PivotTable in the
Pivot3 worksheet in the Cards Pivot workbook.

2. On the Analyze tab, in the Active Field group, click Field Settings.

3. Select the Show Values As tab in the Value Field Settings dialog box.

4. Click the Show values as drop-down list and select Rank Largest to
Smallest.

5. Type Rank in the Custom Name box to modify the name.

Ranking Values

Note: The default base field is Department as the ranking is done by comparing
the number of transactions across the departments.

6. Click OK.

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The number of transactions are ranked from highest to lowest (with the highest
value being ranked as 1).

Number of Transactions Ranked from Highest to Lowest

To add another value item to show the cumulative total over a period of time –
in this example a cumulative daily total:

1. Go to the Pivot4 worksheet.

2. Click on any cell in the PivotTable.

3. In the PivotTable Fields panel, drag and drop the Amount field into the Σ
Values area.

Note: If necessary, set the aggregation method for the field to Sum.

4. Click on any value in the Sum of Amount item in the PivotTable.

5. On the Analyze tab, in the Active Field group, click Field Settings.

6. Select the Show Values As tab in the Value Field Settings dialog box.

7. Click the Show values as drop-down list and select Running Total In.

8. Ensure Date is set as the Base field.

9. Type Cumulative Total in the Custom Name box to modify the name.

Running Total

10. Click OK.

The cumulative total up to each date is shown in the same row as the date.

Cumulative Daily Total

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To add another value item to show the difference between one value and
another value in a pivot table - in this example, to show the difference between
the total amount of Visa card transactions and the other card types (Amex,
Debit and MasterCard):

1. Go to the Pivot5 worksheet.

2. Click on any cell in the PivotTable.

3. In the PivotTable Fields panel, drag and drop the Amount field into the Σ
Values area.

Note: If necessary, set the aggregation method for the field to Sum.

4. Click on any value in the Sum of Amount item in the PivotTable.

5. On the Analyze tab, in the Active Field group, click Field Settings.

6. Select the Show Values As tab in the Value Field Settings dialog box.

7. Click the Show values as drop-down list and select Difference From.

8. Ensure Payment Type is selected in the Base field list box.

9. Select Visa in the Base item list box to define Visa as the value to be
subtracted from the other values.

10. Type Difference in the Custom Name box.

Difference From

11. Click OK.

The difference between the total amount for each card and the Visa card is
shown.

The resulting pivot table shows Visa as the preferred type of payment in this
context and the gap in transactional values by other payment methods
compared to it.

Comparing Differences between Visa and Other Card Payments

Note: The Difference From calculation subtracts one value in the pivot table
from another and shows the result (that is the difference from the value of the
Base item in the Base field). To see the percentage difference, use %
Difference From. The percentage change figure is useful for analysing trend
data.

To switch quickly between the various built-in calculations, right-click a value

field, choose Show Values As, and select a calculation from the context menu
(for example, Running Total In). The required result will be shown in the pivot
table.

Using the Right-Click Method to Apply a Built-in Calculation

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6.5 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Open the Aggregate.xlsx workbook and go to the Trips worksheet.

2. Create a PivotTable in the build area provided from cell K4 onwards using the
appropriate fields and aggregation methods to summarise the average
amount of tickets sold for each office and the number of tickets sold for
each office.

3. Label the average amount as Average Cost and format the values as
currency without decimal.

4. Label the number of tickets sold as Total Tickets.

5. Go to the Shipping worksheet.

6. Create a PivotTable in the build area provided from cell G4 onwards using the
appropriate fields and built-in calculations to show the daily total of the Order
Value and the running total of the Order Value.

7. Label the daily total as Daily Sum.

8. Label the running total as Running Sum.

9. Create a PivotTable in cell G15 onwards using the data set in the range
A3:D20 to show the percentage of the order value for each shipping detail.

10. Label the column as Orders Share.

11. Go to the Sales worksheet.

12. Create a pivot table in the build area provided from cell H4 onwards using the
appropriate fields and built-in calculations to rank 2018 Sales for each Market
from largest to smallest.

13. Label the column as 2018 Rank.

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LESSON 7 –
PIVOT TABLE FREQUENCY ANALYSIS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Automatically group date, time and numeric data items

• Manually create custom groups
• Rename groups
• Ungroup data items
Lesson 7 – Pivot Table Frequency Analysis ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

7.1 GROUPING DATE, TIME AND NUMERIC DATA

Concepts

When analysing large sets of data in pivot tables, you may want to look at subsets
of the data to find patterns and trends. You can do this by organizing the data into
groups.

If your pivot table shows how often something occurs for a particular field in a data
set, this is a frequency distribution table. You can put data into groups to create a
grouped frequency distribution table. This provides useful information on how data
in the data set is distributed across groups. The group with the highest frequency
for the data set is known as the modal group.

If the data in your pivot table has date or time fields, you can group the data by
specified time periods. The groups available are seconds, minutes, hours, day,
month, quarter, or year. In the example below, the first pivot table lists daily
transaction totals and numbers. The transaction totals and numbers in the second
pivot table have been grouped by week. In the second pivot table you can see at
a glance that the highest total occurred in week 30/4/2018-6/5/2018 and the
highest number (or frequency) of transactions occurred 11/6/2018-17/6/2018.

Data Grouped by Week

Note: You can also group date and time data into hierarchical groups such as by
week and day or by year and quarter.

If the data in your pivot table contains numeric values, you can group the data by
a specified interval. In the example below, the first pivot table shows individual
transaction amounts and the number of transactions, or frequency for each
amount. In the second pivot table the transaction amounts have been grouped
into intervals of 20. In the second pivot table you can see at a glance that the
most frequently occurring transaction amounts occurred in the 21-40 and the 101-
120 ranges.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 7 – Pivot Table Frequency Analysis

Transaction Amount Grouped by 20

Steps

To group data in a pivot table by date:

1. Open the Cards Group.xlsx workbook and go to the Group1 worksheet.

2. Click on any date value below Row Labels in the PivotTable.

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Group group, click Group Field.

Grouping Dates

4. In the Grouping dialog box, in the By list box, select the period of time to
group by – in this case, to view a weekly report deselect the Months option,
select Days and type 7 in the Number of Days box.

Note: There is no weekly option, so to group the data by week you need to
select Days and set the number of days as 7. The week range is determined
by the date in the Starting at box, so adjust this if necessary. By default, the
Starting at and Ending at dates are the first and last dates in the pivot table.

Grouping by a Week

5. Click OK.

The daily report is presented as a weekly report in the Pivot Table.

Dates Grouped by 7 Days

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To group numeric values by a specified interval:

1. Open the Cards Group.xlsx workbook and go to the Group2 worksheet.

2. Click on any numerical value in the Rows area in the pivot table.

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Group group, click Group Field.

4. In the Grouping dialog box, in the By text box, type the range or interval to
group by – in this case, 20 - and click OK.

Grouping Numbers

Note: By default, the starting and ending values are the lowest and highest
values in the pivot table, so adjust this if necessary.

The transactions are grouped by an interval of 20 in the Pivot Table.

Amount Values Grouped by 20

7.2 CREATING CUSTOM GROUPS

Concepts

There are many ways that pivot tables automatically group data, but you may also
want to manually create custom groups.

You will need to manually create custom groups when the data you want to group
are not date, time or numeric items, or the group you want to create does not
appear in the underlying data. For example, you may have a pivot table that
shows a breakdown of credit card transactions by various banks. You want to
further group the transactions into groups of banks, but those groups don't appear
in the underlying data. In this case. you will need to manually create your own
custom groups of banks.

When you group data items, the group is given a name by default. You can
rename groups to define names that are more relevant for your purposes.

Steps

To manually group data items in custom groups:

1. Open the Cards Group.xlsx workbook and go to the Group3 worksheet.

2. Select the items to add to the first group – in this case, the issuers listed are to
be grouped by country, so select the following issuers to be part of a USA
group:
• American Express
• Bank of America
• CapitalOne
• Chase Manhattan
• CitiBank
• Seattle FirstBank
• Wells Fargo

Note: To select multiple non-contiguous items, press CTRL and click on the
items.

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Manually Select Items to Be Grouped

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Group group, click Group Selection.

Selected Issuers Grouped under One Category

4. Repeat the selecting and grouping for the following items:

• Bank of Montreal
• ScotiaBank
• Toronto Dominion Bank
• VanCity Credit Union

5. Repeat the selecting and grouping for the following items:

• Lloyds Banking Group
• Santandar
• Santandar of Scotland

To rename groups:

1. For each manual grouping a new name is automatically assigned (for example
Group1, Group2 and Group3). To change the group name to a meaningful
label, click on the group name and type a new name (for example, USA).

Renaming Grouped Field

2. To hide the details in each group, click the Collapse button next to the group
name.

Renaming Grouped Field

3. Rename Group2 as Canada, Group3 as Others and collapse both groups.

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7.3 UNGROUPING DATA

Concepts

Data that are grouped by applying selected criteria or manually can be easily
ungrouped.

Steps

To ungroup data in a grouped pivot table:

1. Go to the grouped pivot table in the Group3 worksheet in Cards Group.xlsx

workbook.

2. Select a group label – in this case, the country label USA.

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Group group, click Ungroup to show the original
data.

Ungrouping data

Note: Alternatively, you can right-click a group label and select Ungroup.

7.4 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Open the Sales Group.xlsx workbook.

2. Go to the Group1 worksheet.

3. Ungroup the current automatic date values in the Row area.

4. Group the dates in the Row area by Year and Quarter.

Note: If the Total Sales is not visible for the Year, set the Subtotals to
Automatic in the Years field settings.

5. Go to the Group2 worksheet.

6. Group the sales amount in the Row area by every thousand, starting from 0 to
8000.

7. Select the following labels in the Column area, group the selection and rename
the group accordingly.

Labels to Select and Group Resulting Group New Group Name

Northeast and Northwest Group 1 North
Southeast and Southwest Group 2 South

8. Remove the original Region field from the Columns area in the Field List
pane.

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LESSON 8 –
FILTERING PIVOT TABLES

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Use report filters

• Use slicers
• Use timelines
Lesson 8 – Filtering Pivot Tables ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

8.1 USING REPORT FILTERS

Concepts

When you have summarized data in a pivot table in Excel, you may want to create
reports that analyse certain parts of the data. You can create these reports using
one or more report filters. A report filter can be used to display selected items in
a pivot table. Items selected in the filter are displayed in the pivot table and items
that are not selected are hidden. Report filters are displayed above the pivot table
for easy access.

For example, you might want to show the sales amounts for a specific year
instead of all years or you might want to show the sales amounts for one or two
regions instead of all regions. The pivot table below has report filters for
Account Date and Region which are showing information for the year 2017 and
the region United States.

Account Date and Region Report Filters

You may need to create a pivot table report for each unique item in a field. For
example, you may need to create a report for each region or each year. You can
do this by creating a report filter, filtering by each item in the report filter list, and
copying the output for each item into a new worksheet. A quicker way to do this is
to create a report filter and use the Show Report Filter Pages feature. This
feature automates the process of applying a filter for each item and copying the
results into separate worksheets. It also names the new worksheet after the item.
This saves lots of time, especially if you are creating a large number of reports.

