Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for BA 216A Winter 2025


Course Number:
BA 216A
Course Title:
Data Analytics with Excel and Tableau
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Explores the preparation, analysis and visualization of data using Excel and Tableau to design and create accurate performance workbooks, data models, and dashboards for industry professionals. Covers the examination and visualization of data by creating and formatting PivotTables and Pivot Charts. Analyzes data with business intelligence tools by retrieving, querying, and connecting information via Data Models. Includes the visualization and analyzation of Excel data in Tableau by creating Smart Dashboards containing map presentations, with 3D Maps and Chart types. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115, CIS 120 or BA 106. Audit available.

Addendum to Course Description

Business analytics skills are a requirement across various job functions and are in high demand from employers. Data analysis is designed to expose students to the importance of analytic applications used in industry communication and decision-making processes.  Analyze data in Excel with logical, approximate match lookup, and summary IF functions. Work with financial functions to analyze loans and investments by creating one and two-variable data tables, amortization schedules, calculating interest and principal payments on loans or investment opportunities. Prepare depreciation schedules and determine payback periods. Use regression analysis is to evaluate the effects of one or more independent variables on a single dependent variable. Automate tasks with Macros. Visualize data with advancing charting, building data models, and dashboards. 

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon successful completion of the course students should be able to:

  1. Describe how organizations utilize software applications to explore, prepare, analyze and visualize data.
  2. Design and create data visualizations for informative measures using critical thinking skills.
  3. Use spreadsheet and analytic software in the business environment.
  4. Connect and study business data using analytic vocabulary.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

A letter grade will be issued for this course based upon:

  • Case study analysis
  • Individual or group assignments
  • Assessment examinations
  • Skill assessment software

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

Themes, Concepts, Issues

  • Performing calculations, analyzing and charting financial data
  • Managing data with data tools from multiple sources, and automating tasks with macros
  • Performing What-IF analyses and exploring financial tools and functions
  • Exploring and summarizing data with Data Models, PivotTables, Dashboards
  • Analyzing Data with Business Intelligence (BI) tools and Power Query
  • Visualizing and reporting data with Smart Dashboards and presentations 

Competencies/Skills

  • Create financial formulas and functions
  • Use lookup tables and logical look up functions
  • Work with IF Logical functions
  • Perform What-If Analyses using One and Two Variable data tables
  • Create and edit Charts and Chart elements
  • Work with multiple worksheets, and workbooks, and create Data Models
  • Manage data with sorting, filtering, calculating subtotals, removing and highlighting duplicate values and records, and applying conditional formatting rules.
  • Create and format Dashboards, PivotTables and Pivot Charts
  • Build Data Models and use Power Pivot tools to transform data
  • Analyzing data with Business Intelligence (BI) tools, using Power Query to write, edit and retrieve data
  • Create Smart Dashboards and data visualization reports