Course 2: Ask Questions Make Decisions
Semana 1:
Data in Action: Ejemplo de Como María llegó
al Target en la promoción.
a.
b. Budget
Colaborar con los stakeholders.
Problem: Determine what advertising
method is the best for reaching Anywhere
Gaming Repair´s target audience.
Prepare Phase.
From Issue to Action: The Sis Data Analysis
phases:
Ask:
- Define the problem you’re trying to
solve
- Make sure you fully understand the
stakeholder’s expectations
- Focus on the actual problem and
avoid any distractions
- Collaborate with stakeholders and
keep an open line of communication
- Take a step back and see the whole
situation in context
Question that I can make:
- What are my stakeholders saying
their problems are?
- Now that I’ve identified the issues,
how can I help the stakeholders
resolve their questions?
Prepare:
- What metrics to measure
- Locate data in your database
- Create security measures to protect
that data
Questions to ask yourself in this step: 
1. What do I need to figure out how to
solve this problem?
2. What research do I need to do?
Process:
Clean data is the best data and you will need
to clean up your data to get rid of any
possible errors, inaccuracies, or
inconsistencies. This might mean:
 Using spreadsheet functions to find
incorrectly entered data
 Using SQL functions to check for
extra spaces
 Removing repeated entries
 Checking as much as possible for bias
in the data
Questions to ask yourself in this step:
- What data errors or inaccuracies
might get in my way of getting the
best possible answer to the problem
I am trying to solve?
- How can I clean my data so the
information I have is more
consistent?
Analyze:
You will want to think analytically about your
data. At this stage, you might sort and
format your data to make it easier to: 
  Perform calculations
 Combine data from multiple sources
 Create tables with your results
Questions to ask yourself in this step:
1. What story is my data telling me?
2. How will my data help me solve this
problem?
3. Who needs my company’s product
or service? What type of person is
most likely to use it?
Share:
Everyone shares their results differently so
be sure to summarize your results with clear
and enticing visuals of your analysis using
data via tools like graphs or dashboards. This
is your chance to show the stakeholders you
have solved their problem and how you got
there. Sharing will certainly help your team:  4. Identifying your options
 Make better decisions
 Make more informed decisions
 Lead to stronger outcomes
 Successfully communicate your
findings
Questions to ask yourself in this step:
1. How can I make what I present to
the stakeholders engaging and easy
to understand?
2. What would help me understand this
if I were the listener?
Act:
Now it’s time to act on your data. You will
take everything you have learned from your
data analysis and put it to use. This could
mean providing your stakeholders with
recommendations based on your findings so
they can make data-driven decisions.
Questions to ask yourself in this step:
1. How can I use the feedback I
received during the share phase
(step 5) to actually meet the
stakeholder’s needs and
expectations?
These six steps can help you to break the
data analysis process into smaller,
manageable parts, which is called structured
thinking. This process involves four basic
activities:
1. Recognizing the current problem or
situation
2. Organizing available information 
3. Revealing gaps and opportunities
When you are starting out in your career as a
data analyst, it is normal to feel pulled in a
few different directions with your role and
expectations. Following processes like the
ones outlined here and using structured
thinking skills can help get you back on track,
fill in any gaps and let you know exactly what
you need.
Solve Problems with Data:
Common problem types (Video):
Problems: Cortos o Largo, Complejos o
Simple.  Entender el problema que
tratamos de resolver.
1. Making Predictions: Using Data to
make an informed decisión about
how thinks may be in the future.
 2. Categorizing Things: Assginig
information to different groups or
clusters based on a common
features.
3. Spotting Something Unusual:
Identificar data que es diferente de
lo normal.
4. Identifying Themes: Grouping
categorized information into broader
concepts.