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Steps

To add a report filter to a pivot table in Excel:

1. Open the Sales Report.xlsx workbook.

2. Click on any cell in the pivot table to open the PivotTable Fields panel.

Pivot Table in Sales Report

3. To add the account date as a filter, move the Account Date field from the
Columns area to the Filters area in the PivotTable Fields panel.

Note: The Account Date has been grouped by year.

Moving Account Date from Columns to the Filters area

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4. To add the Region as a filter, drag and drop the Region field to the Filters
area.

Moving the Region field to the Filters area.

The applied report filters (Account Date and Region) appear above the pivot
table.

Adding Fields to the Filters Area

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5. To use the report filters to view the summary for the United States in the year
2017, select the year 2017 from the Account Date drop-down list and click
OK.

6. And select the region United States from the Region drop-down list and click
OK.

PivotTable with Report Filters Applied

7. To clear the filters from the pivot table, select All from the Account Date drop-
down list and click OK.

8. And select All from the Region drop-down list and click OK.

Note: To remove the report filters from the pivot table, remove the fields from
the Filters area.

To use the Show Report Filter Pages feature:

1. Click on any cell in the pivot table (with report filters applied).

2. On the Analyze tab, in the PivotTable group, click the Options down-pointing
arrow, and click Show Report Filter Pages.

Show Report Filter Pages Command

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3. Select the required filter field, in this case Region, and click OK.

Show Report Filter Pages Dialog Box

A worksheet is created for each item in the Region report filter list with a pivot
table filtered for that item. The worksheet is also renamed to match the item
name.

New Worksheets Created for Each Item

Note: When changes are made to the original pivot table after the application
of the filters, those changes will NOT automatically be updated in the pivot
tables in the new report filter pages.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 8 – Filtering Pivot Tables

8.2 USING PIVOT TABLE SLICERS

Concepts

As well as using report filters, you can also use slicers to filter data visually in a
pivot table. The slicer feature provides buttons that you can click to quickly and
easily filter the pivot table data, making reports interactive.

For example, you may have a pivot table that shows the total amount spent by
different types of customers on different product categories and you create a slicer
that allows you to filter this information by different areas. The slicer below has
buttons that allow you to filter by the areas Central, East, North, South and West.

A pivot table slicer

Slicers also indicate the current filtering state, which makes it easy to understand
what is shown in a filtered pivot table. When you select an item in a slicer, that
item is included in the filter and the data for that item is displayed in the report.

You can also customise slicers by changing slicer options. For example, you can
change the name of the slicer for formulas, the header name displayed in the
slicer, the order in which the items are displayed in the slicer, the colour of the
slicer, the number of columns, the button size and the slicer size.

You can also connect a slicer to multiple pivot tables to create useful cross-filtered
reports. A slicer can only be connected to multiple pivot tables when the pivot
tables have the same source data range.

Steps

To apply slicers to a Pivot Table:

1. Open the Pivot Slicers.xlsx workbook and go to the Slicer1 worksheet.

2. The pivot table shows total amount spent by different types of customers on
different product categories. Click on any value in the pivot table.

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Filter group, click Insert Slicer.

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The Insert Slicers dialog box appears.

Insert Slicers Dialog Box

4. Select the relevant field, in this case, select Area and click OK.

The slicer appears on the worksheet alongside the PivotTable (in a layered
display if you have more than one slicer).

5. Click and drag the slicer to position it, for example, to the right of the pivot
table. Resize the slicer as necessary using the sizing handles.

Pivot table with a Slicer

6. Use the slicer to filter the pivot table by doing one of the following:

a. To select a single item, click the item button.

b. To select multiple contiguous items, click the first item button, press
SHIFT, and click the last item button.
c. To select multiple non-contiguous items, press CTRL and click on the
item buttons.

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7. Click the Clear Filter icon at the top right of the slicer to clear the filter.

Clear Filter in Slicer

To change the slicer settings:

1. On the Options tab, in the Slicer group, click Slicer Settings.

2. Change the Slicer’s Name and display options for Header and Item Sorting
and Filtering if required.

Setting Slicer Options

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3. On the Options tab, in the Slicer Styles group, select a style for the slicer – in
this case Light Orange, Slicer Style Light 2.

Applying Slicer Style

4. On the Options tab, in the Buttons group, select the number of columns – in
this case, type 5 in the Columns box, and change the button height and width
as necessary.

5. The slicer dimension may need to be adjusted to ensure all the buttons are
visible. On the Options tab, in the Size group, change the overall size of the
slicer height and width as necessary.

The slicer style is changed to light orange and the number of columns is
changed from 1 to 5.

Formatted Slicer

Note: To delete a slicer, click on the slicer to select it, and press Delete. Or
right-click the slicer and select Remove <Name of Slicer> from the context
menu.

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To connect slicers across multiple pivot tables:

1. Open the Share Slicers.xlsx workbook and go to the Slicers worksheet.

2. Select the Profession slicer next to the top pivot table.

3. On the Options tab, in the Slicer group, click Report Connections.

4. In the Report Connections dialog box, check the option for PivotTable2 to
link the Profession slicer to the bottom pivot table

5. Click OK.

Report Connections Dialog Box

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6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to connect the Category slicer to the top pivot table
(PivotTable1).

Connecting the Category Slicer

The slicers (Profession and Category) are connected to both pivot tables.
Making a selection in either slicer filters the data in both pivot tables
accordingly.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 8 – Filtering Pivot Tables

8.3 USING TIMELINES

Concepts

To easily display data in a pivot table for different time periods, you can use the
Timeline option in Excel. Timelines are based on date fields, so to create a
timeline the pivot table needs to include at least one date-formatted field.

A Timeline has a scroll bar that allows you to focus on a time period before
selecting a specific time period in the date field to display. You can choose what
level the time period is shown as - years, quarters, months, or days.

Similar to slicers, you can customise and format Timelines. You can also use a
single Timeline to filter numerous pivot tables, if the pivot tables use the same
data source.

Steps

To use a Timeline filter control in a pivot table:

1. Open the Timeline.xlsx workbook and go to the Pivot worksheet.

2. Select any value in the first pivot table in the worksheet.

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Filter group, click Insert Timeline.

4. In the Insert Timelines dialog box select the date-formatted field on which to
base the timeline – in this case, click Date and click OK.

Note: You can add multiple timelines by selecting multiple date-formatted

fields.

Insert Timelines Dialog Box

5. Click and drag the timeline to place it above the PivotTable.

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Timeline Filter
6. To change the time level, click the arrow next to the time level shown and
select the new time level – in this case, DAYS.

Selecting a Time Level

7. Drag the Timeline scroll bar to focus in on a particular time period - in this
case, starting from the 15th March.

Time Level Changed to Reflect Days

8. To select the time period to display, click a period tile in the timespan control
and drag at either end of the tile to select the relevant tiles - in this case, from
16th to 20th Mar.

Adjusting the Date Range

9. On the Options tab, in the Timeline Styles group, select a style for the
timeline.

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Applying Timeline Style

10. On the Options tab, in the Size group, change the overall size of the timeline
height and width as required.

Setting Size for the Timeline

11. On the Options tab, in the Show group, set the options you want to display in
the timeline.

Setting the Show Options

Timeline Elements

Note: To clear the Timeline, click the Clear Filter icon at the top right of
the timeline.

To delete a Timeline, select the Timeline and press Delete or right-click the
Timeline and select Remove Timeline.

To use one Timeline to filter multiple pivot tables, select the Timeline and in
the Options tab select Report Connections and select the pivot tables to
include. The pivot tables need to use the same data source.

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8.4 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Open the Purchases.xlsx workbook.

2. Go to the Pivot worksheet.

3. Add a slicer using the field Category for the pivot table in cell A11:B14.

4. Move and resize the slicer so that it fits the range A1:B9.

5. Link the slicer with the rest of the PivotTables in the worksheet.

6. Add a timeline using the field OrderDate for the PivotTable in cell A11:B14.

7. Change the time level to Months.

8. Remove the display of the Time Level, Selection Label and Scrollbar in the
timeline.

9. Move and resize the slicer so that it fits the range D1:G5.

10. Link the timeline with the rest of the PivotTables in the worksheet.

11. Select all the categories except Camping in the Category slicer.

12. Set the time period from January to June in the OrderDate timeline.

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LESSON 9 –
USING PIVOT CHARTS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Create a pivot chart from a pivot table

• Create a pivot chart from data in a table
Lesson 9 – Using Pivot Charts ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

9.1 INSERTING PIVOT CHARTS FROM PIVOT TABLES

Concepts

You may want to add a visualization to an existing pivot table. Pivot charts are an
effective way to create data visualizations that also allow you to display different
views of your data.

You can create a pivot chart from an existing pivot table report. When you create
a pivot chart from an existing pivot table report, the pivot chart reflects the view of
the existing pivot table report. For example, the pivot table report below shows the
totals of the cheque and credit card transactions for different regions. The
corresponding pivot chart shows the same view.

Pivot Table for Sales

Corresponding Pivot Chart for Sales

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The pivot chart uses the pivot table layout to determine the placement of fields.

• Row fields in the pivot table become category fields in the pivot chart.

• Column fields in the pivot table become series fields in the pivot chart.

• Pivot table fields are displayed as field buttons in the pivot chart. These
can be used for filtering.

In the example shown:

• The row fields (Region) in the pivot table are shown on the category
axis in the pivot chart.

• The column fields (Cheque and Credit) in the pivot table are shown on
the series axis.

• The pivot table fields (Region and Category) are displayed as field
buttons in the pivot chart.

When you have created your pivot chart you can use it to further analyse your
data. You can manipulate pivot chart data in the same way you can manipulate
pivot table data. Changing the information displayed in a pivot chart automatically
changes the corresponding pivot table, and vice versa. You can also add slicers
to the pivot chart.

You can customize the visual display and layout of your pivot chart to suit your
needs – for example, you can change the chart type, adjust the chart layout and
formatting.

If you delete the corresponding pivot table, the pivot chart changes to an ordinary
chart.

Steps

To insert a pivot chart from an existing pivot table report:

1. Open the Regional1.xlsx workbook.

2. Click on any cell in the pivot table.

3. On the Analyze tab, in the Tools group, click PivotChart.

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4. In the Insert Chart dialog box, select the chart type – Column is selected be
default.

Insert Chart Dialog Box

5. Select the chart variant – in this case, Stacked Column and click OK.

Stacked Column Chart Option in Excel

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6. The pivot chart is placed on the same sheet as the pivot table it is based on.
Move and resize the chart as necessary.

Note: To move the pivot chart to a different worksheet (or to a Chart sheet), on
the Analyze tab in the Actions group, click on Move Chart.

PivotChart created from an Existing PivotTable

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When you have created the pivot chart you can customise the appearance and
layout to suit your needs.

