About this course
This course is part of the Microsoft Professional Program Certificate in Data Science.
If you’re considering a career as a data analyst, you need to know about histograms, Pareto charts, Boxplots, Bayes’ theorem, and much more. In this applied statistics course, the second in our Microsoft Excel Data Analyst XSeries, use the powerful tools built into Excel, and explore the core principles of statistics and basic probability—from both the conceptual and applied perspectives. Learn about descriptive statistics, basic probability, random variables, sampling and confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. And see how to apply these concepts and principles using the environment, functions, and visualizations of Excel.
As a data science pro, the ability to analyze data helps you to make better decisions, and a solid foundation in statistics and basic probability helps you to better understand your data. Using real-world concepts applicable to many industries, including medical, business, sports, insurance, and much more, learn from leading experts why Excel is one of the top tools for data analysis and how its built-in features make Excel a great way to learn essential skills.
Before taking this course, you should be familiar with organizing and summarizing data using Excel analytic tools, such as tables, pivot tables, and pivot charts. You should also be comfortable (or willing to try) creating complex formulas and visualizations. Want to start with the basics? Check out DAT205x: Introduction to Data Analysis using Excel. As you learn these concepts and get more experience with this powerful tool that can be extremely helpful in your journey as a data analyst or data scientist, you may want to also take the third course in our series, DAT206x Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Excel. This course includes excerpts from Microsoft Excel 2016: Data Analysis and Business Modeling from Microsoft Press and authored by course instructor Wayne Winston.
This course is also part of the Microsoft Excel for the Data Analyst XSeries.
Meet the instructors
Liberty J. Munson
Principal Psychometrician and Quality Lead
Microsoft
Liberty is the Principal Psychometrician and Quality Lead for Microsoft Learning’s technical certification and assessment program. She is responsible for ensuring that psychometric standards are rigorously applied during all phases of the exam and assessment lifecycle and that the design and implementation of Microsoft’s Certification program results in valid and reliable measurements of candidate skills. She received her BS in Psychology from Iowa State University and her MA and PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with minors in Quantitative Psychology and Human Resource Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Matthew Minton
Senior Content Publishing Manager
Microsoft
Matthew is a Senior Content Publishing Manager at Microsoft. He leads a dedicated team of learning professionals that plan and create courses for aspiring and experienced data and analytics professionals.
Wayne Winston
Professor Emeritus of Decision Sciences at the Kelly School of Business
Indiana University
Wayne is Professor Emeritus of Decision Sciences at the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University. He has written over a dozen textbooks, won over 40 teaching awards, and consulted for dozens of organizations including the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.