5. Discovering Connections: Finding
similar challenges faced by different
entities and combining data and
insights to address them.
6. Finding Patterns: Using historical
data to understand what happened
in the past and make sure it won´t
happen again.
PROBLEMS IN THE RIAL WORLD
Ejemplo: How to determine the best
advertising method for a target audience.
What would happen if we advertise in
different places?  Problem Type: Making
Predictions
How to improve customer satisfaction levels?
 Categorizing Things: Se divide los distintos
niveles de satisfacción.
Smartwatch muestra tipos de latidos
inusuales.  Spotting something unusual.
How to improve Experience of Customers
about coffee maker  Identifying Themes:
Analista descubrió que había personas que
les molestaba no saber si la máquina estaba
prendida o no agrupando comentarios.
How to Reduce Wait-time: Discovering
Conections  se puede comunicar que días
una empresa hace entregas para que la otra
lo haga los mismos días y así no hay tiempo
de desface.
How to stop machine from breaking down:
Finding Patterns  Look historical data t
osee if anything in that have happened
before.
IMPORTANTE: Tener información sobre
nuestros customers para poder realizar una
correcta segmentación y que la atención
hacia ellos sea lo más personalizada posible
entregándoles cosas que realmente les
interese.
CRAFT EFFECTIVE QUESTIONS
SMART QUESTIONS
How to ask effective questions?
Leading questions: te lleva a responder
preguntas de cierta forma.
Questions that are too vague and lack
context….
Know the difference between effective and
ineffective questions.
SMART Questions:
SPECIFIC
Example:
NO: Are kids getting enough exercise therse
days?
YES: What % of kids achieve the
recommended 60 minutes of physical activity
at least five days a week?
MEASURABLE
NO: Why did our video go viral?
YES: How many times was our video share on
social channels the first week it was posted?
ACTION-ORIENTED
NO: How can we get customers?
YES: What could our company do to make
our producto easier to recicle?
RELEVANT: Algo que nos sirva a resolver las
preguntas.
NO: Why does it matters that Barrens tree
frogs started disappearing?
YES: What enviromental factor changed in
durham, between (…)?
TIME-BOUND: Enfocarse en data que esté en
el período que nos interese.
Fairness: Ensuring your questions don´t
créate or reinforce bias.
Example: Leading Questions, Assumptions,
etc.
Why do you like icecream?  Maybe they
don´t like icecream.
Things to avoid when asking questions
Leading questions: questions that only have
a particular response
 Example: This product is too
expensive, isn’t it?
This is a leading question because it suggests
an answer as part of the question. A better
question might be, “What is your opinion of
this product?” There are tons of answers to
that question, and they could include
information about usability, features,
accessories, color, reliability, and popularity,
on top of price. Now, if your problem is
actually focused on pricing, you could ask a
question like “What price (or price range)
would make you consider purchasing this
product?” This question would provide a lot
of different measurable responses.
Closed-ended questions: questions that ask
for a one-word or brief response only
 Example: Were you satisfied with
the customer trial?
This is a closed-ended question because it
doesn’t encourage people to expand on their
answer. It is really easy for them to give one-
word responses that aren’t very informative.
A better question might be, “What did you
learn about customer experience from the
trial.” This encourages people to provide
more detail besides “It went well.”
Vague questions: questions that aren’t
specific or don’t provide context
 Example: Does the tool work for
you?
This question is too vague because there is
no context. Is it about comparing the new
tool to the one it replaces? You just don’t
know. A better inquiry might be, “When it
comes to data entry, is the new tool faster,
slower, or about the same as the old tool? If
faster, how much time is saved? If slower,
how much time is lost?” These questions give
context (data entry) and help frame
responses that are measurable (time).
SEMANA 2
UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF DATA
Data is a Collection of facts. Data Analysis
can help us to make more informed
solutions.