7. To add a chart title above the chart, click on the PivotChart area and select
the Chart Elements button.

8. Select Chart Title, select Above Chart and enter the title – in this case, enter
Credit and Cheque Transactions

9. To hide field buttons, deselect the relevant option in the Field Buttons drop-
down menu, in the Show/Hide group, on the Analyze tab – in this case,
deselect Show Axis Field Buttons, Show Legend Field Buttons and Show
Value Field Buttons.

Note: Alternatively, to hide field buttons, right-click the field button and select
the relevant option.

10. To remove gridlines, click on the PivotChart area and select the Chart
Elements button

11. Deselect Gridlines.

12. To move the legend below the chart title, click on the PivotChart area and
select the Chart Elements button.

13. Hover over Legend and select Top.

Customised Pivot Chart

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 9 – Using Pivot Charts

9.2 CREATING PIVOT CHARTS FROM TABLES

Concepts

As well as creating a pivot chart from an existing pivot table report, you can create
a pivot chart directly from data stored in a table.

When you create a pivot chart directly from fields in a table in Microsoft Excel, a
corresponding pivot table is automatically created. A pivot chart must have a
corresponding pivot table because the data used to plot the pivot chart comes
from a pivot table.

In the example below, the Region, Sales, and Category fields in the table are
used to create the corresponding pivot chart, and the matching pivot table is
automatically created in Excel.

Data set for Sales

Corresponding Pivot Chart for Sales

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Corresponding Pivot Table for Sales

When you create a pivot chart directly from fields in a table, a PivotChart build
area is displayed with the PivotChart Fields panel.

The PivotChart Fields pane corresponds to the PivotTable Fields panel.

You build the pivot chart in the same way you would a pivot table.

PivotChart Build Area

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The table below describes how the elements in a PivotChart correspond to the
elements in a PivotTable.

PivotChart Areas PivotTable Areas

Filters: Use to Legend (Series): Filters: Use to Columns: Use to

filter the entire Use to display filter the entire display fields as
chart based on fields in the legend report based on columns at the top
the selected item of the chart and as the selected item of the report.
in the report filter. data series. in the report filter.

Axis Values: Use to Rows: Use to Values: Use to

(Categories): display summary display fields as display summary
Use to display data for the data rows on the side data.
fields along the series. of the report.
horizontal
(category) axis in
the chart.

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Steps

To insert a pivot chart using data set fields in a table:

1. Open the Regional2.xlsx workbook.

2. Select any cell in the table.

3. On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, click PivotChart.

4. In the Create PivotChart dialog box, select the option Existing Worksheet.

5. Click in the Location box and select cell H4

Create PivotChart Dialog Box

Note: Clicking a cell in the table previously means the Select a table or range
option is selected by default.

6. Click OK.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 9 – Using Pivot Charts

7. In the PivotChart Fields pane, drag and drop the fields to the respective
areas as follows:

a) To show each Category as a data series, drag and drop Category

to Legend (Series)

b) To show each Region as a data category on the horizontal axis,

drag and drop Region to Axis (Categories)

c) To show the Sales summary values for each category in each

region, drag and drop Sales to Values.

Fields added to PivotChart Areas

The pivot chart is created using a default chart type (a clustered column chart).

Default Chart Type

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8. To change the chart type, on the Design tab, in the Type group, click Change
Chart Type.

9. In the Change Chart Type dialog box, select the chart type, for example,
select Bar in the chart type and 100% Stacked Bar in the chart variant

Changing the Pivot Chart Type

10. Click OK.

11. The chart type is changed to a 100% stacked bar chart. Move and resize the
chart as necessary.

100% Stacked Bar Chart

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12. You can change the information that is displayed in the pivot chart. For
example, the Legend field button (Category in this example) allows you to
choose the data series information to display and the Axis field button
(Region in this example) allows you to choose the axis information to display.

In this case, to exclude the Refund data series, select the Category field
button, deselect Refund and click OK.

The Refund data series is no longer displayed in the legend.

Filtered Pivot Chart

13. You can customize the layout of the chart. To add a chart title, click on the
PivotChart area and select the Chart Elements button.

14. Select Chart Title and enter the chart title Popular Payment Methods above
the chart.

15. To hide field buttons, deselect the relevant option in the Field Buttons drop-
down menu, in the Show/Hide group, on the Analyze tab – in this case,
deselect Show Axis Field Buttons to remove the Region field button.

Field Buttons Control for Pivot Chart

Note: Alternatively, to hide field buttons, right-click the field button and select
the relevant option.

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16. To insert a slicer for the pivot chart, click Insert Slicer in the Filter group in the
Analyze tab.

17. Select Region, to add a slicer using the Region field.

18. Click OK.

19. To format the slicer to display the buttons in 2 columns, set the Columns field
to 2 in the Buttons group in the Options tab.

20. Move the slicer to the right of the pivot chart and resize it to show all the button
labels.

21. You can customize the appearance of the pivot chart. To change the style of
the chart, click on the PivotChart area and select the Chart Styles button.

22. Select a new style – in this case, select Style 9.

23. To change the colour of the chart, click on the PivotChart area and select the
Chart Styles button.

24. Select Color.

25. Select a new colour – in this case, select Colorful Palette 3.

The information displayed in the pivot chart, as well as the layout and
appearance have been updated and a slicer has been added.

Customized Pivot Chart with Slicer

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 9 – Using Pivot Charts

9.3 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Open the Personnel.xlsx workbook.

2. Insert a 3D Pie pivot chart for the existing pivot table in the workbook.

3. Move the pivot chart and position it below the pivot table.

4. Remove the field buttons in the pivot chart.

5. Modify the chart title to reflect Salary Distribution.

6. Add the data label to the outside end of each pie chart slice.

7. Change the legend position to the top.

8. Add a slicer using the field Location for the pivot chart.

9. Set the number of columns for the slicer to 3.

10. Move and resize the slicer so that it fits the range L1:P3.

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11. Create a Clustered Column pivot chart directly from the data set fields in the
table and present it in a new worksheet. The chart should count the number of
personnel for each 10000 range of salary. To do this:

a. Add the fields Salary to the Axis area and Staff ID to the Values area.

b. In the corresponding pivot table, group the Salary from 10000 to 50000
by every 10000.

12. Remove the field buttons in the pivot chart.

13. Modify the chart title to reflect Salary Range Frequency Distribution.

14. Remove the legend and gridlines.

15. Add data labels to the outside end of the data series.

16. Apply Style 11 to the pivot chart.

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LESSON 10 –
DATA VISUALIZATION TOOLS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Understand the concept of data visualization using reports and

dashboards.
• Outline common visualizations.
• Recognise common data visualization tools and their functions.
• Setup tools for data visualizations.
• Import data from a spreadsheet into a data visualization tool.
Lesson 10 – Data Visualization Tools ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

10.1 KEY FEATURES OF DATA VISUALIZATION TOOLS

Concepts

Data visualization provides a visual way to access data by displaying trends and
patterns within data in a visual form. Data visualization makes it simpler and more
efficient to analyse and understand textual and numerical data; it saves time; it
provides insights that contribute to business intelligence; and it helps with decision
making. It can be used in the earlier stages of data analytics to explore and make
sense of the data, as well as for reporting purposes.

There are lots of specialized data visualization tools designed to help businesses
easily perform sophisticated data analytics.

Key Features

Key features of specialized data visualization tools include connecting to a wide

range of data sources including spreadsheets and databases, as well as non-
traditional sources such as web data and images. The tools allow you to create
data sets (collections of data) based on one source of data or based on data from
multiple sources combined and filtered. For example, you can create a simple
data set based on a single table from a spreadsheet or you can create a data set
which is a combination of data from a website table, a spreadsheet table, and an
online table showing results of a social media marketing campaign.

These powerful tools allow you to explore data sets and find and present
information and insights from the data in a way that suits your business needs
through the creation of data visualizations. There are a wide range of data
visualizations provided that can go beyond traditional forms. Part of your data
analysis will include determining which types of visualizations provide the best
insights and business intelligence for your specific needs. Common examples of
data visualizations include:

• Charts (column, bar, line, pie) - Useful for displaying relationships among
numeric data by category or over time periods.

Line Chart Donut Chart

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• Tables - Useful for presenting and comparing detailed data and exact
values.

Product Sales Table

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs and gauge charts) - Useful for

providing key indicators for highlighting critical data and measuring
performance using predefined conditions.

Sales Target KPI Sales Target Gauge Chart

• Maps - Useful for presenting the distribution of data across geographic

locations.

Sales Volume Map

Data visualization tools go beyond presenting information in visual forms and also
provide interactive capabilities that allow you to filter and drill into the data in
visualizations for querying and analysis.

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Data visualization tools also enable production of insightful visual reports. A basic
report includes visualizations and results from the data analytic process. A report
can consist of a single page with one or more visualizations or it can consist of
multiple pages of visualizations. The aim of reports is to provide key insights from
your data that can be used to achieve business goals, such as summary
information, trends, and patterns in a visual format.

A Report with Tabular Data and Charts

As well as reports data visualization tools allow you to combine multiple

visualizations to display key information and metrics in dashboards. Dashboards
provide consolidated visual displays allowing information to be monitored at a
glance on a single screen. This information is updated in real-time as the
underlying data changes. The aim of dashboards is to provide insights into your
business data that can be used to achieve business goals. Dashboards tend to be
built to visualise and organise data for the purpose of monitoring changes in real-
time.

A Dashboard with Multiple Charts and Visual Elements

Data visualization tools also provide the ability to easily share the business
intelligence information produced in dashboards and reports. And they have the
ability to support collaboration.
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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 10 – Data Visualization Tools

10.2 DATA VISUALIZATION TOOLS SETUP

There are many data visualization tools available. Some commonly used tools
include Microsoft Power BI and Tableau:

Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft Power BI provides powerful data analytics with user-friendly interfaces.
It consists of a desktop application called Power BI Desktop, an online service
called Power BI service, and mobile Power BI apps.

Power BI Desktop is free to download and install. You can use it to connect to
many types of data sources, explore your data using visualizations, and design
and create reports using visualizations.

Note: In order to share content created in Power BI Desktop, you will need to
publish it to Power BI service.

URL: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/

Tableau Public
Tableau Public is a free web-based platform used to create data visualizations,
which are uploaded to the Tableau Public website. With a large collection of data
connectors and visualizations with intuitive design, it is one of the leading tools in
data visualization. Each visual comes with shareable code that allows you to
tweet it, share it on Facebook, or embed it in your organization’s website. There is
also a paid version.

URL: https://public.tableau.com/

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Steps
To download Microsoft Power BI Desktop to your device:

1. Go to the Microsoft Power BI Desktop download page:

https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/desktop.

2. Click on DOWNLOAD FREE to begin the process of downloading.

Download Page for Power BI Desktop

3. When Power BI Desktop is downloaded, run the installation file.

4. Follow the instructions in the setup wizard to install the application.

Note: Alternatively, you can download Power BI Desktop as an app by going to

the Microsoft Store for Power BI Desktop and clicking Get or Install to begin the
process of downloading.

Power BI Desktop in Microsoft Store

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 10 – Data Visualization Tools

10.3 VISUALIZATION TOOL ENVIRONMENT

Concepts

When you have installed the Microsoft Power BI Desktop application, you can
launch the application by double-clicking the Power BI Desktop app icon on your
desktop. This opens the Microsoft Power BI Desktop environment where you
can get data, create visualizations, build reports and publish reports to Power BI
service.

