Microsoft

Data Analysis and Business Applications

Microsoft

Data Analysis and Business Applications

 Microsoft

Instructor: Microsoft

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

6 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

6 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Execute complex data analysis workflows in Excel using natural-language commands to filter, format, and manipulate large datasets efficiently.

  • Generate actionable business insights and identify hidden patterns from raw datasets by leveraging the specialized capabilities of Analyst Agent.

  • Apply Copilot to synthesize data into professional status reports, dynamic presentations, and concise executive summaries for stakeholders.

  • Build comprehensive client proposal decks by integrating Copilot-assisted content generation with high-impact visual design and brand alignment.

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Assessments

18 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

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Build your Data Analysis expertise

This course is part of the Microsoft AI Business Professional Professional Certificate
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft

There are 10 modules in this course

This module eliminates the most time-consuming and error-prone part of working with Excel—the manual, repetitive setup work that happens before any real analysis begins. Learners will use Copilot to automate formatting, generate formulas, and apply conditional logic using plain language, freeing time for the analytical thinking that actually requires human judgment.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

Once the data is clean and formatted, the real work begins. This module teaches learners to use natural language commands to direct Copilot to perform analytical tasks that previously required advanced Excel skills—sorting, filtering, aggregating, summarizing, and identifying patterns—transforming raw data into actionable insights without writing complex queries.

What's included

2 videos1 reading3 assignments

This module moves from Copilot in Excel into agent-level data analysis. Learners will practice directing the Analyst Agent to parse complex datasets and surface specific business insights, applying the same targeted prompting principles from LC 2 to a data-intensive analytical workflow.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

Surfacing a finding is not the same as understanding what it means for the business. This module teaches learners to apply advanced Analyst Agent features—trend analysis, comparative benchmarking, and anomaly detection—and to evaluate every finding against the business context that the agent cannot know on its own. The professional's job is not to run the analysis; it is to interrogate it.

What's included

1 video1 reading3 assignments

The weekly status report is one of the most time-consuming recurring deliverables in any professional role, and one of the most undervalued. This module teaches learners to use Copilot to generate accurate, well-structured status reports from data sources and project updates, applying the drafting and audit workflow to ensure every report meets the professional standard before it reaches a stakeholder.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

A strong analysis deserves a strong presentation. This module teaches learners to use Copilot in PowerPoint to generate professional presentation slides from analytical findings, applying structured prompts to produce clear, visually compelling decks that communicate insights rather than just displaying data.

What's included

1 video1 reading3 assignments

An executive summary is not a short version of a long document. It is a precision instrument, a self-contained communication that gives a senior audience exactly what they need to understand the situation and make a decision, without requiring them to read further. This module teaches learners to use Copilot to distill complex documents into accurate, audience-calibrated executive summaries that stand on their own.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

A client proposal is the highest-stakes document most professionals produce. It needs to be accurate, compelling, visually professional, and precisely calibrated to what the client actually needs to see. This module teaches learners to use Copilot to build a complete proposal deck from structure and content generation to visuals and final review using a workflow that produces a professional deliverable faster without cutting corners on quality.

What's included

2 videos1 reading3 assignments

AI-assisted analysis is only as trustworthy as the professional who presents it. This module extends responsible AI principles into the specific context of data analysis, where the stakes of a misrepresented finding, a biased dataset, or an overconfident AI output can be significant. Learners will examine the ethical considerations unique to AI-assisted data work and develop a practical governance habit for every analysis they present.

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 assignment

Learners step into the role of a Senior Business Analyst at Lumen Capital Partners, a mid-market investment advisory firm that has just completed its Q3 portfolio review. The firm's Managing Director, Cassandra Veil, has asked for two things before the investor briefing on Thursday: a clear analytical summary of what the Q3 data actually shows, including what drove the performance gaps, and a proposal deck that presents the firm's recommended Q4 reallocation strategy to a high-value prospective client. The data is there. The deadline is Thursday. Your job is to turn it into something that earns trust. You will produce a Data-Driven Business Analysis Package: a two-part deliverable that integrates analytical synthesis, performance reporting, and proposal development skills into a single professional portfolio artifact.

What's included

3 readings1 assignment

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Instructor

 Microsoft
383 Courses2,709,734 learners

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.