Data-Inspire decisión-making: Explores
different data sources to find out what they
have in common.
Ejemplo: selección de personas para un
trabajo.
Terminamos llegando a un Algoritmo: A
process or set of rules to be followed for a
specific task.
We have to turn data into knowledge! 
INTERPRETATION!
Data trials and triumphs
This reading focuses on why accurate
interpretation of data is key to data-driven
decisions. You have been learning why data
is such a powerful business tool and how
data analysts help their companies make
data-driven decisions for great results. As a
quick reminder, the goal of all data analysts
is to use data to draw accurate conclusions
and make good recommendations. That all
starts with having complete, correct, and
relevant data.
But keep in mind, it is possible to have solid
data and still make the wrong choices. It is
up to data analysts to interpret the data
accurately. When data is interpreted
incorrectly, it can lead to huge losses.
Consider the examples below.
Coke launch failure
In 1985, New Coke was launched, replacing
the classic Coke formula. The company had
done taste tests with 200,000 people and
found that test subjects preferred the taste
of New Coke over Pepsi, which had become a
tough competitor. Based on this data alone,
classic Coke was taken off the market and
replaced with New Coke. This was seen as
the solution to take back the market share
that had been lost to Pepsi.
But as it turns out, New Coke was a massive
flop and the company ended up losing tens
of millions of dollars. How could this have
happened with data that seemed correct? It
is because the data wasn’t complete, which
made it inaccurate. The data didn't consider
how customers would feel about New Coke
replacing classic Coke. The company’s
decision to retire classic Coke was a data-
driven decision based on incomplete data.
Mars orbiter loss
In 1999, NASA lost the $125 million Mars
Climate Orbiter, even though it had good
data. The spacecraft burned to pieces
because of poor collaboration and
communication. The Orbiter’s navigation
team was using the SI or metric system
(newtons) for their force calculations, but
the engineers who built the spacecraft used
the English Engineering Units system
(pounds) for force calculations.
No one realized a problem even existed until
the Orbiter burst into flames in the Martian
atmosphere. Later, a NASA review board
investigating the root cause of the problem
figured out that the issue was isolated to the
software that controlled the thrusters. One
program calculated the thrusters’ force in
pounds; another program looking at the data
assumed it was in newtons. The software
controllers were making data-driven
decisions to adjust the thrust based on 100%
accurate data, but these decisions were
wrong because of inaccurate assumptions
when interpreting it. A conversion of the
data from one system of measurement to
the other could have prevented the loss.
When data is used strategically, businesses
can transform and grow their revenue.
Consider the examples below.
Crate and Barrel
At Crate and Barrel, online sales jumped
more than 40% during stay-at-home orders
to combat the global pandemic. Currently,
online sales make up more than 65% of their
overall business. They are using data insights
to accelerate their digital transformation and
bring the best of online and offline
experiences together for customers.
BigQuery enables Crate and Barrel to "draw
on ten times [as many] information sources
(compared to a few years ago) which are
then analyzed and transformed into
actionable insights that can be used to
influence the customer’s next interaction.
And this, in turn, drives revenue."
Read more about Crate and Barrel's data
strategy in How one retailer’s data strategy
powers seamless customer experiences.
possibilities, and use both logic and creativity
along the way. You will then be prepared to
interpret your data with the highest levels of
care and accuracy. Note that there is a
difference between making a decision with
incomplete data and making a decision with
a small amount of data. You learned that
making a decision with incomplete data is
dangerous. But sometimes accurate data
from a small test can help you make a good
decision. Stay tuned. You will learn about
how much data to collect later in the
program.