The main parts of the Microsoft Power BI Desktop environment are illustrated
below:

 


Power BI Desktop Screen Interface

 Ribbon
Similar to Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications, the Ribbon
displays the toolbars associated with reports and visualizations.

 Views
There are three main views as outlined below. You can change the view by
selecting the relevant icon.

The Report View, shown above, is where you build reports. The Report
View brings the Power BI screen to the report canvas page.

The Data View is where you inspect, explore, and understand the
underlying data in your Power BI Desktop model.

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The Relationship View provides an overview on the relationships between

the fields in different data sets.

 Pages tab
Each tab at the bottom of the canvas represents a page in a report. The tab lets
you select or add a report page.

 Report canvas
The report canvas is where visualizations are displayed. You use it to display and
arrange visualizations and contents of reports.

 Visualizations, Filters and Fields panes

You use the Visualizations, Filters and Fields panes to create visualizations.

In the Visualizations and Filters panes you select the visualizations and
determine the display of visualizations – for example you can set the colour and
format for the visualizations. And you can select the filters for the visualizations.

You can quickly create visualizations by selecting the icons under the
Visualizations pane.

Visualizations Icons in Power BI

In the Fields pane, you select the data to be included in visualizations by

selecting from the list of fields.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 10 – Data Visualization Tools

10.4 IMPORTING DATA SETS FROM SPREADSHEETS

Concepts

Microsoft Power BI enables you to connect to data from multiple different

sources. One of the most common sources is Microsoft Excel.

You can import a data set from a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel into Power BI
and save it in a Power BI file.

You can then use the data set in the Power BI file to create visualizations and
build reports.

Steps
To import a data set from a spreadsheet into Power BI Desktop:

1. Double-click on the Power BI Desktop app icon to launch the application.

2. On the Home tab, in the External Data group, click Get Data.

The External Data group

3. Select the option Excel in the Get Data menu.

The Get Data Menu

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4. Locate and select the Sales Format.xlsx file and click Open.

5. The Navigator window is displayed. Check the Table2 option under Display
Options.

The Navigator Window

6. Click Load.

In the report View, the Fields pane displays all the column headings in the
data set.

The Fields Pane

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7. Click the Data View icon on the left.

In the Data View, the data set content is displayed.

The Data View

8. Click File and choose Save.

9. The Save As dialog box is displayed. Type Report in the File name box and
click Save.

The data will be saved as a Power BI file (.pbix).

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10.5 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Which of the following consists of one or more pages with one or more
visualizations?
a) Chart b) Summary

c) Map d) Report

2. Which of the following consists of a single screen that provides key metrics at
a glance?
a) Dashboard b) Report

c) KPI d) Summary

3. Which of the following is the main purpose for creating an analytical report?
a) To create precision graphics for mechanical design.
b) To solely represent data in rows and columns.
c) To create, publish and share graphical insights.
d) To store, organise and display data in a database format.

4. Which one of the following is a common type of data visualization used for
measuring progress against predefined conditions?
a) Table b) Map

c) Line chart d) KPI

5. Which of the following is a key feature of data visualization tools?

a) Presenting data in tabular format in spreadsheets.
b) Publishing and sharing business intelligence.
c) Presenting and sharing text-based reports.
d) Sharing customer’s contact details.

6. Which of the following accesses the Report view in Power BI Desktop?


 






7. Open Power BI Desktop, import the Sales data set in the Sales worksheet
from the file Sales overview.xlsx and save it as Sales overview
imported.pbxi.
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LESSON 11 –
CREATING BASIC DATA VISUALIZATIONS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Create table visualizations

• Create chart visualizations
• Enhance visualizations using conditional formatting
• Enhance visualizations using data bars
• Enhance visualizations using visual level filters
• Create visualizations using maps
Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

11.1 CREATING TABLE VISUALIZATIONS

Concepts

Creating data visualizations based on a data set is one of the key functions of
data visualization tools.

You can use visualizations to explore your data. And you can combine
visualizations to create meaningful and insightful reports.

There are many types of visualizations to choose from. As part of your data
analysis, you will determine which visualizations are appropriate for your needs.

One of the basic types of visualizations available is a table.

A table is useful for comparing detailed quantitative data. In a table, related data
is laid out in a logical grid of columns and rows.

Steps

To create a Table visualization in a report:

1. Open Power BI Desktop and click File – Open.

2. Select the relevant Power BI file – in this case, select TableChart.pbxi and
click Open.

3. In Report view, click on the Table icon in the Visualizations pane.

Table Visualizations Icon

4. Select the fields to add to the table – in this case, select the 2017 Sales, 2018
Sales and Country fields under Table2 in the Fields pane.

All the fields are automatically selected as Values under the Visualizations
pane.

Note: Alternatively, drag and drop the fields to the Values area under
Visualizations pane.

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A table comparing the sales performance between 2017 and 2018 is created.

Note: You may need to size the table to view all the information.

Adding Fields for the Table

5. Select the table and click the Format icon below the visualization icons in
the Visualizations pane to show the formatting options for the table.

Table Formatting Options

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6. Click Field formatting to expand the options and set the font color of the
values in 2017 Sales to green and its background color to white.

Field Formatting Options

7. Click the down arrow next to 2017 Sales to change the field to 2018 Sales.
Set the background color of 2018 Sales to yellow.

Formatted Sales Table

8. Save the file as TableChart Added Power BI file and close the file.

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ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

11.2 CREATING CHART VISUALIZATIONS

Concepts

Charts are one of the most commonly used visualizations in data analytics. They
reveal relationships such as similarities, differences, and trends among multiple
values. Microsoft Power BI has a range of visualization options from basic charts
to more advanced visuals. Some popular types of charts include:

• Line chart: This is the most popular chart type and is used to present a
continuous data set. It is suited for trend-based visualizations of data over
time, with the emphasis on the continuation or the flow of the values (a
trend).

• Pie/donut chart: A pie chart typically represents numbers in percentages,

used to visualize a part to whole relationship or a composition. Similarly, a
donut shows the relationship of parts to a whole, allowing for space in the
centre for a label or icon.

• Bar/column chart:
o A bar chart is a horizontal column chart. It is best for multiple
categories, especially those with lengthy labels or for displaying a
data set with negative numbers.
o A column chart, on the other hand, displays data in vertical
columns.
To facilitate comparison of multiple variables across categories of data,
Power BI includes Stacked bar and Stacked column charts, as well as
Clustered bar and Clustered column charts.

Stacked bar Stacked column Clustered bar Clustered column

(can be used to create (can be used to create
simple bar chart) simple column chart)

When deciding which chart type to use consider the following:

• The purpose of the chart: Is the purpose for comparison, composition,

distribution or relationship?

• The categories of data to be presented: Are there single or multiple

categories? Are they over a time period or among groups?

• The data points to be presented: How many are there for each category?

When you create your chart, you can then modify how it looks using the formatting
options in Power BI.
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Steps

To create a Line chart visualization - in this case, to plot the sales and profit
values by month to visualise a trend:

1. Open the relevant Power BI file in Power BI Desktop – in this case, select
Sales Chart.pbxi.

2. In Report view, select the Line chart icon in the Visualizations pane.

Line Chart Icon

3. Select the fields to add to the chart – in this case, select the Order Date,
Sales, and Profit fields under the Orders table in the Fields pane.

Note: Alternatively, drag and drop the fields to the respective options under
Visualizations pane.

The Order Date field is automatically selected as Axis, with Sales and Profit
automatically selected as Values under the Visualizations pane.

Fields displayed under the Fields pane

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4. Select the time scale to display – in this case, to display the Order Date by
month, deselect Year, Quarter, Day listed under Order Date by clicking the x
symbols.

Order Date Options

5. Size the line chart to display all information on it clearly.

Line Chart for Sales and Profit by Month

6. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations pane
to show the formatting options for the line chart.

Line Chart Formatting Options

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7. Click Legend to expand the options and set Position to Top Center.

Legend Options

8. Expand the Data colors section and set the colours for the data series – in
this case, set Sales: Purple and Profit: Green.

Data Colors formatting menu

9. Expand the Shapes section and set the following options: Stroke width: 3,
Show marker: On, and Marker shape: Diamond.

Shapes formatting menu

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

10. Expand the Title section and set the following options: Font colour: Black
and Text size: 10.

Shapes formatting menu

11. The formatted line chart will be updated on the report canvas.

Hover over a data point on the line chart to highlight the details and drop line.

Highlighting a Data Point

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

To create a Donut chart visualization - in this case, to show the sales distribution
percentage for the various regions:

1. In Report view in Power BI Desktop, with Sales Chart.pbxi still open, click
on an area outside the Line Chart in the Report Canvas area and select the
Donut chart icon in the Visualizations pane.

Donut Chart Icon

2. Select the fields to add to the chart – in this case, select the Region and Sales
fields under the Orders table in the Fields pane.

The Region field is automatically selected as Legend, with Sales

automatically selected to appear as Values under the Visualizations pane.
3. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations pane
to display the formatting options for Donut chart.

4. Expand the Detail labels section and set Label style to Category, percent of
total and Text size to 10.

Formatting Options for Donut chart

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

5. Expand the Title section and set the Title Text to Sales Distribution by
Region, Font colour to Black and Text size to 10.

6. Position the formatted donut chart to the right of the line chart and resize it as
necessary.

Formatted Donut Chart

Note: To create a pie chart, select the Pie chart icon in the Visualizations pane.
You can also change the donut chart to a pie chart by selecting the donut chart
and then clicking the Pie chart icon in the Visualizations pane.

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

To create a Stacked column chart visualization – in this case, to compare the

sales and profit figures across the regions:

1. In Report view in Power BI Desktop, with Sales Chart.pbxi still open, click
on an area outside the charts in the Report Canvas area and select the
Stacked column chart icon in the Visualizations pane.

Stacked Column Chart Icon

2. Select the fields to add to the chart – in this case, select the Region, Sales
and Profit fields under the Orders table in the Fields pane.

The Region field is automatically selected to appear under Axis, with Sales
and Profit automatically selected to appear under Value under the
Visualizations pane.

Stacked Column Chart for Sales and Profit by Region

3. To format the chart, click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the
Visualizations pane.

4. Expand the Legend section and set the Position to Top Center and Text size
to 10.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

5. Slide the Y-Axis option to Off to turn off the y-axis display.

6. Expand the Data colours section and modify the series colour Sales to Purple
and Profit to Green.

7. Slide the Data labels option to On to turn on the data labels.

8. Expand the Title section, set the Font colour to Black and Text size to 10.

9. Position the stacked column chart below the line chart and resize as
necessary.

Formatted Stacked Column Chart

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

To create a clustered bar chart – in this case, to compare sales figures across
four customer types:

1. In Report view in Power BI Desktop, with Sales Chart.pbxi still open click on
an area outside the stacked column chart in the Report Canvas area and
select the Clustered bar chart icon in the Visualizations pane.

