Data Analysis using Excel

Program Description

Excel remains the most widely used tool for data analysis across banking, finance, regulatory compliance, and business operations in Ghana. While advanced tools like Python and Power BI are growing, Excel is still the first step for most professionals. This course equips learners with practical, hands-on skills to clean, analyze, and visualize data using Excel’s built-in functions and tools.

The training emphasizes real Ghanaian banking and business datasets (e.g., loan portfolios, customer transactions, compliance reports) to ensure relevance and immediate workplace application.

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

·         Explain the role of data as a strategic asset in digital transformation.

·         Develop a data strategy aligned with organizational digital goals.

·         Apply data governance principles (ownership, stewardship, quality, security, compliance).

·         Interpret Ghana’s Data Protection Act and map it to ISO/IEC standards.

·         Evaluate data quality and lifecycle management practices.

·         Design a mini data strategy and governance framework for their institution.

·         Reflect on ethical perspectives in handling organizational data.

 PROGRAMME OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

·         Import, clean, and organize raw datasets in Excel

·         Apply formulas and functions (SUMIF, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, IF, TEXT, DATE, etc.) for analysis

·         Use PivotTables and PivotCharts to summarize and visualize data

·         Apply conditional formatting to highlight trends and exceptions

·         Perform basic statistical analysis (mean, median, standard deviation, correlation)

·         Create dashboards for reporting and decision-making

·         Interpret data insights for compliance, business growth, or ministry planning

 PRE-REQUISITE

·         Basic computer literacy (file management, typing, navigation)

·         Familiarity with Microsoft Office environment (Word/PowerPoint)

·         No prior data analysis experience required

·         Optional: exposure to banking/ finance datasets for contextual understanding

 COURSE CONTENTS

Module 1: Introduction & Excel Basics

·         Role of data in decision-making

·         Excel interface, data types, formatting

Module 2: Data Cleaning & Preparation

·         Removing duplicates, text-to-columns

·         Data validation, handling missing values

Module 3: Essential Functions

·         Logical (IF, AND, OR)

·         Lookup (VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP)

·         Math & Stats (SUMIF, AVERAGEIF, COUNTIF)

Module 4: PivotTables & Pivot Charts

·         Creating, grouping, filtering

·         Summarizing datasets visually

Module 5: Data Visualization

·         Conditional formatting

·         Charts & sparklines

Module 6: Basic Statistical Analysis

·         Descriptive statistics

·         Correlation & trend analysis

Module 7: Dashboards & Reporting

·         Linking charts & tables

·         Interactive dashboards with slicers

Module 8: Wrap-Up & Assessment

·         Review & quiz

·         Final project: dashboard presentation

Data Analysis using Excel

Duration: 3 days

Skill Level: Foundation

Delivery Mode: Virtual

Month: January