PepsiCo

Since the days of the New Coke launch, Qualitative and quantitative data
things have changed dramatically for
Different questions maked diferente type of
beverage and other consumer packaged
data.
goods (CPG) companies.
Quantitative Data: Specific and objetive
PepsiCo "hired analytical talent and
measures of numerical facts.
established cross-functional workflows
around an infrastructure designed to put The what?
consumers’ needs first. Then [they] set up
How many?
the right processes to make critical decisions
based on data and technology use cases. How often?
Finally, [they] invested in the right
technology stack and platforms so that data Qualitative data: Subjective or explonatory
could flow into a central cloud-based hub. measures of qualities and characteristics.
This is critical. When data comes together, Charts
[they] develop a holistic understanding of
the consumer and their journeys." Graphs

Read about how PepsiCo is delivering a more

personal and valuable experience to
customers using data in How one of the
world’s biggest marketers ripped up its
playbook and learned to anticipate intent.

Key skills for triumphant results

As a data analyst, your own skills and

knowledge will be the most important part
We can take a closer look at the data types
of any analysis project. It is important for you
and data collection tools. Imagine that you
to keep a data-driven mindset, ask lots of
are a data analyst for a chain of movie
questions, experiment with many different
theaters. Your manager wants you to track
trends in:
 Movie attendance over time
 Profitability of the concession stand
 Evening audience preferences 
In our scenario, we assume quantitative data
already exists to monitor all three trends.  showtimes. You may suggest replacing the
Movie attendance over time
Starting with the historical data the theater
has through its loyalty and rewards program,
your first step is to investigate what insights
you can gain from that data. You look at
attendance over the last 3 months. But,
because the last 3 months didn’t include a
major holiday, you decide it is better to look
at a full year’s worth of data. As you
suspected, the quantitative data confirmed
that average attendance was 550 per month
but then rose to an average of 1,600 per
month for the months with holidays. 
The historical data serves your needs for the
project, but you also decide that you will
resume the analysis again in a few months
after the theater increases ticket prices for
evening showtimes. 
Profitability of the concession stand
Profit is calculated by subtracting cost from
sales revenue. The historical data shows that
while the concession stand was profitable,
profit margins were razor thin at less than
5%. You saw that average purchases totaled
$20 or less. You decide that you will keep
monitoring this on an ongoing basis. 
Based on your understanding of data
collection tools, you will suggest an online
survey of customers so they can comment on
the food at the concession stand. This will
enable you to gather even more quantitative
data to revamp the menu and potentially
increase profits. 
Evening audience preferences
Your analysis of the historical data shows
that the 7:30 PM showtime was the most
popular and had the greatest attendance,
followed by the 7:15 PM and 9:00 PM
current 8:00 PM showtime that has lower
attendance with an 8:30 PM showtime. But
you need more data to back up your hunch
that people would be more likely to attend
the later show.
Evening movie-goers are the largest source
of revenue for the theater. Therefore, you
also decide to include a question in your
online survey to gain more insight. 
Qualitative data for all three trends plus
ticket pricing
Since you know that the theater is planning
to raise ticket prices for evening showtimes
in a few months, you will also include a
question in the survey to get an idea of
customers’ price sensitivity. 
Your final online survey might include these
questions for qualitative data:
1. What went into your decision to see
a movie in our theater today? (movie
attendance)
2. What do you think about the quality
and value of your purchases at the
concession stand? (concession stand
profitability)
3. Which showtime do you prefer, 8:00
PM or 8:30 PM, and why do you
prefer that time? (evening movie-
goer preferences)
4. Under what circumstances would
you choose a matinee over a
 nighttime showing? (ticket price
increase)
Summing it up
Data analysts will generally use both types of
data in their work. Usually, qualitative data
can help analysts better understand their
quantitative data by providing a reason or
more thorough explanation. In other words,
quantitative data generally gives you the
what, and qualitative data generally gives
you the why. By using both quantitative and
qualitative data, you can learn when people
like to go to the movies and why they chose
the theater. Maybe they really like the
reclining chairs, so your manager can
purchase more recliners. Maybe the theater
is the only one that serves root beer. Maybe
a later show time gives them more time to
drive to the theater from where popular
restaurants are located. Maybe they go to
matinees because they have kids and want
to save money. You wouldn’t have
discovered this information by analyzing only
the quantitative data for attendance, profit,