Clustered Bar Chart Template

2. Add fields to the chart – in this case, select the Customer Type and Sales
fields under the Orders table in the Fields pane.

The Customer Type field is automatically selected as Axis, with Sales

automatically selected as Value under the Visualizations pane.

A Clustered bar chart displaying Sales by Customer Type is created.

Clustered Bar Chart Visualization

3. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations
pane.

4. Slide the X-Axis option to Off.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

5. Expand the Data colours section and set the data colour for Corporate to
Purple.

6. Slide the Data labels option to On.

7. Expand the Data labels section and set Position to Inside Center.

8. Expand the Title section and set the following options Font colour to Black
and Text size to 10.

9. Position the clustered bar chart to the right of the stacked column chart and
resize as necessary.

The data series are by default sorted by the values in descending order.

Formatted Clustered Bar Chart

10. To sort the data series by customer type, select the clustered bar chart
visualization, click More options (the ellipses) in the top right of the
visualization and select Sort by Customer Type.

Changing the Sort Order for the Data Series

11. Create a copy of the clustered bar chart visualization and position it to the right
of the copied clustered bar chart.
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12. Uncheck Sales and check Profit to change the field under Value to Profit.
A Clustered bar chart displaying Profit by Customer Type is created.

13. Align the three chart visualizations in a row with equal spacing in between.

Aligned Chart Visualizations

14. Save the file as SalesChart Added Power BI file and close the file.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

11.3 ENHANCING VISUALIZATIONS USING

CONDITIONAL FORMATTING
Concepts

After the creation of visualizations, you may want to enhance the visuals to note
key summary features and highlight important statistical characteristics. For
example, you may want to show maximum and minimum values or above
average and below average values.

In Power BI, visualizations can be enhanced using Conditional formatting.

Some conditional formatting options, for example, for a table visualization, include
setting the background color and font color for cells based on cell values or
rules and showing cell values with data bars.

Steps
To set conditional formatting by Background colour on values in a table
visualization:

1. Open the Sales Chart Enhanced Power BI file in Power BI Desktop.

2. In Report view, click on the table visualization to select it.

3. Go to 2017 Sales within the Values area in the Visualizations pane and click
the field’s down arrow.

4. Select Conditional Formatting and click Background color from the

contextual menu.

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

Selecting the Conditional Formatting Type

5. Specify colours for the lowest value and the highest value. In this case, set the
colour yellow in the Minimum area and the colour purple in the Maximum
area

Specifying the Background Colours for the High/Low Values

Note: If you select the Diverging box, you can configure an optional Center
value as well.

Depending on the Power BI Desktop version, you can also specify colours for
specific value ranges by choosing the Rules Format by option. In the Rules
area, set one or more value ranges and related colours by entering the relevant
If value condition, the relevant and value condition and a related colour.
Table cells with values in the specified ranges will be filled with the specified
colour.

6. Click OK.

7. Resize the table to ensure all the values are visible.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

Table with High/Low Background Formatting

8. To edit the applied conditional formatting, select the field’s down arrow, select
Conditional Formatting and click Background color from the contextual
menu and edit as required.

9. To remove the conditional formatting, select the field’s down arrow, select
Remove Conditional Formatting. Select All or select the specific formatting
type to remove.

To set conditional formatting by Font color on values in a table visualization:

1. Go to 2018 Sales within the Values area in the Visualizations pane, click the
field’s down arrow and select Conditional Formatting.

2. Click Font color from the contextual menu.

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

The Font Color Window

3. Click the down arrow next to Color scale and set the Format by to Rules
option.

Note: You can use the Color scale option to specify colours for the minimum
value and the maximum value.

4. When you select the Format by Rules option, you can specify one or more
value ranges, each with a set colour. In each value range, set an If value
condition, an and value condition, and a colour.

In this case, set the If value to is greater than or equal to 0 and is less than
50000 in the Rules area:

Specifying Rules

Note: You can add more rules by clicking the Add button.

5. Confirm the rules by clicking OK.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

Table with Formatting by Font colours

Values are highlighted in the table to bring attention to the range and
variation within the data set.

6. To edit the applied conditional formatting, select the field’s down arrow, select
Conditional Formatting and click Font color from the contextual menu and
edit as required.

7. To remove the conditional formatting, select the field’s down arrow, select
Remove Conditional Formatting. Select All or select Font color.

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

To apply and edit Data bars on values in a table visualization:

1. In Report view in Power BI Desktop, with Sales Chart Enhanced still open,
click on an area outside the existing table in the report canvas. Select the
Table icon in the Visualizations pane to create a new table.

2. Select the fields to add to the table – in this case, select the Market and 2018
Sales fields under the Table2 table in the Fields pane.

Table Visualizations for Market and 2018 Sales

3. Go to 2018 Sales within the Values area in the Visualizations pane, click the
field’s down arrow and select Conditional Formatting.
4. Click Data bars from the contextual menu.

The Data bars window is displayed.

The Data Bars Window

5. The default range for the data bars is the Lowest value in the data set for
Minimum and Highest value for Maximum. To specify a set value, select the
Minimum type down arrow and select Number. Type 0 in the Value box.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

6. Click the Positive bar down arrow and select the required colour (for example,
green) and click OK.
7. Place the table visualization to the right of the first table and resize if
necessary.

Table with Data Bars

The data bars enhanced the table visualization to highlight the market share of
2018 sales.

Note: To edit data bars, select the down arrow next to the relevant field, select
Conditional Formatting and click Data bars and edit as required.

To remove data bars, select the down arrow next to the relevant field, select
Remove Conditional Formatting and select Data bars.

9. Save the file as Sales Chart Formatted Power BI file and close the file.

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

11.4 ENHANCING VISUALIZATIONS USING VISUAL

LEVEL FILTERS
Concepts

To visually inspect specific sections of a data set, you can apply filters to
visualizations so that the visualizations only display the required information.

In Power BI, you can specify the items to display within a given visualization using
Visual Level Filters.

Steps
To apply visual level filters on a table visualization:

1. Open Visual level filters.pbxi in Power BI Desktop.

2. In Report view, click on the table visualization to view the 2018 Sales listed by
Country.

2018 Sales Table Visualization

3. Under Visual level filters in the Filters pane, the value fields 2018 Sales and
Country are automatically included. Click on the down arrow next to 2018
Sales under Visual level filters to show the visual level filter options for the
Sales 2018 field.

Visual level filter fields

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

For numerical values, the visual level filter options allow for display of values
by setting a rule (for example, is less than or equal to) and specifying a value.

4. To show only sales volume of less than 30000 in the table visualisation, enter
the value under Show items when the value and the option is less than and
press Return.

Setting a value to display selected items for 2018 Sales

5. Click on the down arrow next to Country under Visual level filters to show
the visual level filter options for the Country field.

For qualitative values, the items to display can be selected in a list displayed
under Basic filtering.

6. To display only 2018 sales for one country at each application of the visual
level filter, select Require single selection. This allows the sales value only
for a selected country to be shown.

Basic Filtering to display single selection for a field

7. To show multiple selected countries in the table visualisation, uncheck the

8. Scroll down the list and select the countries – in this case, select Singapore
and Malaysia.

The change in display for the visualisation is activated.

Basic Filtering to display selected countries

9. Save the file as Visual Levels Added Power BI file and close it.

The setting for the Visual level filters is saved with the file.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

11.5 CREATING VISUALIZATIONS USING MAPS

Concepts

Visualization tools can display quantitative information on a map to give an

overview of data distribution across geographic locations. Data on a map is often
displayed as points of colour, various shades or sized bubbles.

By providing a geographical context for numbers, quantitative maps can provide

an insight into data sets by visually highlighting the best and worst performing
areas, trends, and outliers.

Two commonly used map types in Power BI are:

• The Map (Bubble map) visualization: A bubble is placed over a

geographic point and the size of the bubble corresponds to the size of data.
For example, the Map below shows the profit volume by state and region in
the United States.

Map (Bubble Map) in Power BI

• The Filled map (choropleth) visualization: Shading is used to display

how values differ in proportion across geographical locations. These
relative differences are displayed with shading that ranges from light (less-
frequent/lower values) to dark (more-frequent/higher values). This gives an
overview of the distribution across geographic locations. For example, the
Filled Map below shows customer distribution by state in the United
States.

Filled Map (choropleth) in Power BI

Power BI is integrated with Bing to provide map coordinates based on the

location field in the data set.

Steps

To create a visualization using a Map – in this case a map chart of sales volume
by state:

1. Open the relevant Power BI file in Power BI Desktop – in this case

MapChart.pbix.

2. In Report view, select the Map icon in the Visualizations pane.

Map Template

3. Select the fields to add to the map – in this case, select the State and Sales
fields under the Orders table in the Fields pane.

The State field is automatically selected as Location, with Sales automatically

selected as Size under the Visualizations pane.

A map visualization is created.

Map Visualization with State as location and Sales as Size

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations

4. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations
pane.

5. Expand the Map styles section and change the Theme to Grayscale.

6. Slide the Border option to On.

7. Expand the Title section and set the Font colour to Black and Text size to
10.

8. Expand the Data colours section and change the Default colour to Yellow.

9. To highlight the sales for a state (for example California) on the map, slide the
Show all option to On and change the colour for California to Green.

10. Expand the Bubbles section and set the Size to 5%.

A Map chart of Sales by State and Sales highlighted for California

The map now shows the sales volume by state in proportion to the size of its
bubble with a special highlight for California to facilitate quick comparison of
sales volumes across the states.

11. Hover over a state to highlight the plotted value.

Highlighting a Bubble on the Map

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

To create a visualization using a Filled Map - in this case a Filled Map of

customer distribution by state:

1. In Report view in Power BI Desktop, click on an area outside the newly

created bubble map in the Report Canvas area and select the Filled map
icon in the Visualizations pane.

Filled Map Template

2. Select the fields to add to the map – in this case, select State and Customer
ID fields under Orders table in the Fields pane.

The State field is automatically selected as Location, with Customer ID

automatically added to the Legend area under the Visualizations pane.

3. Drag and drop Customer ID to the Color saturation area.

4. Click the Count of Customer ID field’s drop down list in the Color saturation
area and select the function Count (Distinct).

Filled Map Visualization

5. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations
pane.

6. Expand the Map styles section and change the Theme to Grayscale.

7. Expand the Title section and set the Title Text to Customer Distribution by
State, Font colour to Black, and Text size to 10.

8. Slide the Border option to On.

9. Move the filled map to beneath the bubble map and resize the filled map as
necessary.

Filled Map showing Customer Distribution by State

10. Hover over a state to highlight the plotted value.

Highlighting Filled Map Area

Note: Clicking on a location in a filled map activates the effect of cross-filtering

the other visualizations on the report page and vice versa. Click on the map
background to clear the filter. To set a suitable view on the map, zoom in and
out the map area by using the mouse wheel control.

The Filled map facilitates an overview on the count of customers by state using
concentration of colours.

11. Save the file as MapChart Added Power BI file and close it.

Lesson 11 – Basic Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

11.6 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Which of the following is typically used to present quantitative data for
comparison and inspection of details?
a) Pie chart b) Line chart

c) Table d) Map

2. Open the Chartstory Power BI file in Power BI Desktop and add a border to
the stacked column chart for sales and profit by month.

