Excel is one of the most significant pieces of consumer/business software developed since it was created. It's birthday should be celebrated! Pretty much every business software needs to answer the question "why would people use this over excel?", and if there isn't a good answer it's likely not going to be successful. The fact that people can create games and ART in it always blows me away. It practically counts as its own platform...
Considering your data analyst background I will be very interested when you get to the part where you discuss lookups and joins. Personally I use excel infrequently but when I do I tend to use it like a pseudo DB, but awkwardly. It would be great to see some easy to follow examples from a professional 😀
I absolutely agree, it doesn't replace statistical software or a database but it does some seriously heavy lifting for most analytical tasks. Most companies have it so there's no need for special software and it's relatively easy to learn. Not every task needs a special tool.
In my next post I'll be getting into Pivot Tables and VLOOKUPS. In the meantime, Chandoo.org do the best job IMHO of explaining functions and formulas - chandoo.org/wp/advanced-excel-skills/
Excel is one of the most significant pieces of consumer/business software developed since it was created. It's birthday should be celebrated! Pretty much every business software needs to answer the question "why would people use this over excel?", and if there isn't a good answer it's likely not going to be successful. The fact that people can create games and ART in it always blows me away. It practically counts as its own platform...
Considering your data analyst background I will be very interested when you get to the part where you discuss lookups and joins. Personally I use excel infrequently but when I do I tend to use it like a pseudo DB, but awkwardly. It would be great to see some easy to follow examples from a professional 😀
I absolutely agree, it doesn't replace statistical software or a database but it does some seriously heavy lifting for most analytical tasks. Most companies have it so there's no need for special software and it's relatively easy to learn. Not every task needs a special tool.
In my next post I'll be getting into Pivot Tables and VLOOKUPS. In the meantime, Chandoo.org do the best job IMHO of explaining functions and formulas - chandoo.org/wp/advanced-excel-skills/
Sweet! Pivot tables, now that's my jam! 😀
Part two ... Pivot Tables
Excel Series: Pivot Tables and Tools
Helen Anderson