and showtimes.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE:
The beauty of dashboards
Dashboards are powerful visual tools that
help you tell your data story. A dashboard
organizes information from multiple datasets
into one central location, offering huge time-
savings. Data analysts use dashboards to
track, analyze, and visualize data in order to
answer questions and solve problems. For a
basic idea of what dashboards look like, refer
to this article: 6 real-world examples of
business intelligence dashboards. Tableau is
one tool that is used to create dashboards
and is covered later in the program.
The following table summarizes the benefits
of using a dashboard for both data analysts
and their stakeholders.
Benefits For Data Analysts For Stakeholders
Working with a
Centralization
Sharing a single source of comprehensive view of data,
data with all stakeholders initiatives, objectives,
projects, processes, and more
Visualization
Showing and updating
live, incoming data in real
Spotting changing trends and
patterns more quickly
time*
Understanding the story
Pulling relevant
Insightfulness information from
behind the numbers to keep
track of goals and make data-
different datasets
driven decisions
Creating custom views
Customization
dedicated to a specific
Drilling down to more specific
areas of specialized interest
person, project, or
presentation of the data
or concern
* It is important to remember that changed
data is pulled into dashboards automatically
only if the data structure is the same. If the
data structure changes, you have to update
the dashboard design before the data can
update live.
Creating a dashboard
Here is a process you can follow to create a
dashboard:
1. Identify the stakeholders who need to
see the data and how they will use it
To get started with this, you need to ask
effective questions. Check out this
Requirements Gathering Worksheet to
explore a wide range of good questions you
can use to identify relevant stakeholders and
their data needs. This is a great resource to
help guide you through this process again
and again.
2. Design the dashboard (what should be
displayed)
Use these tips to help make your dashboard
design clear, easy to follow, and simple:
  Use a clear header to label the
information
 Add short text descriptions to each
visualization
 Show the most important
information at the top
3. Create mock-ups if desired
This is optional, but a lot of data analysts like
to sketch out their dashboards before
creating them.  example of filters in action, you can visit
4. Select the visualizations you will use on
the dashboard
You have a lot of options here and it all
depends on what data story you are telling. If
you need to show a change of values over
time, line charts or bar graphs might be the
best choice. If your goal is to show how each
part contributes to the whole amount being
reported, a pie or donut chart is probably a
better choice.
To learn more about choosing the right
visualizations, check out Tableau’s galleries:
 For more samples of area charts,
column charts, and other
visualizations, visit Tableau’s Viz
Gallery. This gallery is full of great
examples that were created using
real data; explore this resource on
your own to get some inspiration.
 Explore Tableau’s Viz of the Day to
see visualizations curated by the
community. These are visualizations
created by Tableau users and are a
great way to learn more about how
other data analysts are using data
visualization tools. 
5. Create filters as needed
Filters show certain data while hiding the
rest of the data in a dashboard. This can be a
big help to identify patterns while keeping
the original data intact. It is common for data
analysts to use and share the same
dashboard, but manage their part of it with a
filter. To dig deeper into filters and find an
Tableau’s page on Filter Actions. This is a
useful resource to save and come back to
when you start practicing using filters in
Tableau on your own.
Dashboards are part of a business journey
Just like how the dashboard on an airplane
shows the pilot their flight path, your
dashboard does the same for your
stakeholders. It helps them navigate the path
of the project inside the data. If you add
clear markers and highlight important points
on your dashboard, users will understand
where your data story is headed. Then, you
can work together to make sure the business
gets where it needs to go. 
Big and small data
As a data analyst, you will work with data
both big and small. Both kinds of data are
valuable, but they play very different roles. 
Whether you work with big or small data,
you can use it to help stakeholders improve
business processes, answer questions, create
new products, and much more. But there are
certain challenges and benefits that come  Current technology tools and
with big data and the following table solutions still struggle to provide
explores the differences between big and measurable and reportable data.
small data. This can lead to unfair algorithmic
bias. 
Small data Big data
 There are gaps in many big data
Describes a data set business solutions.
made up of specific Describes large, less-
metrics over a short, specific data sets that
Now for the good news! Here are some
well-defined time cover a long time period
period benefits that come with big data:

Usually organized and

 When large amounts of data can be
Usually kept in a database
analyzed in stored and analyzed, it can help
and queried
spreadsheets companies identify more efficient
ways of doing business and save a lot
Likely to be used by
small and midsize
Likely to be used by large of time and money.
organizations
businesses
 Big data helps organizations spot the
Simple to collect, Takes a lot of effort to trends of customer buying patterns
store, manage, sort, collect, store, manage, and satisfaction levels, which can
and visually represent sort, and visually represent
help them create new products and
Usually needs to be broken
solutions that will make customers
Usually already a into smaller pieces in order happy.
manageable size for to be organized and
analysis analyzed effectively for  By analyzing big data, businesses get
decision-making
a much better understanding of
current market conditions, which can
Challenges and benefits
help them stay ahead of the
Here are some challenges you might face competition.
when working with big data:
 As in our earlier social media
 A lot of organizations deal with data example, big data helps companies
overload and way too much keep track of their online presence—
unimportant or irrelevant especially feedback, both good and
information.  bad, from customers. This gives
them the information they need to
 Important data can be hidden deep
improve and protect their brand.
down with all of the non-important
data, which makes it harder to find The three (or four) V words for big data
and use. This can lead to slower and
When thinking about the benefits and
more inefficient decision-making
challenges of big data, it helps to think about
time frames.
the three Vs: volume, variety, and velocity.
 The data you need isn’t always easily Volume describes the amount of data.
accessible.  Variety describes the different kinds of data.
Velocity describes how fast the data can be
processed. Some data analysts also consider
a fourth V: veracity. Veracity refers to the consistency, and help people be
quality and reliability of the data. These are more efficient with their time.
all important considerations related to
 Capture data by the source by
processing huge, complex data sets. 
connecting spreadsheets to other
Volu Variet Velocit Veraci data sources, such as an online
me y y ty
survey application or a database.
The
This data will automatically be
The How
The differe fast the
quality updated in the spreadsheet. That
and
amou nt data
reliabil way, the information is always as
nt of kinds can be
data of process
ity of current and accurate as possible.
the
data  ed
data
 Manage different kinds of data with
a spreadsheet. This can involve
storing, organizing, filtering, and
updating information. Spreadsheets
also let you decide who can access
WORKING WITH SPREADSHEETS
the data, how the information is
Spreadsheets and the data life cycle shared, and how to keep your data
safe and secure. 
To better understand the benefits of using
spreadsheets in data analytics, let’s explore  Analyze data in a spreadsheet to
how they relate to each phase of the data life help make better decisions. Some of
cycle: plan, capture, manage, analyze, the most common spreadsheet
archive, and destroy. analysis tools include formulas to
aggregate data or create reports, and
pivot tables for clear, easy-to-
understand visuals. 

 Archive any spreadsheet that you

don’t use often, but might need to
reference later with built-in tools.
This is especially useful if you want
to store historical data before it gets
updated. 