3. Change the data colours for Sales to blue.

4. Create a clustered column chart for Sales by month and region.

5. Place the clustered column chart below the stacked column chart.

6. Save the file as Chartstory Added Power BI file and close it.

7. Open the PivotReport Power BI file in Power BI Desktop

8. Use the Background colour conditional formatting for the Amount column
and format all values according to the following range:
• Red fill for values between 0 and below 1500.
• Yellow fill for values between 1500 and 2000.
• Green fill for values above 2000.

9. Apply the Data bars conditional formatting for the Transactions column:
• Set the bar colour to purple.
• Change the bar direction to Right to left.

10. Save the file as PivotReport Added Power BI file and close it.

LESSON 12 –
CREATING ADDITIONAL DATA VISUALIZATIONS

In this section, you will learn how to:

• Create KPI and gauge chart visualizations to measure progress

• Create card visualizations
• Create matrix visualizations
• Add interactivity using slicers
Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

12.1 CREATING VISUALIZATIONS TO MEASURE

PROGRESS
Concepts

In Microsoft Power BI you can create visualizations to measure and visually

communicate progress towards a set goal or target.

The two main types of visualizations for measuring progress are:

• The KPI (key performance indicator) visualization

• The Gauge visualization

The KPI (key performance indicator) visualization

This displays the Base measure (current status), the Goal to be achieved and the
distance from the goal as a percentage.

For example, the Base measure may be the current number of customers and the
Goal may be the number of customers you’d like to achieve this year. The Base is
evaluated against the Goal.

• If the Base measure exceeds the Goal, this is a positive KPI shown in
green font with a tick.

• If the Base measure isn’t meeting the Goal, this is a negative KPI shown in
red font with an exclamation mark.

• If the base measure matches the goal, the font is yellow.

Positive KPI – Base Measure Exceeds Goal Negative KPI – Goal Not Yet Met

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations

The Gauge visualization

This is also known as a gauge chart. This has a circular arc measuring progress
toward a goal/target. All possible values are spread evenly along the arc, from the
minimum (left-most value) to the maximum (right-most value).

The goal/target is represented by a marked line on the gauge.

Progress (current status) toward the goal is represented by the shading. And a
single value shown in bold inside the arc represents the progress.

Gauge Chart – Goal Not Yet Met

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

Steps

To create a KPI visualization – in this case, to create a Customer’s KPI (to show
the number of existing customers metric against the targeted number of
customers for the year) and an Orders KPI (to show the number of orders metric
against the targeted number of orders for the year):

1. Open the KPI Power BI file in Power BI Desktop.

2. To set the target or goal against which to measure progress, click New
Measure in the Calculations group on the Home tab.

3. In the Formula bar that appears at the top of the canvas, type Customers
Target = 1800. Press Enter to add the measure to the fields list in the Fields
pane.

Creating a New Measure

4. In the Report view, click on a blank area in the Report Canvas area and
select KPI icon in the Visualizations pane.

KPI Template

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations

5. Drag and drop the field Customer ID from the Fields pane into the Indicator
area (base) of the Visualizations pane.

The indicator controls the base value’s display units and decimal places.

6. Drag and drop the field Order Date from the Fields pane into the Trend axis
area of the Visualizations pane.

The trend axis is displayed as the background of the KPI visualization.

7. Click the Order Date drop down list in the Trend axis area and select Date
Hierarchy.

8. Drag and drop the measure Customers Target from the Fields pane into the
Target goals area (target) of the Visualizations pane.

The visualization displays the goal and the distance from the goal as a
percentage.

Positive KPI – Target Exceeds Goal

The indicator will be displayed in green with a check icon if the target exceeds
the goal.

9. Click the Count of Customer ID field in the Indicator area of the

Visualizations pane and change the aggregation to Count (Distinct).

Negative KPI – Target Not Yet Met

The indicator will be displayed in red with an exclamation icon if the target is
not yet met. If the indicator matches the goal, the indicator will be displayed in
yellow.

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

10. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations
pane.

11. Expand the Title section and set the following options:
a. Title Text: Customers KPI
b. Font colour: Black
c. Text size: 10

Options for KPI Title

12. Slide the Border option to On.

Options for KPI Title

13. Position the KPI visual to the right of the bubble map and resize it as
necessary.

Formatted Customers KPI

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations

14. To create a KPI visualization to show the number of orders metric against
the targeted number of orders for the year, first create a copy of the
Customers KPI and position it below the Customers KPI.

15. To set the target or goal against which to measure progress, create a new
measure called Orders Target and assign the value 1300 to it.

16. Select the second KPI and set the following options in the Visualizations
pane:
a. Indicator: Order ID
b. Aggregation method: Count (Distinct)
c. Trend Axis: Order Date
d. Order Date Hierarchy: Year
e. Target goals: Orders Target
f. Title: Orders KPI

KPI Visuals

17. Save the file as KPI Added Power BI file and the KPI visualizations are saved
with the file.

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

To create a gauge chart - in this case to display the sales achieved against a
target sales figure:

1. Open the KPI Solution Power BI file in Power BI Desktop.

2. Select the Gauge icon in the Visualizations pane.

Gauge Template

3. To set the target or goal against which to measure progress, create a new
measure called Sales Target and assign the value 2500000 to it.

4. Drag and drop the Sales field from the Fields pane into the Value area of the
Visualizations pane.

5. Drag and drop the fields Sales Target from the Fields pane into the Target
value area of the Visualizations pane.

Gauge Visualization

6. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations
pane.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations

7. Expand the Gauge axis section and set the Max option to 3000000.

Gauge axis setting

8. Slide the Border option to On.

9. Expand the Title section and set the Title Text to Sales Target, Font colour
to Black, and Text size to 10.

10. Expand the Target section, ensure the option is set to On and set the value
decimal places as 2.

11. Position the gauge below the Orders KPI and resize as necessary.

Formatted Gauge Visualization

12. Save the file as Gauge added Power BI file and the visualizations with gauge
chart is saved with the file.

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

12.2 CREATING CARD VISUALIZATIONS

Concepts

Sometimes you may want to highlight a single number in a report - for example,
total sales, market share year over year, or total number of customers. Microsoft
Power BI offers Card as a type of data highlighting for the purposes of reporting.

Card Visualization Icon

Steps

To create a card – in this case to create three cards to display the number of
orders, the number of customers and the total sales in a report:

1. Open the Orders Card Power BI file in Power BI Desktop.

The report is connected to the Orders List.xlsx workbook, which contains

order details for the first half of the year 2018.

2. In the Report view, select the Card icon in the Visualizations pane.

3. Select the Order ID field under the Orders table in the Fields pane.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations

Adding a Field for the Card Visualization

The first value of the Order ID field is displayed by default as the field consists
of text values. The aggregation method for the field needs to be changed to
count the number of unique orders.

4. Click the First Order ID field’s down arrow in the Fields area and select
Count (Distinct).

The card displays the number of unique orders in the data set.

Card Visualization with Count Aggregation

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

5. To format the card visualization, click the Format icon below the visualization
icons in the Visualizations pane.

6. Slide the Category label option to Off.

7. Slide the Border and Title options to On.

8. Expand the Title section and type Number of Orders in the Title Text box.

9. Select a blue font colour, center align the title and set the font size to 14.

Formatting the Card Visualization

10. Adjust the height of the card visualization so that the title and the value are
displayed without too much white space.

Formatted Card Visualization

11. In the Data label section, set the Text size to 28.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations

12. To add additional cards, copy the number or orders visualization and paste
two sets of it on the right.

13. Edit the two new card visualizations to display the Number of Customers and
Total Sales as follows:

Number of Total Sales

Customers
Field Customer ID Sales
Aggregation Method Count (Distinct) Sum
Title Number of Customers Total Orders Value

Fields with numerical values are displayed as summed value and large
numbers are displayed as truncated values, e.g. 1.98M. You can use the
Display units and Value decimal places settings in the Data label section to
format them.

14. Press CTRL and click to select each card.

15. On the Format tab, choose Align in the Arrange group, and choose Align
Top to align the cards to align the cards to in a single row to the card at the
highest level.

16. If necessary, use Distribute in the Arrange group to distribute the cards into
equal spacing in between them.

Align and Distribute Commands

17. Save the report as Orders Card Added Power BI file.

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

12.3 CREATING MATRIX VISUALIZATIONS

Concepts

Sometimes you may want to communicate summary information in a report.

Microsoft Power BI offers Matrix as a way of organising key values for the
purposes of reporting.

Matrix Icon

Steps

To create a matrix visualisation – in this case to display the total sales for each
customer type and product category:

1. Open the Orders Card Solution Power BI file in Power BI Desktop.

2. Select the Matrix icon in the Visualizations pane.

3. Drag and drop the following fields to the respective areas:

a. CustomerType to Rows
b. Product Category to Columns
c. Sales to Values

Adding Fields to the Matrix Visualization

4. Position the matrix visualization below the first card.

5. Adjust the width of the matrix so that it spans approximately the width of the
first two cards.

Moving and Resizing the Matrix Visualization

6. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations
pane.

7. Expand the Matrix style section and set the style to Minimal.

8. Expand the Grid section and set the following options:

a. Row padding: 2
b. Outline weight: 3
c. Text size: 10

9. Expand the Conditional formatting section and slide the Data bars option to
On.

10. Slide the Border option to On.

11. Adjust the width and height of the matrix so that all the values are visible,
without scrollbars.

Formatted Matrix Visualization

12. Save the report as Matrix Added Power BI file.

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

12.4 ADDING INTERACTIVITY USING SLICERS

Concepts

A report can include interactive features that allow users to view different aspects
of the data and derive other insights from the report. A slicer provides such
interactivity features through the display of filters on the report.

Microsoft Power BI offers slicers, with similar functions as that in Microsoft Excel
Pivot Tables.

Slicers can be inserted in two ways:

• Select the Slicer icon in the Visualizations pane and then select the data
field and drag it to the Fields box in the Visualizations pane.

Slicer Template

• Drag the data field from the Fields pane into the report canvas area, and
then select the Slicer icon in the Visualizations panel to turn the
visualization into a slicer.

Power BI allows for different types of slicers, with different effects and options.
Some examples of slicers include field slicers and the date slicers.

Steps

To insert a slicer - in this case for the Region field in a sales summary report:

1. Open the Sales Summary Power BI file in Power BI Desktop.

2. Select the Slicer icon in the Visualizations pane.

3. Drag and drop the Region field from the Fields pane into the Field area of the
Visualizations pane.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations

The slicer is displayed as a list with options displayed with check boxes.
Create more focused reports by putting slicers next to important visuals.

4. Position the slicer visualization next to the matrix visualization and resize the
slicer as necessary.

Inserting the Slicer

Note: List slicer items are sorted in ascending alphanumerical order by default.
To reverse the sort order to descending, select the ellipses (...) in the top right
corner of the slicer and choose Sort descending in the drop-down list.

5. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations
pane.

6. Expand the Selection Controls section and slide the Show “Select all”
option to On.

7. Slide the Slicer header option to Off.

8. Slide the Title option to On, expand the section and set the following options:
a. Title Text: View by region:
b. Font color: Black
c. Text size: 10

9. Resize the slicer as necessary.

Formatted List Slicer

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

To insert a date slider in the report:

1. Drag and drop the Order Date field from the Fields pane into the report
canvas area.

2. With the new visualization selected, select the Slicer icon in the
Visualizations pane to convert the new visualization to a slicer.

Date fields are automatically displayed as a slider control with the date range
populated. Numeric and date/time data types produce range slider slicers by
default.

3. Position the slicer next to the Region slicer and resize as required.

Note: The slider resizes with the slicer size, but it disappears and the dates
are cut off if the slicer is too small.

Inserting a Date Slider

Note: The date data field produces a Between range slider slicer type by
default. To change the slicer type, with the slicer selected, hover over the
upper-right area of the slicer, click the drop down arrow that appears, and
choose one of the other options, such as Before or After.

Selecting Slicer Type

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations

4. Click the Format icon below the visualization icons in the Visualizations
pane.

5. Slide the Slicer Header option to Off.

6. Slide the Title option to On, expand the section and set the following options:
a. Title Text: Select order date range: 1 January to 30 June 2018
b. Font color: Black
c. Text size: 10

Select different date ranges with the slider, or select a date field to type in a
value or pop up a calendar for more precise selection.

Clicking in the Date Field to Pop Up a Calendar

7. Save the report as Orders Report Final Power BI file.

Lesson 12 – Additional Data Visualizations ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

12.5 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Which of the following is a type of visualization that can be used to measure a
current value against a target goal?
a) Visual Slicer b) Card visualization

c) Matrix visualization d) Gauge visualization

2. Open the CreateSummary Power BI file in Power BI Desktop.

The file shows a table and a map visualization of 2018 sales figures for Brazil,
Chile and Columbia.

3. On the Report view create a summary of the sales performance for Brazil,
Chile and Columbia by adding three card visualizations to display the
Number of Orders, Number of Customers and Total Sales for 2018 using
the following fields and aggregation methods:

Number of Number of Total Sales

Orders Customers 2018
Field 2018 Sales Account ID 2018 Sales
Aggregation Count (Distinct) Count (Distinct) Sum
Method

4. Set the text size of the data labels to 28

5. Turn the Category label to off

6. Turn the Border to on.

7. Enter the titles for the respective cards as outlined below:

Number of Number of Total Sales

Orders Customers 2018
Field 2018 Sales Account ID 2018 Sales
Aggregation Count (Distinct) Count (Distinct) Sum
Method
Title Number of Number of Total Sales
Orders Customers 2018

8. Centre align the titles and set their text size to 18.

9. Position the three cards on the top of the report page.

10. Align the three cards in a single straight row with equal spacing in between.

11. Add a slicer for all three cards to show the information for Brazil, Chile and
Columbia.

LESSON 13 –
PUBLISHING AND SHARING

In this section, you will learn to:

• Publish a report from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI service

• Share a report from the Power BI service using a link
• Share a report from the Power BI service to the Web
• Create a dashboard in the Power BI service
• Share a dashboard in the Power BI service
Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

13.1 CREATING AND PREPARING TO SHARE REPORTS

Concepts

In Power BI Desktop you can connect to data sources and build reports based
on your data set by adding appropriate visualizations in Report View over one or
more pages.

Alternatively, you can connect to data sources and create reports based on your
data set in Power BI service - the Power BI online platform.

Once you have created and saved your report you may want to share it with
others. To do this, you need to use Power BI service.

Before you can share reports from Power BI service you need to set up the
appropriate access. To access Power BI service as an individual user, there are
two main licensing options:

• A Power BI Pro license – this enables you to access all content and
capabilities of the Power BI service including connecting to data sets,
creating reports, and sharing content and collaborating with others. To
share and collaborate, the other users will also need to have Power BI Pro
licenses.

• A Power BI free license – this allows you to access some of the Power BI
service capabilities, but it doesn’t allow you to share content or collaborate.

Share Reports
Power BI Pro license Power BI Pro license

As an individual you can purchase a Power BI Pro license, or you can sign up for
a Power BI Pro trial license. With a trial license, you are automatically moved to
a Power BI free license when the trial expires. If you are in an organisation that
uses Office 365, you should check with your IT administrator to find out your
licensing arrangements.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

Steps

To set up Power BI service – in this case to sign up for a free 60-day trial of the
Power BI service using a Power BI Pro license:

1. Go to Power BI signup page: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/get-

started/.

2. On the get started page, select Try Free > under Power BI.

Signing Up for a Free Power BI Account

3. Type a work email address (not personal email) in the text box provided, and
then click Sign up.

Enter a Working Email Address

4. Fill in the required information such as name, password and country.

5. Check your email for a link or verification code email from Power BI.

Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

Verification Code

6. Select the link within the email to verify your email address or key in the
verification code and click Start.

7. If prompted to invite more people, click Skip.

You will be taken to https://app.powerbi.com and you can begin using Power
BI service.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

13.2 PUBLISHING AND SHARING REPORTS

Concepts

You can share reports created in Power BI Desktop by first publishing them to
Power BI service. When you publish a Power BI Desktop file to Power BI
service, the data set and any reports you created in Report view are published to
a workspace in Power BI service. A workspace is a dedicated space used to
collaborate and share content with others. You can also share reports you created
in Power BI service.

Two options for sharing a report from a workspace in Power BI service are:

• Emailing a link: You can share a report with a few people by sending an
email with a link to the report. This can be done from within Power BI
service or by copying the link into another messaging app. You and your
recipients will need to have a Power BI Pro license to do this.

Recipients of the report can view and interact with it, but they can’t edit it.
Users within your organisation can share the report with others within your
organisation, if granted the appropriate permission, but users outside your
organisation won’t be able to share it.

• Publishing to the Web: You can share a report publicly by publishing it to

the web – for example you can embed it in blog posts, websites, through
emails or social media. In this case, you and your audience don’t need a
Power BI Pro license.

Email a link

Share Publish to the Web

Ways to share reports

Note: You can also allow someone to edit content if you both have Power BI Pro
licenses – for example by adding them to the relevant workspace in Power BI
service.

Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

Steps

To publish a report created in Power BI Desktop to the Power BI service:

1. In Power BI Desktop, open the report you have created – in this case, Orders
Final - Solution Power BI file.

2. On the File tab, select Publish.

3. Select Publish to Power BI.

4. Sign in to your Power BI account.

Signing In to Power BI Account

5. In the Publish to Power BI window, select My workspace and click Select.

Selecting a Workspace to Publish to Power BI Window

Note: Multiple app workspaces can be created by Power BI Pro users in the
Power BI service to organise related content.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

6. Once the publishing is completed, you receive a link to your report. Click the
link Open ‘Orders Final – Solution.pbix’ in Power BI to open the report in
your Power BI site.

Alternatively, click Got It to continue working in Power BI Desktop.

Publishing Completed

Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

To view a report in the Power BI service:

1. If not already in the Power BI service, go to https://app.powerbi.com and

2. Select My Workspace on the left menu pane and click the heading Reports.

3. The published report will be listed in the window. Click on the report name to
view it.

Published Report List

The report is displayed.

Report in the Power BI service

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

To share a report from the Power BI service using a link:

1. If not already in the Power BI service, go to https://app.powerbi.com and

2. To share the report, select My Workspace, click Reports and click the Share

icon .

Sharing the Report using a link

Note: Alternatively, you can share the report from within the Report view by
clicking on the Share icon.

Sharing the Report from within the Report view

Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

3. Enter the email addresses of other users in the Share report window and click
Share.

Sharing Options in Share report

Note: Alternatively, copy the URL provided under Report Link and send via
other messaging apps to other users.

4. To exit the report, click the Profile icon at the top right of the browser
window and select Sign Out.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

To publish a report from the Power BI service to the Web:

1. If not already in the Power BI service, go to https://app.powerbi.com and

2. In the My Workspace section, click on the heading Reports.

3. Select the Orders Final - Solution report to open it.

4. Select File menu and choose Publish to web.

5. In the Embed in a public website window, click Create embed code.

Embed in a Public Website

6. Review the warning shown in the window and confirm that the data is okay to
embed in a public website and click Publish.

Warning Message on Publishing

7. A window appears that provides a link that can be sent in email or HTML that
can be pasted directly into your web page or blog.

Links and Embed Code Generated

8. Click Close.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

13.3 CREATING DASHBOARDS

Concepts

Dashboards are a visual display of key vital information needed to highlight one or
more objectives. Information is consolidated and arranged on a single screen thus
allowing information to be monitored at a glance. Dashboards provide an overview
and allow organisations to monitor essential performance metrics. A dashboard is
interactive and highly customisable, and the tiles update as the underlying data
changes.

You can create dashboards in the Microsoft Power BI service but not in Power
BI Desktop.

The visualizations on a dashboard in the Microsoft Power BI service are called

tiles and you pin (add) them to the dashboard from reports. A tile is a snapshot of
your data.

A dashboard A tile

A dashboard made up of tiles

Note: If the original visualization used to create the tile changes, the tile does not
change. For example, if you pinned a column chart from a report and then you
changed the chart to a line chart, the dashboard tile continues to show a column
chart. The data refreshes, but the visualization type does not.

Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

Steps

To create a dashboard in the Power BI service by selecting visualizations from a

report:

1. If not already in the Power BI service, go to https://app.powerbi.com and

2. Select My Workspace on the left menu pane and select Orders Final -
Solution under the Reports heading.

3. On Page 1, hover over the Number of Orders visualization and click on the

pushpin icon .

4. On the Pin to dashboard window, select New dashboard and type Orders
Dashboard in the text box.

Creating a New Dashboard

5. Confirm the creation of new dashboard by clicking Pin.

6. From page 1 of the report, repeat the steps to pin Number of Customers card
and Total Orders Value card visualizations to the existing dashboard (Orders
Dashboard).

7. From page 2 of the report, repeat the steps to pin Sales and Profit by Month
line chart and Sales Distribution by Region donut chart to the existing
dashboard (Orders Dashboard).

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

To move and resize tiles in a dashboard:

1. Select My Workspace on the left menu pane and select Orders Dashboard
under the Dashboards heading.

2. Hover over the Number of Orders Card tile and click on the resize handle (
) at the bottom right corner.

The tiles can be resized to a variety of sizes -- from 1x1 tile units up to 5x5.

3. Repeat the steps for the rest of the tiles.

Resized Tiles

Tiles also can be renamed for more descriptive and meaningful headings.

4. Hover over the line chart and click on the More options icon (...) to open the
tile action menu.

Tile Action Menu

The options available will vary by tile type.

5. Select Edit details ( ).

6. In the Tile details window, enter the Title as Sales and Profit Distribution
and Subtitle as Half Yearly (Jan to Jun) and confirm the setting by clicking
Apply.

