Data doesn’t speak for itself, but with the right visuals, it can tell a story that drives real decisions. This two-day, hands-on course teaches participants how to unlock the full power of Microsoft Excel for visual data analytics. Through practical exercises and real-world examples, learners will explore foundational visualization principles, advanced charting techniques, interactive dashboards, and even AI-supported analysis. By the end of the course, participants will know how to design clear, accurate, and engaging visuals; build dynamic dashboards; interpret patterns and insights; and confidently present data-driven stories to stakeholders. Visual Analytics with Excel Benefits Course Benefits Transform raw data into compelling visual narratives using Excel’s full suite of charting, formatting, and dashboarding tools. Learn both the “why” and the “how” by combining strong visualization theory with step-by-step, real-world practice. Build polished dashboards that highlight trends, outliers, and insights for business decision-making. Avoid common visualization mistakes and learn to design visuals that are accurate, intuitive, and trustworthy. Understand how AI fits into Excel workflows and how to structure data for AI-driven analysis and insights. Boost confidence and credibility when presenting charts, dashboards, and data stories to colleagues and leadership. Important Information: Prerequisites Basic knowledge of Excel (data entry, formulas) highly recommended but not required. Visual Analytics with Excel Course Outline Learning Objectives Chapter 1: Understanding Visual Data Analytics Define Data Analytics Discuss the relationship between Data Analytics and decision-making Review the fundamentals of data visualization Identify the data processing chain used in data mining Chapter 2: Excel and Power Query Clean, Structure, and Use Data Import and transform data with Power Query Structure data with Power Pivot Create queries or data tables in Excel Work with the basics of data manipulation Chapter 3: Using AI for Data Analysis with MS365 Copilot Introduce AI Discuss the benefits and drawback of using AI Use AI with Excel Dashboards Chapter 4: Using Excel’s Charting Tools Overview of Excel Charting Discuss Chart types and usage Create Excel charts Edit charts using chart items Modify colors and styles for clarity Work with data series Consider chart templates Chapter 5: Visual Analytics for Decision Making Highlight use of trends and outliers Create time series visualizations Leverage conditional formatting Chapter 6: Dashboards in Excel Review principles of dashboard design Integrate multiple charts and data sources Create interactive elements Build a functional dashboard Chapter 7: Course Summary