 Destroy your spreadsheet when you

 Plan for the users who will work
within a spreadsheet by developing
organizational standards. This can
mean formatting your cells, the
headings you choose to highlight, the
color scheme, and the way you order
your data points. When you take the
time to set these standards, you will
improve communication, ensure
are certain that you will never need
it again, if you have better backup
copies, or for legal or security
reasons. Keep in mind, lots of
businesses are required to follow
certain rules or have measures in
place to make sure data is destroyed
properly.
Resources
Spreadsheet shortcuts can help you become
more efficient with spreadsheets. If you’d
like to learn more, you can explore the
collection of Google Sheets shortcuts, or visit
the Microsoft Excel shortcuts page if you are
using Excel. Both of these resources contain
a list of spreadsheet shortcuts you can save
and reference as you work more with
spreadsheets on your own.
Learn more about spreadsheet basics
Below, you will find a list that covers two
types of spreadsheet programs: Microsoft
Excel and Google Sheets. The list includes
quick-start guides, tutorials, and more. The
examples in this course use Google Sheets,
but you can follow along using Excel or any
other spreadsheet application. The user
interface might be a little different, but it
should look and work similarly. 
Microsoft Excel
 Office Quick Starts: Scroll down to
the Downloadable guides section to
download the Excel Quick Start
Guide: This PDF guide begins with a
labeled map of Excel that can guide
you through the basic tasks you can
accomplish in Excel. For tips on
starting and opening Excel, this
Microsoft Support page will show
you how to begin a new workbook.
 Excel video training: This is a
collection of step-by-step videos to
use all sorts of Excel features,
including adding and working within
rows, columns, and cells; formatting;
using formulas and functions; and
adding charts and pivot tables. 
 Sort data in a range or table: This
page guides you through all of the
steps you will need to sort data by
number, text, and color. You’ll also
have the option to sort by custom list
so that you can customize exactly
what you want to sort.
 Filter data in a range or table: This
article has step-by-step instructions
on how to filter an Excel spreadsheet
to show only the data you want to
see. You can also use built-in
comparison operators, such as
“greater than” and “top 10” to reveal
only the most relevant data.
 Format a worksheet: The guide will
help you select and format your
Excel spreadsheet, then change the
borders, shading, colors, and text.
This can help improve your
spreadsheet’s readability.
Pro tip: If you’re searching for information
about using customizable options, check out
Microsoft’s Guidelines for organizing and
formatting data on a worksheet. This article
provides clear methods for creating easy-to-
read spreadsheets.
Google Sheets
 Google Sheets cheat sheet: The
cheat sheet puts all the basics of
Sheets on a single page for easy
reference. Here, you can learn about
customizing your spreadsheet and
the data inside; working with rows,
columns, and cells; sharing your
spreadsheet with others; creating
different versions and copies of a
spreadsheet; and more.
  Get started with Sheets: Create and - Milestones
import files: This guide is a step-by- - Report
step guide for working with Sheets.
You start by learning how to open a
spreadsheet, then move on to The importance of context
adding data.
Context is the condition in which something
 Sort and filter your data: This exists or happens. Context is important in
resource can help you organize data data analytics because it helps you sift
in Sheets. Use this guide to sort part through huge amounts of disorganized data
or all of a spreadsheet. You can sort and turn it into something meaningful. The
by text, number, and color. Then, fact is, data has little value if it is not paired
learn how to create filters to show with context.
only certain data while hiding the
rest. Finally, the article includes
information on creating, saving, and
removing a filter view. 

 Edit and format a spreadsheet: This

will help you make easy-to-read
spreadsheets. You will learn how to
Understanding the context behind the data
assign a color, customize borders
can help us make it more meaningful at
around cells, and change the
every stage of the data analysis process. For
appearance of text. If you’d like to
example, you might be able to make a few
give your spreadsheet a theme, you
guesses about what you're looking at in the
can scroll to the bottom of the page
following table, but you couldn't be certain
and find how to apply it to parts of
without more context. 
your spreadsheet.