Editing Tile Titles

Note: To permanently remove a tile from a dashboard, select Delete tile ( )

from the ellipsis dropdown menu.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

13.4 SHARING DASHBOARDS

Concepts

When you create and finalise dashboards in the Microsoft Power BI service, you
can share them with others. One option is to share them via a link.

Share
via
a link

Note: You and the intended recipients will need to have Power BI Pro licenses.

Steps

To share a dashboard from the Microsoft Power BI service:

1. If not already in the Power BI service, go to https://app.powerbi.com and

2. Select My Workspace on the left pane and select Orders Dashboard under
the Dashboards heading.
3. Click the Share icon ( ) under the Actions column.

Selecting a Dashboard for Sharing

Note: Alternatively, from within an open Dashboard click the Share icon.

4. In the Share Dashboard window, type the full email addresses of the
recipients, separating each with a space.
© 2019 Page 211
Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

5. Check the options at the bottom part of the window as required.

Share Options

6. Click Share.

Power BI sends an email invitation to the individuals, with a link to the shared
content. A message indicating the dashboard has been shared will be
displayed.

Sharing Message

To modify the access rights of recipients:

1. In the list of dashboards, or from within the dashboard, select Share ( ).

2. In the Share dashboard window, select Access.

3. Select the ellipsis (...) next to Read and reshare for a recipient and select:
a. Read to keep the recipient from sharing with anyone else.
b. Remove access to keep that recipient from seeing the shared content
at all.

Change or Remove Access

4. In the Remove access window, decide if you want to remove access to

related content, too, such as related reports and data sets.

If you remove items with a warning icon, it is best to remove related content
because it will not display properly.

5. Click Remove access.

13.5 GOOD DESIGN PRACTICE

Concepts

When you are creating reports and dashboards your aim is to present key insights
and actionable and useful information that can be understood at a glance. To do
this, you need to determine the data that you need to gather and what type of
visualisations to use. You also need to consider the best way to present the
information to your audience. You will need to think about the design and layout of
your reports and dashboards.

Incorporating good design practices into your reports and dashboards will make
them easier to understand and therefore more effective. Good design practices
simplify the visual representation of complex data, helping others understand the
key insights and information more easily. Some tips for good design include:

• Use a clean and uncluttered layout

Use a clean and uncluttered layout on reports and dashboards so that the
reader can see the key insights easily. Present only the most relevant data as
a cluttered layout can be confusing and can distract the user from key
insights.

A Clean, Clutter-Free Dashboard

Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

• Use descriptive titles and labels

Use descriptive titles to help readers understand the data visualizations. Also
consider adding descriptive labels using text boxes to describe the page,
grouping of visuals, or to describe an individual visual.

A Dashboard with Descriptive Titles and Labels

• Use consistent fonts and colour

Use consistent fonts and colours to help the reader understand the
information being presented. In general use one or two font types and up to
three font sizes. Using different font sizes helps to create a visual hierarchy in
the content. For example, use different font sizes for titles, labels, and data.

• Use colour for emphasis and understanding

Use colour appropriately to help highlight critical data and improve the
reader’s understanding of the visuals. The appropriate use of colour can help
the reader make connections between visuals and make data processing
easier. When applying colours to reports and dashboards consider:
• Displaying most of the data using natural colours.
• Using bright or dark colours to highlight outliers or critical data.
• Using colour shades or gradients to show the spread of values across
the data.
• Using colour to highlight variance around a central value. For example,
use green to show positive values and red to show negative values.

ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing

13.6 EVALUATING RESULTS

Concepts

With the results of the data analytical processes easily accessible through reports
and dashboards, you and your team can collaborate on the evaluation of the
results in the evaluation phase of the data analysis process.

6. 1. Business
Deployment understanding

5. 2. Data
Evaluation understanding

4. 3. Data
Modelling preparation

Data Analysis Phases

Some questions you might want to raise in the evaluation process:

• What insights have you gained from the process?

• Do the insights address the problem you set out to solve or the goals you
set out to achieve?

• What are the practical implementation steps that can be taken to address
the problem or achieve the goals?

• What might be the next data analytical phase?

If you find that you haven’t solved the original problem or met the original
objectives, you can revisit and review the business understanding and data
understanding phases to make the most of the on-going data analysis. The key to
gaining insights is not always getting more data but gathering the right data to
address your needs. And the dynamic nature of business and its continuous
development means that process of data analysis is always ongoing.

Lesson 13 – Publishing and Sharing ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation

13.7 REVIEW EXERCISE

1. Which one of the following is used for sharing analytical reports?
a) Power BI service.
b) Power BI Report Canvas.
c) Power BI Tiles.
d) Power BI Desktop.

2. Open the Orders Metric Power BI file in Power BI Desktop.

a) Publish the file to My Workspace.
b) Share the file with another user (Note: Remember, you can only share files
with other Power BI Pro users).
c) Sign out from the Power BI service.

3. Which one of the following should you avoid to achieve a clean, uncluttered
layout in your reports and dashboards?
a) Divide the visualizations over multiple pages.
b) Use borders or white space to section the visualizations.
c) Add decorative elements such as background images.
d) Align and distribute the visualizations.

4. Why should you use consistent fonts and colours to design your reports and
dashboards?
a) To differentiate between the headings and actual data.
b) To accentuate a hierarchical structure.
c) To emphasize critical data.
d) To show the availability of various fonts.

ICDL Syllabus

Ref ICDL Task Item Location Ref ICDL Task Item Location
1.1.1 Identify the main types of 1.1 Types of Data 2.1.1 Import data into a 3.1 Importing
data analytics: descriptive, Analytics. spreadsheet application: Data Sets
diagnostic, predictive, .csv file, spreadsheet, Introduction
prescriptive, quantitative, website table, database
qualitative. table. 3.2 Importing
Data from Text
1.1.2 Outline the business 1.2 Business Files.
benefits of data analytics: Benefits.
identifies patterns/trends, 3.3 Importing
improves efficiency, Data from
supports decision making, Spreadsheets.
presents information 3.4 Importing
effectively. Data from
1.1.3 Identify the main phases of Website Tables.
1.3 Data Analysis
data analysis: business Process. 3.5 Importing
understanding, data Data from
understanding, data Database Tables.
preparation, modelling,
evaluation, deployment. 2.1.2 Remove duplicate data. 4.2 Removing
1.1.4 Recognise data protection Duplicate Data.
1.4 Data
considerations when Protection 2.1.3 Validate that given values 4.3 Validating
analysing data like: Considerations. belong to a reference data Data Using
anonymise personal data if
set using the VLOOKUP VLOOKUP.
possible, comply with
function.
applicable data protection
regulations. 2.1.4 Validate that given values 4.4 Validating
belong to a specified range Data Using IF
1.2.1 Describe measures of 2.1 Summary using one or more if Functions.
central tendency of a data Statistics functions.
set: mean, median, mode. Introduction
2.1.5 Extract values from a string 4.5 Extracting
2.2 Measures of using text functions: left, Values Using
Central right, len, mid, find. Text Functions.
Tendency.
2.2.1 Format a data set as a 5.1 Formatting
1.2.2 Calculate the central 2.3 Calculating built-in table. Data Sets as
tendency value of a data Central
set using a function: mean, Tables
Tendency.
median, mode.
2.2.2 Insert and use table slicers. 5.2 Using Table
1.2.3 Describe measures of 2.1 Summary Slicers.
variation of a data set: Statistics
quartiles, variance, range. Introduction 3.1.1 Change the method of 6.2 Changing
aggregation for a value: Aggregation
2.4 Measures of sum, average, count, Methods.
Variation. minimum, maximum.
1.2.4 Calculate the variation of a 2.5 Calculating 3.1.2 Display multiple 6.3 Displaying
data set: quartile, variance, Variation. aggregation values.
Multiple
range.
Aggregation
Values.
3.1.3 Display values as: % 6.4 Using Built-In
calculation, difference from
Calculations.
specific values, running
total, ranked.

Ref ICDL Task Item Location Ref ICDL Task Item Location
3.2.1 Automatically, manually 7.1 Grouping 4.1.3 Understand good design 13.5 Good
group data and rename Date, Time and practice in reports and Design Practice.
groups. Numeric Data. dashboards like: clean and
uncluttered layout,
7.2 Creating descriptive titles, consistent
Custom Groups. fonts and colour, use of
colour for emphasis and
3.2.2 Ungroup data. 7.3 Ungrouping understanding.
Data. 4.1.4 Import a data set from a 10.4 Importing
spreadsheet into a data Data Sets from
3.3.1 Use the report filter. 8.1 Using Report visualization tool and save Spreadsheets.
Filters. the file.

3.3.2 Insert and use slicers to 4.2.1 Create tables in a report. 11.1 Creating
8.2 Using Slicers.
filter single, multiple pivot Table
tables. Visualizations.

3.3.3 Insert and filter a timeline. 8.3 Using 4.2.2 Visualize data as a chart: 11.2 Creating
Timelines. column, bar, line, pie. Chart
Visualizations.
3.4.1 Insert a pivot chart for an 9.1 Inserting Pivot
existing pivot table. Charts from Pivot 4.2.3 Apply, edit font and 11.3 Enhancing
Tables. background conditional Visualizations
formatting to show: high/low Using Conditional
3.4.2 Create a pivot chart from 9.2 Creating Pivot values, above/below Formatting.
fields in a data set. Charts from average values.
Tables. 4.2.4 Apply, edit data bars. 11.3 Enhancing
4.1.1 Understand the concept of 10.1 Key Visualizations
data visualization using Features of Data Using Conditional
reports and dashboards. Visualization Formatting.
Outline common Tools
visualizations like: charts, 4.2.5 Apply, edit visual level 11.4 Enhancing
key performance indicators 11.2 Creating filters. Visualizations
(KPIs), maps. Chart Using Visual
Visualizations. Level Filters.
11.5 Creating 4.3.1 Publish a report.
Visualizations 13.1 Creating and
using Maps Preparing to
Share Reports.
12.1 Creating
Visualizations to 13.2 Publishing
Measure and Sharing
Progress Reports.

4.1.2 Recognise common data 4.3.2 Create a dashboard. 13.3 Creating

10.1 Key
visualization tools and their Features of Data Dashboards.
functions like: visualise Visualization 4.3.3 Share a report, dashboard 13.1 Creating and
data, publish and share Tools using a link. Share a report Preparing to
business intelligence.
10.2 Data to web. Share Reports.
Visualization
13.2 Publishing
Tools Setup.
and Sharing
Reports.
13.4 Sharing
Dashboards.

Congratulations! You have reached the end of the ICDL Data Analytics - Foundation book.
You have learned about the key skills relating to Data Analytics - Foundation including:

• Understanding the key concepts relating to the application of data analytics in

business.
• Understanding and applying key statistical analysis concepts.
• Importing data into a spreadsheet and preparing it for analysis using data cleansing
and filtering techniques.
• Summarising data sets using pivot tables and pivot charts.
• Understanding and applying data visualisation techniques and tools.
• Creating and sharing reports and dashboards in a data visualisation tool.
Having reached this stage of your learning, you should now be ready to undertake an ICDL
certification test. For further information on taking this test, please contact your ICDL test
centre.

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