Tag: data concepts
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Unpacking Procedural Thinking & Pattern Recognition for the Modern Business Maverick
Recommended Listening: Ever found yourself stuck in a maze of spreadsheets, tangled in a web of processes, or running into walls in a labyrinth of strategic decisions? Fear not, dear reader, for the solutions to these modern business challenges might just lie in the toolbox of a programmer. That’s right, thinking like a coder isn’t…
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Data Ethics and Responsibility: Collection, Usage, and Regulation in Today’s Digital World
Disclaimer and Personal Note: Let me begin by stating clearly: I am not a lawyer, and nothing in this article should be taken as legal advice. Instead, I invite you to view this as a conversation, an exchange of ideas about the ethical implications of data collection and usage. It’s based on my own experiences…
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Elementary, My Dear Data Analyst: Unraveling the Mysteries of Data Acquisition
The Great Data Hunt. In the vast labyrinth of modern business processes, data comes in all shapes and sizes, from your conventional CSV files to the high-tech world of APIs. We don’t always get to dictate how data is handed to us, but fear not, for every data format presents a thrilling puzzle waiting to…
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Painting with Data: The Art of Creating Compelling Power BI Reports and Dashboards
Imagine you’re an artist, standing before a canvas with a palette full of vibrant colors at your disposal. But instead of oils or watercolors, you’re working with data – swathes of numbers, intriguing metrics, and intricate patterns. Your task? To paint a picture that tells a compelling story, one that captivates your audience and drives…
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A Step Deeper into Excel: Mastering Lookups and Logical Functions
Hola, data enthusiasts! Ready to venture deeper into the world of Excel lookup and logic functions, and take a look at why they’re some of the most commonly used tools in the business? We’re taking a journey today through the landscape of Logical and Lookup functions. While logical functions allow us to have some control…
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Bridging the Gap: How Mastery in Excel Sets You Up for Success in Programming and Automation
This piece will be more reflective than our typical content, because it ties heavily into why I’m writing these posts in the first place. I was fortunate to have someone help me get started (though he still denies he did much; you know who you are) in the world of reporting and automation early in…
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Spelling It Out: Mastering Text Functions in Excel
Have you ever received a messy spreadsheet with names in ALL CAPS, or addresses all jumbled together in one cell, or perhaps product codes with extra spaces? That’s where Excel’s text functions come in. They’re the unsung heroes of data cleaning, helping you whip that wayward text into shape and save tons of manual (and…
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Charts, Graphs, and Plots, oh my! Choosing the right visualization for the story you want to tell.
Data visualization is an art and a science, combining aesthetic design with statistical accuracy to tell the most compelling story of your data. Whether you’re tracking quarterly sales, forecasting weather patterns, or just trying to make sense of your monthly budget, the right chart or graph can make all the difference. So, let’s delve into…
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Data Organization Basics: Key Concepts in Data Management for Effective Modeling
Greetings, fellow data lovers! Today we’re stepping away from the nitty-gritty of Excel and diving into the broader realm of data management. Let’s explore the key concepts of finding, cleaning, and organizing data to streamline modeling, enhance performance, and future-proof your data systems. While most of the terms here come from the more technical side…
Abstract Foundations 