Tip: Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are 2010

very similar in terms of calculations,
formulas, functions, and many other
features. But there are some differences,
which can make it tricky to switch from one
to the other. If you are moving between
Excel and Google Sheets, find a quick list of
the differences between the two kinds of
spreadsheet applications in Overview:
Differences between Sheets and Excel.
SAVE TIME WITH STRUCTURED THINKING
Scope of Work (SOW):
- Deliverables
- Timeline
2005
2000
1995
On the other hand, if the first column was
labeled to represent the years when a survey
was conducted, and the second column
showed the number of people who
responded to that survey, then the table
would start to make a lot more sense. Take
this a step further, and you might notice that
the survey is conducted every 5 years. This
added context helps you understand why
there are five-year gaps in the table.  and business process. During organization,
Years (Collected every 5 years)
2010
2005
2000
1995
Context can turn raw data into meaningful
information. It is very important for data
analysts to contextualize their data. This
means giving the data perspective by
defining it. To do this, you need to identify:
 Who: The person or organization
that created, collected, and/or
funded the data collection
 What: The things in the world that
data could have an impact on
 Where: The origin of the data
 When: The time when the data was
created or collected
 Why: The motivation behind the
creation or collection
 How: The method used to create or
collect it
Understanding and including the context is
important during each step of your analysis
process, so it is a good idea to get
comfortable with it early in your career. For
example, when you collect data, you’ll also
want to ask questions about the context to
make sure that you understand the business
the context is important for your naming
conventions, how you choose to show
relationships between variables, and what
you choose to keep or leave out. And finally,
when you present, it is important to include
contextual information so that your
stakeholders understand your analysis.
Learning Log: Define problems and ask
questions with data
Overview
In a previous learning log, you reflected on
what you learned from the SMART questions
you asked during your real life data
conversation. Now, you’ll complete an entry
in your learning log using notes about your
data conversation to explain your initial
insights to potential stakeholders. By the
time you complete this entry, you will have a
stronger understanding of how you might
use data to define problems and what
information is useful for stakeholders at this
stage. This will help you develop formal
documents like a scope of work (SOW) as a
data analyst in the future.
Summarize your findings
As a data analyst, part of your job is to
communicate the data analysis process and
your insights to stakeholders. This often
involves defining the problem and
summarizing key questions and available
data early on. You might include this
information in a formal document for
stakeholders like a scope of work (SOW) at
the beginning of a project. As a reminder, an
SOW is an agreed-upon outline of the tasks
to be performed during a project; it is
important to ensure your stakeholders
understand this key information at that
stage. 
Before you start your learning log entry, take
a moment to review your notes and your
reflection for Learning Log: Ask SMART
questions about real life data. Imagine that
you are going to design a data analysis
project based on this data conversation.
In the learning log template linked below,
you will create a summary of key information
you think a stakeholder would need to know
about this project. In this case, your
stakeholder could be a member of the
executive team, like a project manager. Here
are some questions to help you get started:  Link to learning log template: Define
 What is the problem? 
 Can it be solved with data? If so,
what data?
 Where is this data? Does it exist, or
do you need to collect it?
 Are you using private data that
someone will need to give you access
to, or publicly available data?
 Who are the relevant sponsors and
stakeholders for this project? Who is
involved, and how?
 What are the boundaries for your
project? What do you consider “in-
scope?” What do you consider “out-
of-scope?”
 Is there any other information you
think is relevant to the project?  stakeholder, write 5-7 sentences (100-140
 Is there any information you need or
questions you need answered  data available, and the answers or insights
before you can begin?
As you think about these questions, it’s likely
you’ll discover that you don’t have all the
information you need. This is part of the
process! 
When kicking off data analysis projects,
expect to have a lot of conversations. By
identifying what you know and what you
don’t know, it makes it much easier to plan
your next data conversation, so that you can
get the answers you need. 
Access your learning log
To use the learning log for this course item,
click the link below and select “Use
Template.” 
problems and ask questions with data
OR
If you don’t have a Google account, you can
download the template directly from the
attachment below.
Learning Log Template_ Define problems
and ask questions with data
DOCX File
Reflection
Now that you have started identifying which
information would be useful for a potential
words) summarizing the key questions, the
you have gained so far in your learning log
template. 
When you’ve finished your entry in the
learning log template, make sure to save the
document so your response is somewhere
accessible. This will help you continue
applying data analysis to your everyday life.
You will also be able to track your progress
and growth as a data analyst.