Microsoft Excel is one of the most widely used tools for basic data analysis. It is easy to learn for a beginner, requires no programming skills and is powerful enough to analyze, report and visualize everyday business data. In this article, we’ll explore how beginners can use Excel for data analytics step by step.
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application that allows you to:
- Store data
- Organize information
- Perform calculations
- Analyze trends
- Create visual reports
Excel data is arranged in Columns (vertical), Rows (horizontal) and
Cells (where a row and column meet).
Organizing data for analysis
It is important to note that for Excel to work well as an analytics tool, data must be structured properly.
- Each column should have one clear header
- Each row should represent one record
- Avoid blank rows or columns inside your data
Example dataset:
Basic data cleaning in excel
Clean data leads to better analysis.
Common data-cleaning tasks:
- Removing duplicates
- Fixing data types (dates as Dates, numeric fields as numbers)
- Handling missing values
Sorting and filtering data
Sorting and filtering help you focus on specific information or data.
Examples:
- Sort salary from highest to lowest - highlight all data (Ctrl + A) and click data then sort
Basic calculations using formulas
Excel allows you to perform calculations using formulas and a formula always starts with an equals sign (=).
Common beginner formulas:
=SUM(E2:E10) // Total salary
=AVERAGE(E2:E10) // Average salary
=COUNT(E2:E10) // Number of values
=MAX(E2:E10) // Highest salary amount
=MIN(E2:E10) // Lowest salary amount
Visualizing data with charts
Charts help turn numbers into visual insights.
Common chart types:
- Column charts - compare values
- Line charts - show trends over time
- Pie charts - show proportions
How to create a chart:
- Select your data
- Click Insert then click Chart
- Choose a chart type
For example, I will visualize salary by employee using a column chart and a line chart
Using pivot tables for data analysis
PivotTables are one of Excel’s most powerful features for analytics. They allow you to summarize large datasets without writing formulas.
Pivot tables can answer questions like:
- Total salary by department
- Salary by employee
- Average salary by department
How to create a pivot table:
- Select inside your data
- Click Insert → pivot table
- Drag fields into rows and values
Why Excel is great for beginner data analysts
Excel is ideal for beginners because:
- No coding required
- Easy to learn
- Widely used in organizations
- Strong analytical features for small and medium datasets
Many data professionals start with Excel before moving to tools like SQL, Power BI or Python.
In conclusion, Microsoft Excel is a powerful entry point into data analytics. By learning how to organize data, apply formulas, create charts and use PivotTables, beginners like me can gain valuable analytical skills and make data-driven decisions using Excel.
Feel free to comment & happy analyzing!!
Top comments (6)
Nice beginner walkthrough, the pivot table example is usually where Excel finally clicks for people. Curious, when do you think someone should jump from Excel to SQL or Python?
Thanks Kelvin. What I would say is one should not rush the jump. Excel is more capable than people give it credit for.
This is very helpful and insightful. Well written as well
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that.
Good summary with illustrations to help anchor the explanation.Spot on coursemate.
Thank you Steve.