Introduction to MS Excel for Data Analytics

Ann Maureen Wangui — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:56:06 +0000

Spreadsheet software remains one of the most ubiquitous pieces of software used in workplaces across the world.

Ms Excel is a powerful program that has an extraordinary broad range of features and capabilities. It has been around for many years and a new version gets released about every 3 years. With each release, new features get added and the user interface will likely change. Some of these changes might be small while others can be quite significant.

In data analytics, Excel helps us understand data, find patterns, and make decisions using numbers.

Excel is widely used because it is:

Easy to learn
Available on most computers
Powerful for basic data analysis

1. Understanding the Excel Workbook and Worksheet

When you open Excel, you see a workbook.
Each workbook contains worksheets (sheets), and atleast one worksheet.

Rows run horizontally and are labelled using numbers.

Columns run vertically and are labelled using letters

Cell is the intersection between a row and a column. It is referenced by the column letter and row number. Eg. as per the screenshot below the active cell is D3, The yellow highlighted bit is where we can find the cell reference of the active cell and this can be found at the top left corner.

2. Entering and Organizing Data

Excel is used to enter raw data such as:

Student marks
Sales records
Attendance
Survey results

3. Using Excel Formulas for Basic Analysis

Formulas allow Excel to calculate automatically.

Common formulas used in data analysis:

SUM – adds values

AVERAGE – finds the mean

COUNT – counts numbers

MAX / MIN – highest and lowest values

4. Sorting and Filtering Data

Sorting and filtering help you analyze large data easily.

Sorting arranges data (highest to lowest, A–Z)

Filtering shows only selected data

Example:
The marks, I have sorted them from smallest to highest

5. Creating Charts for Data Visualization

Charts help to present data visually, making it easier to understand trends.

Common charts used in Excel:

Column Chart
Bar Chart
Pie Chart
Line Chart

Example:

6. Why Excel is Important for Data Analytics

Excel is important because it:
Helps clean and organize data
Performs quick calculations
Displays data visually
Supports decision-making

Is used in business, education, and research

Let's not zip files like it's 2009

Ann Maureen Wangui — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:21:11 +0000

The first time I heard of the term Git and saw a tutorial about it, I panicked and wondered, Umm, will I be able to maneuver this jargon?

The most common terms in the tutorial were:

“Just pull first.”
“Did you commit?”
“Why did you push to the main???”

I followed through, trust you me with no idea of what was going on.

From a beginner on Git, maybe like you, and now to a guru, let's dive innit!

I will take you through Git, version control, push, pull, and tracking changes with a little fun and games to keep us sane.

What Is Git?

Imagine you are writing an assignment, and I am sure that at times, you have maybe saved files like this:

_assignment.xlsx
assignment_final.xlsx
assignment_final_final.xlsx
assignment_final_final_pleaseGod.xlsx_

Git comes in and say lo and behold, let me clear this mess

Git is a tool that keeps track of changes in your code over time.

It remembers:

_What changed
When it changed
Who changed it_

And let's you go back in time, if things go wrong, you can get an idea. If you have used Excel Power Query, does it ring a bell, the tracking of changes?

Think of Git as Google Docs version history, but for code.

What Is Version Control?

Version control is just a tech guru's way of saying Let’s not dare to destroy our work.

It helps you:

_Track changes
Work with other people without fighting
Undo mistakes without crying (bubbles kwa mapua lol)_

Without version control:

Someone deletes code
No one knows who did it
Everyone pretends it wasn’t them_

With Git:

_Git knows.

Git always knows._

What is a repository (repo)?

The Project you are working on + Git = A Repository (Repo)

A folder that Git is watching very closely

To start watching a folder, you run:

git init

After running this, the folder is now under Git’s surveillance CCTV lol, and tracking Changes this is where we say Git is a snitch lol.

When you edit the project, Git notices but does nothing automatically.

You must tell Git: Yes, I meant to do that.

Step 1: Check What Changed with git status

git status

Git will politely say things like

This file changed
This file is untracked
You are a mess, please commit

Step 2: Add Changes aka Staging

Before saving a snapshot(I will explain this shortly), you must stage files, stage file means choosing which changes you want Git to save.

Example:

Imagine you’re moving houses. Your room is full of things. You don’t want to move everything. You put only selected items into boxes. Those boxes = staging area. Only what’s in the box goes on the truck.

We do this by using:

git add

This tells Git, I approve these changes. Another analogy under this is, think of it like packing items before traveling.
If you don’t pack it, it doesn’t go on the trip.

Step 3: Commit Changes, aka Take a Snapshot

A snapshot here refers to a saved picture of your project at a specific moment in time. Please note not a photo photo but a record of all the files, their content, exactly how they looked at that moment. Now you save the changeson git bash using git commit -m "Added login feature"

A commit refers to a snapshot(the photo we said is not a photo) of your project with a message explaining what you did

Good commit message:

Fixed button alignment

Bad commit message:

_stuff

final

pls work_

Git remembers this forever. Choose wisely.

Push: Sending Your Code to the Internet

So far, everything lives on your computer.

To send your code to GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket (aka the cloud), you push on gitbash using git push

In other words this means Here world, take my code.

This means that:

_Your code is backed up

Your teammates can see it

Your mistakes are public _

Pull: Getting Code from the Internet

If someone else updated the project, you need to pull their changes, and we do this using git pull
In other words this means we are telling git give me the latest version.
Please Note:

Always pull before you start working, unless you enjoy:

_Merge conflicts

Panic

Questioning your career choices

Working With Other Humans (Collaboration)_

When multiple people work on one project:

_Everyone pulls the latest code

Everyone makes changes

Everyone commits

Everyone pushes_

If two people change the same line:

Git pauses

Looks at both of you

Git says solve it yourselves.

This is called a merge conflict, basically Git saying I refuse to choose sides.

Everyone pretends Git is easy.

It’s not, at first.

But one day you’ll type:

_git push_

And feel powerful.

Until it fails.
Then you’ll Google.
Like the rest of us.

And with that, I recall that after my first tutorial, I didn't get the difference between Git and Version Control, and here is the difference: version control is the concept of tracking changes over time, while Git is a tool that helps you do version control in real life.

Welcome to Git.
You’re officially a tech babe/ dude now.

DEV Community: Ann Maureen Wangui

Introduction to MS Excel for Data Analytics

Let's not zip files like it's 2009