Learning Excel For Data Science & Analytics

Ezekiel Kinyua — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:35:39 +0000

Excel is one among the most popular tools generally used in data analysis.
It allows us to perform various functions when handling data. These include;

Data entry – this involves keying in data collected into cells of a worksheet, to maintain records, manage information and keep a track on information.
Data cleaning – this simply means making data usable by removing duplicates, errors and inconsistencies from a dataset.
Data analysis – using excel, we can transform raw data into actionable insights, which informs better decision making.
Reporting – after cleaning and analyzing, the result is information that is easily understandable by various users to draw insights and make informed decisions.

Basic Excel Terminologies;

- Ribbon
This is the section of a worksheet where we have tabs and icons, arranged horizontally at the top of the worksheet. It contains various functions used to perform various operations while working on data.

- Cell
These are the grid-like spaces on the worksheet where we key-in data. These are the intersections between a column and a row.

- Cell Address
This can be referred to as the name or the address of a selected cell. It shows the intersection between a column and a row. In this case, “column – R, row -19”.

- Column
This is the vertical grouping of the cells. Columns are named alphabetically, which can be seen at the top of the worksheet. In this case, the column is named as “A”.

- Row
This is the continuous horizontal running of cells across a worksheet.
They are named in numbers. In this case, the row is denoted as “4”.

- Tables
This is a combination of rows and columns.

Functions

- Operators
You can perform various functions on a data set to derive various insights using Excel. These include the following functions;

Addition (+)
Subtraction (+)
Multiplication (*)
Division (/)
Exponent (^)

- Aggregate functions
These functions require a user to type in a specific function on Excel. These allows us to perform various operations such as;

SUM – performs an addition of a range of figures.
POWER – this raises a figure to a given power or exponent.
PRODUCT – Multiplies all numbers in a given range.
AVERAGE – this is the mean of a set of figures.
MEDIAN – this gives the middle figure in a set of numbers.
MODE – this shows the figure the appears most frequently.
MIN - this function gives the result of the lowest value out of a group of figures or numbers.
MAX – this function gives a result of the highest value out of a group of figures or numbers.
SQUARE ROOT (SQRT) – this allows us to find the square root of a certain figure.

- Statistical Functions
These tools or functions allow us to summarize and analyze data to arrive at insightful decisions. These functions include;

COUNT – These counts only numeric cells or columns
COUNTA – this function counts all non-blank cells
COUNTBLANK – This function counts just the blanks.

- Conditional Functions

COUNTIF / COUNTIFS – this function counts cells meeting a specific condition.
SUMIF /SUMIFS – this gives a result of a total of certain entries that meet a certain condition.
AVERAGEIF - this gives a result of the average of certain entries that meet a certain condition.
TODAY - this function gives the current date.
NOW – this function gives the current time.
YEAR – this function extracts the year from a date entry.
MONTH - this function extracts the month from a date entry.
DAY - this function extracts the day from a date entry.
NETWORKDAYS – this function calculates the total number of working days between two dates.
DATEDIF – this function gives the total difference between two dates.

- Conditional Formatting
This function allows us to highlight various entries in cells to make them observable based on certain specified conditions.

Conclusion

These functions and features offers an array functions and capabilities in Data Analysis. We are able to draw valuable insights and arrive at informed decisions. I am looking forward to further understanding more functions and formulae in Excel as i continue to better my skills in data analytics.

My Data Science & Analytics Journey: Understanding Git, Git Bash & GitHub

Ezekiel Kinyua — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:39:48 +0000

Introduction

Every journey starts with a single first step. My journey in Data Science and Analytics started a fortnight ago. Coming from a career in finance and investments which revolves around numbers and making sense of them, a good interpretation and presentation is key for the numbers to make sense. And this is how i ended up enrolling at LuxdevHq.

At first, the Git ecosystem sounded complicated, but surprisingly, it is not and it is quite interesting to learn and use.

What is Git?

Git is a software tool that allows me to make changes, manage and track projects or files that are locally hosted on my computer's hard drive.
Git tracks by keeping a record of previous versions of my projects. It acts like a camera that captures a moment. A record of this would help to determine changes happening in that moment.

What is Git Bash?

Think of Git Bash as a terminal where you can write commands to manage files or folders and projects. You can also use Git Bash to write commands that communicates with GitHub.

What is GitHub?

GitHub is simply an online storage for your projects and files that allows you to access them remotely away from your PC. It also allows for sharing of the projects and files, and to also collaborate with other users of the same projects or files.

Further Definitions

Repository - Also know as a Repo This refers to a project being tracked and managed by Git Bash.
Push - This refers to sending or uploading a file or project from a local machine to an online hosting such as GitHub.
Cloning - This refers to downloading a git from the online hosting into my local machine.
Branch - A branch allows you to work on a new project without altering the original version.

Setting up the Git ecosystem on my PC

Installing Git

I downloaded from git-scm.com and installed. This was the first step to installing Git Bash. To check that it worked, i ran the command

git --version

Git Configuration

This involved setting my name by running the command

git config --global user.name "My name"

To configure my email,

git config --global user.email "My email"

Setting up SSH Keys

This facilitates securely connecting my PC to GitHub. GitHub needs to securely connect to my PC.

Creating a repository on my PC

This involves creating files and folders on my computer. A repo is simply a project or folder that is being tracked by Git.

Connecting to GitHub

After securely storing the projects on my PC, the next step is to Push them online so that they are shareable and accessible remotely.

Conclusion

This has been my last two weeks, in a nutshell.
What i have learnt so far is that it is a journey of that requires me to commit. As much as it is about learning and understanding new tools, it is more about how i will interpret and approach problems. The errors, the commands and every success are all part of this learning journey.

DEV Community: Ezekiel Kinyua

Learning Excel For Data Science & Analytics

Basic Excel Terminologies;

Functions

Conclusion

My Data Science & Analytics Journey: Understanding Git, Git Bash & GitHub

Introduction

What is Git?

What is Git Bash?

What is GitHub?

Further Definitions

Setting up the Git ecosystem on my PC

Conclusion