Data Analytics for Brand and Marketing Communications with Excel and PowerBI - Session 2

Data Analytics Class: Excel Fundamentals, Statistics, and Power Query Description: Welcome to the second session of our Data Analytics course! In this recorded live class, we transition from theory into practical analytical frameworks using Microsoft Excel, establishing the foundation for data modeling, cleaning, and reporting. Whether you are aiming to specialize in brand and marketing analysis or general data analytics, this video breaks down complex concepts into digestible, real-world workflows. What You’ll Learn in This Session: Excel as a BI Tool: An overview of how data analysts leverage Excel for product management, reporting, dynamic story-telling, and automated sheets using tools like Power Query.1 Mitigating Data Bias: Why cleaning and transforming messy data is non-negotiable to prevent skewed insights and invalid business assumptions.2 Core Statistical Concepts: Understanding the exact differences between Population vs. Sample, and Descriptive vs. Inferential statistics.3 Validating Assumptions: How to use regression analysis and statistical models to check variables (e.g., Views vs. Impressions) to speak from data facts rather than guesswork.4 Excel Interface Navigation: A quick breakdown of Excel's tabs, ribbons, cell structures, and grid lines.5 Basic Formula Calculations: Step-by-step tutorial on calculating descriptive metrics using native Excel formulas like SUM and AVERAGE.6 Introduction to ETL & Power Query: Defining the Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) pipeline and how Power Query connects to flat files (CSVs, Excel files) and secure relational databases (SQL Server, MySQL).7 Class Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction & Overview of Excel for Business Intelligence 08:20 – Importance of Data Cleaning & Avoiding Biased Reports 10:00 – Statistics Deep Dive: Population, Samples, & Measures 13:30 – Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics 31:55 – Validating Assumptions with Regression Analysis Examples 36:00 – Navigating Excel: Tabs, Ribbons, and Cells 45:20 – Practical: Writing your first SUM and AVERAGE Formulas 49:50 – Specializing in Domain Knowledge (Brand & Marketing Analytics Focus) 57:10 – Introduction to the ETL Pipeline & Power Query Editor 01:00:00 – Understanding Data Sources: Flat Files vs. Enterprise Relational Databases 01:11:30 – Upcoming Preview: Data Transformation Techniques (Splitting, Filtering, Merging) 01:15:00 – Assignment Details & Saturday Class Details Resources Mentioned: Student Exercise Workbook: Sent via email to registered students. Look out for the synthetic marketing dataset to practice calculating total impressions and average views before the next session.89 Next Session Reminder: Don't forget to review your notes, practice your formulas, and bring any questions to the start of our next live class this Saturday at 10:00 AM!10 Don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and save this playlist to keep up with the entire Data Analytics curriculum!