7 Basic Spreadsheet Data Analysis Free Online FlashCards

What are the five stages of a repeatable spreadsheet analysis?

Frame the question, prepare the data, analyze it, check the result, and communicate what it means. Treat the process as iterative.

What four elements make a spreadsheet analysis question specific?

Define the measure, group, scope, and comparison. For example, total revenue, by region, for a particular quarter, compared across regions.

Why preserve an untouched copy of the original data?

Keep an untouched copy of the original and do cleaning and analysis in a separate sheet or copy. This prevents changes from overwriting the source data.

What structure makes a spreadsheet dataset dependable to analyze?

Use one row per observation, one column per variable, and one clear header row. Avoid merged cells, repeated headers, and blank rows inside the data.

What data quality issues should you check before analysis?

Check for missing values, duplicate records, impossible values, and unexpected categories. Determine whether an issue is truly an error before changing the data.

How does a spreadsheet formula differ from a function?

A formula calculates using cell references; a function is a built-in calculation used within a formula.

When can the median represent data better than the mean?

The mean is the arithmetic average and can be affected by unusually large or small values. The median is the middle value in ordered data and is often more representative when values are skewed.

What does filtering do to rows that do not meet a condition?

Filtering hides rows that do not meet a condition; it does not remove those rows from the source data.

How should a PivotTable summarize revenue by region?

Put the group field in Rows and the measure in Values, summarized with the appropriate calculation, such as Sum for total revenue by region.

Which chart types suit group comparisons and changes over time?

Use a column or bar chart to compare sales across regions, and a line chart to show change over time.

How can you independently check a PivotTable grand total?

Compare the PivotTable grand total with a separate calculation such as =SUM(E2:E101). Agreement provides a check on the result.

How should you respond to a surprising outlier?

An outlier may be a legitimate event, a data-entry problem, or a different unit. Inspect the original record before deciding what to do with it.